This palm, seemingly without any power, magnified infinitely in Li Chonglou's eyes.
It was like a meteorite from beyond the heavens descending, the closer it got, the stronger the oppressive force.
And it was impossible to dodge.
This was due to relative extreme speed, achieved after reaching the pinnacle of relaxation.
With no time to think, Li Chonglou raised his hand to block.
*Peng!*
As his arms crossed, he met Song Yi's strike.
He was sent flying backward like a cannonball, smashing through the stone railing by the lake with a rumble and falling into the water.
*Splash…*
A spray of water erupted in the lake, then slowly subsided.
After sinking, Li Chonglou did not resurface.
Instead, he held his breath, letting his weight carry him to the not-so-deep lakebed.
The searing pain in his arms was a reminder that if he emerged, the second attack might be more than his body could withstand.
Having passed through the Neizhuang and Shengu realms, both his bones and skin were far stronger than those of ordinary people.
Even though his muscle mass had dwindled to its lowest point due to starvation, his core strength remained undiminished.
Even so, facing Song Yi, he felt a sense of despair.
That despair stemmed from relative extreme speed.
This was something Li Chonglou had grasped when breaking through to the second stage of the Shengu realm.
When two people act simultaneously, the one who is more relaxed, and thus more responsive, will always have the advantage.
The speed of nerve transmission far exceeds that of muscle and bone. This is why people often become flustered, tremble, and suffer from impaired strength, accuracy, and speed when tense. Anyone who has fought would understand this.
The more relaxed one is, the more instinctively the body responds to neural commands in an instant. Although it might not appear fast to the observer, it is actually a speed far exceeding visual perception.
At a certain level, one can even dodge bullets.
Song Yi's palm strike just now was a demonstration of relative extreme speed, leaving Li Chonglou no choice but to block head-on.
This indicated that his strength and cultivation were far inferior to his opponent's.
How could he possibly fight back?
He could only stay at the bottom of the lake, holding his breath for as long as possible.
To survive, this was not cheating.
"Youngster, don't pretend to be dead, nor should you hope for luck," Song Yi's voice seemed to penetrate the water layers, reaching Li Chonglou's ears.
Standing on the shore, looking at the now calm lake, a hint of surprise flickered in Song Yi's eyes.
He had thought Li Chonglou was merely agile, but he hadn't expected him to withstand his palm strike.
Although it was just a probe, he was confident in his own strength. An ordinary person would have been completely pierced by that palm.
Li Chonglou had used the force to propel himself into the lake; it was clearly intentional.
This implied he still had some fight left.
Such youngsters were rare, a promising talent.
It was a pity he had offended the Fan family; otherwise, he wouldn't have to die by his hand.
"Senior, you are from the Fan family, aren't you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Chonglou emerged from the water, shouting loudly, "I have no enmity with the Fan family, and I even saved Fan Meng a couple of days ago."
"The Fan family patriarch was harmed and fell into a coma, and his eldest son was sentenced to life imprisonment."
"All of this was done by the Fan family's second young master, Fan Keli. You must have been manipulated!"
During his brief time submerged in the lake, he suddenly understood something.
Only a select few could track him to Zhonghai and command such a master.
He had already stated he hadn't heard of Huang Dongcheng or Hu Yang Group. It was obvious the Fan family was behind it.
After being knocked unconscious by him and Bai Jing during the previous night's hotel raid,
They surely wouldn't give up and had sent such an unparalleled master to silence him.
However, this old man didn't seem like a bad person, merely misled.
Perhaps he could be reasoned with.
"Impudent brat, cease your nonsensical babbling!" Song Yi sternly rebuked.
But in his sharp, piercing eyes, a visible trace of hesitation had appeared.
This trace of hesitation, though faint, did not escape Li Chonglou's keen observation.
Seeing that his words had an effect, he continued, "If you don't believe me, go back and confirm with Fan Keli. The reason the patriarch is critically ill is that he has been consistently consuming a slow-acting poison, strophanthus, which he administered. This made it appear as if he suffered a stroke due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease."
"Furthermore, the eldest son Fan Kexin's intentional homicide was also orchestrated by him. That person was actually murdered by Fan Keli."
"It's exactly like what you are doing now!"
In his previous life, Li Chonglou knew the Fan family very well, and these details were revealed by Fan Meng herself.
By exposing all these matters now, he was confident Song Yi would be moved.
Indeed, upon hearing this, Song Yi's expression shifted to one of disbelief.
"Impossible! Keli, as a child, was exceptionally pure and kind. How could he do such things?" Song Yi clearly began to question his life, muttering, "You must be trying to trick me into sparing your life!"
But even as he spoke, he showed no intention of attacking again.
The killing intent in his eyes gradually dissipated.
He became lost in thought, his gaze shifting with complex emotions, a look of utter bewilderment.
Li Chonglou, still in the water, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He dared not move rashly, fearing he might startle Song Yi.
A master from such a different era, though perhaps out of touch with worldly affairs, surely possessed a mind far beyond that of ordinary people, with a strong ability for self-discernment.
It was not easy to fool them.
However, everything he said was the truth; he wasn't trying to deceive anyone.
As long as Song Yi was given some time, he would eventually figure things out. Even if he didn't believe what Fan Keli had done, he shouldn't be so quick to take a life and kill him.
It seemed he might escape this ordeal today.
Just as he was congratulating himself.
He heard a rustling sound from the woods not far away.
Following the sound, he saw Bai Jing, holding a stick, rushing towards them.
"This woman, she's so willful! I told her to leave!" Li Chonglou felt a touch of warmth in his heart.
