Chapter 438 - Ambushed

Chapter 438: Chapter 445: AmbushedFor two consecutive days, Xu Yingying hadn’t returned home, which left Xu Shanshan extremely anxious, while Li Yifei’s mood had finally settled down. He had thought that returning to the city would allow him to lead a tranquil life, to find a wife and live a modest existence, but evidently, his romantic life was not going smoothly. He feared this young man couldn’t carry on much longer.

Knowing that Xu Yingying wouldn’t be coming home tonight either, Li Yifei didn’t feel like returning home. Although Xu Shanshan was adorable, she was not his wife after all. Now that things with Xu Yingying had turned out this way, he was even less inclined to have any ambiguous interactions with Xu Shanshan.

It had been a long time since he had been to a bar. Today, Li Yifei decided once again to visit one, to have a few drinks and unwind, which seemed like a good choice.

If Li Yifei made a call now, he could easily find many people to join him for drinks, Lin Qiong, Michelle, and others, but he just felt like drinking alone.

"Sir, here’s your drink!" At this early hour, the bar was sparsely populated, and a server approached with a tray, on which sat a bottle of white spirit, a drinking glass, and some nuts and dried fruits.

Li Yifei nodded his head in acknowledgement. The server was about to set the tray on the table, an utterly normal movement, but a sudden alarm went off in his mind and instinctively, he leaned quickly backwards just as he noticed a streak of cold light aiming for his chest.

It was a sharp dagger, not long in the handle or the blade, but exceedingly keen and aimed straight for a vital part of Li Yifei’s chest. The move was rapid and forceful; Li Yifei was cognizant that if the dagger hit its mark, his life would be over there and then.

Such a swift backward lean afforded him enough time to act. With nowhere further to dodge due to the backing of the booth, his hand had already shot out, latching onto the wrist of the server.

The server’s hand shook, and like a snake changing direction, he redirected the attack towards Li Yifei. Mid-stab, however, he abruptly retreated as a large tabletop was hurtled towards him.

Li Yifei’s response to danger was incredibly fast. Even if he’d been neglecting his training these days, it hadn’t affected his reactions. As his hand reached for the assassin’s wrist, his foot kicked up the table. Any object near him could become his weapon.

The table forced the server back, and Li Yifei had already sprung up, charging at the server. For someone seeking to end his life, he certainly wasn’t about to pull his punches.

After his initial failure, the server didn’t attempt to flee. His left hand flipped around, revealing another dagger identical to the one in his right. He let out a low shout and pounced towards Li Yifei.

As the server lunged, two dark figures suddenly sprang from the side, thrusting long knives at Li Yifei, and together with the attacker in front, their assault was relentless, like mercury spilling across the floor, indefensible.

Li Yifei was internally shocked. Not only were the trio’s skills formidable, but their very presence, which he hadn’t sensed beforehand, betrayed their exceptional ability to conceal murderous intent.

The fact that these three were lying in wait inside the bar was even more bewildering. It had been a long time since he’d been to such a place. How could they have known that he would come here today?

But this was not the time for Li Yifei to ponder such questions. The most pressing issue was to neutralize these three assailants. With a fierce shout, he twisted his body peculiarly, evading the long knife from the man to the left, then ramming into his chest to avoid the dagger thrust from the man in front, while the knife from the man on the right couldn’t reach him.

The man on the left, whose knife was better suited for distance, found himself outmaneuvered at close range by Li Yifei, rendering the weapon ineffective. He was quick to react, letting go of the knife and aiming two punches at Li Yifei’s face and chest, hoping to push him back so his comrades could continue their assault; otherwise, he himself would merely serve as Li Yifei’s human shield.

Li Yifei had anticipated this move and wouldn’t allow him to succeed. He tilted his head, dodging one punch, and with a shoulder butt, he collided with the assailant’s other punch.

The adversary had hastily thrown his punches, splitting his force between two hands, thus diminishing their power. Li Yifei, on the other hand, had calculated his response with care, using a full-powered shoulder thrust that sent the puncher crashing back as if he had hit a boulder.

"Whoosh!" Sensing the peril, the man used the momentum from Li Yifei’s hit to propel himself backward, successfully dissipating some of the force before he smashed onto a table, which instantly shattered to pieces.

