In a panic, Li Baolong mustered his last ounce of strength to climb the high slope by the river. Exhausted, he only wanted to use it to slightly slow down his pursuers. Before he could catch his breath, the two thugs caught up like wolves. The stronger thug, wielding a steel pipe, was the first to climb the slope. Li Baolong, steeling his resolve, grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at him, hitting him squarely. The thug screamed in pain, enraged, and swung the pipe at Li Baolong, cursing wildly. Li Baolong dodged, but was still struck hard in the shoulder. A sharp pain shot through him, and he roared, "I'll fight you to the death!" He then punched them, and the two men instantly began to wrestle. After several rounds, both were injured. Li Baolong, having already borne two steel pipes, staggered and leaned against a large rock.
Big Brother Long arrived, panting, his face contorted with rage, cursing, "You reckless bastard, I'll kill you tonight! Qiangzi, you go too, use my knife to bleed him a little. If you've done that, that pretty Shasha from the dance hall is yours." Hearing this, Li Baolong was filled with resentment and disdain, thinking to himself, "These thugs are already plotting their reward. Even if I die, I'll drag you all down with me!" His eyes widened in fury, and he picked up a rock, throwing it at the charging Qiangzi. The rock struck Qiangzi precisely, who groaned but still lunged forward, brandishing his knife. Li Baolong had nowhere to dodge and could only pounce on Qiangzi, embracing him tightly.
As the two were locked in a stalemate, Brother Dalong had already climbed to the top of the slope. Taking advantage of Li Baolong's distraction, he slammed a steel pipe down hard. Caught in a pincer attack, Li Baolong took two more blows and was then kicked by Qiangzi. He tumbled uncontrollably down the slope, landing squarely in the Modi River. Seeing this, Qiangzi looked terrified: "Brother Dalong, is someone going to die? This is a huge problem!" Brother Dalong also looked panicked: "If someone dies, we all have to run. Don't dawdle, let's go!" The three hurriedly drove away.
The icy river water instantly submerged Li Baolong. His consciousness gradually blurred, but he still vowed in his heart that if he could escape this calamity, he would bring these villains to justice. In the moment before losing consciousness, he seemed to see the face of the woman he longed for—Zhou Jie, the only tenderness and concern he had in this cold and dark world.
Li Baolong sank into the icy river, the frigid water constantly filling his mouth and nose, causing a throbbing pain in his lungs. Just when he thought he was going to die, his body instinctively thrashed about, and he unexpectedly touched a protruding rock. With his last ounce of strength, he pushed himself up from the bottom of the water, his head finally breaking the surface, greedily inhaling the cold air.
Li Baolong, dragging his battered body, finally managed to climb ashore. Exhausted, he collapsed onto the grass by the river and fell into a deep sleep. As dawn broke, a new day was about to begin. Lying by the river, Li Baolong was awakened by a piercing pain all over his body, but his heart was shrouded in gloom. How could he survive alone in this complicated environment? What would become of him?
Li Baolong lay dying by the riverbank, blood seeping from the dagger wound in his abdomen. He was utterly weak, every ounce of strength fading away. Just as he thought his life was about to end on this desolate riverbank, the mysterious space on his left arm flashed into his mind like a ray of dawn. He forced himself to activate his telepathic abilities with his right hand, shakily took out a bottle of water, and drank it down, finding some relief for his parched throat and dehydrated body and mind.
Li Baolong looked at the food in the space, but he had no appetite; his pale face was filled with determination. When the mysterious jade bottle appeared in his hand, he bit open the seal, poured out the pill that shimmered with a bluish light, and swallowed it without hesitation. Then, excruciating pain surged in his abdomen like a tidal wave, and a burning sensation coursed through his body. His mouth was parched, and he drank water frantically. Sweat soaked his freshly dried clothes again. Li Baolong lay panting on the grass, vaguely sensing that something had been awakened within him.
As dawn broke, Li Baolong, like a wounded lone wolf, limped ashore and sat by the roadside to flag down a tricycle to return to his neighborhood. After paying the fare with his wet one-yuan coin, he mustered his last bit of strength to climb the stairs and return home.
Back home, Li Baolong felt completely drained. He rushed to the bathroom, where he vomited and had diarrhea all morning. After calming down a bit, he quickly washed off the blood and grime and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep. He slept until nightfall, when a wave of hunger woke him. He desperately craved some hot food to soothe his body and soul.
After sleeping all day, Li Baolong finally regained some strength, and the wound on his abdomen began to scab over. He got up, found some medicine, and carefully treated the wound. As he limped downstairs, a familiar figure instantly came into view. "Sister Honghong," he called softly. Hearing this, Honghong hurried over, her eyes full of concern: "Brother Baolong, I felt something was wrong when you didn't go to work tonight. Did something happen? I've been wandering around the neighborhood for ages, but I don't know which room you live in." Seeing Honghong's anxious appearance, Li Baolong felt a surge of warmth in his heart.
"Sister Honghong, I'm fine, I just wanted to get something to eat." Li Baolong said, trying to sound casual, but his pale and weak face betrayed him. Honghong gripped his hand tightly, her eyes filled with worry and urgency: "Baolong, what's wrong? You have to tell your sister, I'll definitely help you." Li Baolong couldn't refuse, so he said, "Sister Honghong, I'll eat something first, and then I'll tell you slowly."
Upon arriving at the noodle shop, Li Baolong, like a starving refugee, devoured three large bowls of noodles in one go, leaving Honghong speechless. After Li Baolong finished eating, Honghong helped him back to his room. As soon as they entered, Honghong eagerly pressed him, "Alright, can you tell me now? What happened?" Li Baolong reluctantly recounted the entire story of Dalong and his gang's revenge attack. Honghong was shocked. She quickly lifted Li Baolong's clothes to check his wounds. Seeing the gruesome scar on his abdomen and the swollen marks on his shoulder, her eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Silly brother, why didn't you come to your sister! I would have risked my life to prevent them from bullying you!" Li Baolong hurriedly comforted her, "Sister Honghong, I'm alright now, it's just a beating." "You say you're alright? This scar on your stomach almost killed you! No, this can't be left like this, I have to go find their leader and confront him," Honghong said angrily.
It was nearly midnight when Honghong looked at Li Baolong's weak state and felt heartbroken. "I won't leave tonight. I'll stay here and take care of you. We'll go to the hospital for a thorough check-up first thing tomorrow morning." Li Baolong was deeply moved. He knew that in this cold world, Honghong's care was like the warm sun in winter, warming his body and mind, and the bond between him and Honghong grew even stronger.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