Bai Jing not abandoning him to flee might be because she couldn't gauge Song Yi's true strength, or perhaps her sense of duty wouldn't allow her to escape.
But in the next moment, Li Chonglou realized something was terribly wrong.
He quickly shouted, "Bai Jing, don't be rash!"
Unfortunately, he was in the water and could see Bai Jing, but Bai Jing, on the shore, was blocked by trees and couldn't see him.
Seeing Song Yi standing alone by the water, seemingly in thought, she assumed Li Chonglou had met his demise.
She had rushed out intending to ambush Song Yi.
By the time she heard Li Chonglou's voice, it was already too late.
The stick in her hand whistled through the air as she swung it towards the back of Song Yi's head.
Song Yi, caught in a state of self-doubt and assessment, never expected anyone to dare ambush him at this moment.
However, the powerful instincts honed over decades required no conscious thought.
His ear twitched, and upon hearing the whistling sound of the approaching strike, his subconscious reaction kicked in.
He subtly shifted his body, grabbing the wooden stick with his other hand.
With a gentle pull, Bai Jing was yanked to his side with a surprised cry.
This maneuver was faster than lightning.
Li Chonglou's eyes widened, and he hastily shouted, "Senior, show mercy!"
Alas, his voice was too slow.
After pulling Bai Jing to his side, Song Yi, without a second thought, delivered a chopping palm strike directly to Bai Jing's left shoulder.
*Crack!*
A chilling bone-breaking sound echoed. Bai Jing collapsed to the ground like she had been hit by a vehicle, releasing the stick. Before she could even cry out, she lost consciousness.
Li Chonglou, disregarding his own safety, burst from the water and leaped ashore.
He madly rushed to Bai Jing's side, picking her up. He forced her eyelids open, and seeing her pupils already beginning to dilate and her breath becoming shallow and intermittent, he went insane.
This was a sign of impending death.
"Foolish woman, who told you to rush over!" Li Chonglou's eyes turned red, his teeth gritted in anger.
A moment ago, he had felt touched, but he never imagined Bai Jing would end up like this.
Even he might not have escaped that palm strike unscathed, let alone Bai Jing.
To sacrifice her life for him, how could she be so foolish?
He had no intention of becoming enemies with Song Yi, as there was no need for it.
They were not irreconcilable foes.
But at this moment, his heart was filled with boundless rage.
Even if Song Yi hadn't intended to kill, if he hadn't appeared, Bai Jing wouldn't have been struck down and killed with a single palm.
If this grudge wasn't avenged, he would die a thousand deaths and still not be absolved!
At this moment, Song Yi also regained his senses, the confusion in his eyes gone.
Looking at Bai Jing, whose shoulder bone he had broken and whose heart meridian he had injured, he frowned.
"Now, even if you don't kill me, I will kill you!" Li Chonglou gently laid down Bai Jing, whose breath was already fading. His eyes were bloodshot as he stood up and faced Song Yi directly.
His gaze was as resolute as iron, unyielding.
Even though his strength was inferior to Song Yi's, he had no other choice at this moment.
At worst, he would risk his life, fighting until death!
When a rational person loses their reason, even nine oxen cannot pull them back.
"Youngster," Song Yi said coldly, pointing to Bai Jing on the ground, "She was merely knocked into a comatose state by my palm strike, a temporary suspended animation."
"What, and you expect me to pay with my life for this?"
His words caused the redness in Li Chonglou's eyes to quickly recede.
His voice trembled, "Suspended animation? You mean Bai Jing is not dead?"
"This girl has a good constitution. Although her shoulder bone was broken, there is no danger to her life. She just needs a good period of rest to recover," Song Yi said, walking over to Bai Jing and squatting down. He placed his right hand in an 'eight' shape, with his index finger on her "Tianchi" acupoint on her chest and his thumb on her "Dantian" in the abdomen.
With a sudden press.
"Hoo…" Abruptly, Bai Jing's body trembled, and a rapid panting sound ensued. She had woken up.
In that instant, Li Chonglou was overjoyed, his guard completely down.
He hurried to lean over and ask, "How are you?"
"It hurts…" Bai Jing furrowed her brows, her voice weak.
Of course, it would hurt. Her shoulder bone had been literally broken. An ordinary woman would have started crying by now, but she merely frowned.
After speaking, she saw Song Yi nearby and tried to struggle to her feet.
But the slightest movement caused her to cry out in pain.
"Bone injuries take a hundred days to heal. Girl, you shouldn't have tried to ambush me while I was contemplating. Consider this a lesson," Song Yi said as he stood up.
The hostility on his face had temporarily disappeared.
He looked at Li Chonglou seriously and said, "Youngster, I will temporarily heed your words and verify them upon my return."
"If I find any falsehoods, I will certainly come for your life again."
"Take care of yourself!"
With that, he turned and left gracefully.
Seeing Bai Jing's dumbfounded expression, she only asked dazedly after Song Yi's back had disappeared, "He… why did he leave?"
"Should I invite him to dinner?" Li Chonglou replied with a smile.
After speaking, he picked up Bai Jing in his arms and walked out of the park.
Only now did the weight on his heart truly lift. He had managed to save two lives.
A person like Song Yi was too terrifying in this era.
He could kill with a mere gesture. He should probably register him at the police station.
However, he needed to get Bai Jing to the hospital first; everything else could wait.
"What's wrong with you all? Do you need my help?" Just then, a tall figure appeared ahead.
It was Ye Niao, who had been tracking them. Seeing the situation, she feigned surprise and asked like a passerby.