The table was sturdy, and ordinarily, it would not break under a person’s weight, but combined with the power from Li Yifei’s strike, it couldn’t withstand such a formidable force and crumbled apart.

In the time it took for one person to be thrown out, Li Yifei had already clashed with the other two assailants. Though they wielded sharp weapons, Li Yifei fought with bare hands; not only did he not fall behind, but he also forced the two of them to retreat step by step. Li Yifei’s entire body was a weapon, and any part that touched those two would cause no less damage than their own blades.

Meanwhile, the man Li Yifei had sent flying had now bounced back into the fray. Despite his injuries, he was truly a skilled fighter, and the wound was not grave. Plus, with the three of them working together, they had managed to corner Li Yifei into getting hurt, which was humiliating for him. Enraged, he bellowed and rejoined the battle.

With the three of them closing in, their combat strength increased once more, and Li Yifei seemed to be pushed into a defensive position. However, he didn’t panic at all; in fact, he had not been exerting his full strength. He was waiting, waiting for the rest of their group. If these three had come to ambush him, they must have figured out his capabilities, yet Li Yifei knew nothing of them. He disliked being at such a disadvantage and was determined to uncover the identity of this gang, convinced there were others behind these three.

However, it seemed the others had great patience, as they had yet to reveal themselves. They appeared to be waiting for him to slip up, so Li Yifei decided to oblige and show them an opening.

"Go to hell!" Li Yifei roared and launched a straight punch toward the man in front of him.

The man in front was the same one who had been injured earlier. He had picked up his long blade again, and upon seeing Li Yifei’s relentless punch, he too shouted and thrust his blade straight at Li Yifei’s fist.

The other two aimed their attacks at Li Yifei’s sides, intending to corner him into a face-to-face collision with no chance to dodge.

Li Yifei seemed to play right into their hands, his punch remaining unstoppable. In the blink of an eye, it met the blade.

"Swoosh!" The blade met no resistance, seemingly piercing straight through Li Yifei’s fist and arm.

The two others rejoiced, thinking Li Yifei had doomed himself by injuring his own arm, leaving him defenseless against their encirclement.

"Ah!" However, accompanied by a scream, the man in front was sent flying, still clutching his long blade, which had no blood on it.

This man broke another table as he fell, but this time he was incapable of getting back up. Li Yifei’s punch had shattered at least six or seven of his ribs, and the broken bones had punctured his chest cavity. There was no external bleeding, but internally it was a mess, and his survival was doubtful.

The unexpected turn of events stunned the two companions, causing them a moment of distraction.

In a high-level fight, there is no room for the slightest hesitation, and since these two were not as strong as Li Yifei, they found themselves overwhelmed. By the time they realized Li Yifei had launched an attack, it was too late to mount an effective defense, and they were quickly forced to retreat.

"Thud, thud!" Two successive sounds, and both were sent flying by Li Yifei. After landing, they coughed up blood, and although they struggled to their feet, their wavering stance revealed the severity of their injuries.

"You truly overestimated yourselves. You thought you could ambush me?" Li Yifei stood before the two men, his fierce gaze sweeping over them. He demanded, "Who are you?"

Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths, their expressions were ferocious, but neither spoke; they simply glared hatefully at Li Yifei.

"Will you talk or not!" Li Yifei stretched out his hand and seized one man by the throat, lifting him up.

The man’s breath grew labored from the chokehold, yet he struggled not at all, continuing to glare at Li Yifei with eyes filled with hatred.

This look caused Li Yifei to frown. The man’s gaze conveyed sheer hatred, indicating they bore a deep grudge against him. As a member of the Flying Hawk Squad, Li Yifei had completed many missions and killed numerous enemies. Making enemies was only natural, but back then his identity was hardly known. After retiring, his past was a secret, yet now, back in the city, it seemed enemies were still tracking him down.

And as Li Yifei’s attention was briefly diverted, a black dagger suddenly hurtled toward his back, glinting coldly in the light. The dagger was small and quiet, making no sound as it flew through the air. Unaware, Li Yifei didn’t notice as the dagger plunged deep into his back, right up to the hilt.