Fengluo never expected that this pursuit would last a full two hours!
It was comparable to half a marathon.
He had no idea how that girl named Hu Tao could run so fast! And she was even carrying Qiqi on her shoulder!
The only consolation was that the young man's physical stamina was unexpectedly strong, and Fengluo had managed not to lose her trace!
The two of them ran and chased all the way until they reached a small hill outside Liyue Harbor, finally bringing the chase to an end.
"Huff—puff—"
It was a good thing he had eaten the sesame flatbread Qiqi gave him.
Otherwise, Fengluo felt he probably would have passed out halfway there.
Even so, he was already panting heavily, his heart rate soaring!
His legs were trembling as well, but Fengluo still limped his way up the hillside.
Then he saw a shocking sight.
The girl who called herself Hu Tao was holding a shovel that appeared from nowhere, humming a tune as she dug a pit!
The sack containing Qiqi was placed nearby, and Qiqi sat there in a daze, watching Hu Tao quickly dig a large hole one meter long and fifty centimeters wide!
"Heave-ho~ heave-ho~ Little sister, don't worry, dust to dust, ash to ash, I will surely send you into the cycle of the five elements!"
Hu Tao even smiled and patted Qiqi on the head, then went back to digging and digging and digging!
"Oh..."
Qiqi still looked clueless, not quite understanding what Hu Tao was talking about.
Fengluo, who had just rushed over, saw this scene and his heart almost stopped beating.
"Stop right there! What do you want to do to my savior!"
Fengluo shouted at the top of his lungs,
Then, grabbing a piece of a wooden stick he had picked up from the roadside, he bravely stood in front of Qiqi!
To protect his savior Qiqi, he would fight this girl!
"Hey! Where did this nosy fellow come from? Do you know who she is, trying to stop this Director?"
"She is my savior! If you want to bury her, you'll have to step over my dead body!"
"Yy-hey! This is the first time anyone has made such a strange request of this Director, so I suppose I'll just have to grant it!"
Hu Tao flicked her hand, and a strangely shaped polearm suddenly appeared in her grip!
"Are you ready? Here it comes!"
She smiled mischievously.
"Don't get scared!"
He was already scared!
Fengluo cursed his luck inwardly.
From the moment the polearm materialized out of thin air in Hu Tao's hands, he already knew this girl was no ordinary person.
But he had nowhere left to run!
How could he just stand by and watch Qiqi get buried!
"Ya-ya-ya-ya!"
Shouting at the top of his lungs, Fengluo brandished the wooden stick and charged straight at her!
"Pfft! What kind of attack style is that..."
Hu Tao let out a burst of laughter.
I must admit,
the way she looked when she smiled was actually quite pretty.
"Did you learn that attack style from a Pyro Hilichurl?"
A Pyro Hilichurl?
What was that?
While Fengluo was still wondering if she was mocking him,
"Here we go!"
Hu Tao had already swung her polearm horizontally with fierce force!
It struck Fengluo's wooden stick with pinpoint accuracy!
"Ah—!"
Fengluo cried out in pain,
as he felt an irresistible, tremendous force travel from the wooden stick!
Unable to keep his grip at all, the stick in his hand was directly knocked flying away!
It even caught fire with a hiss in mid-air, turning into ashes!
"Gulp."
Fengluo swallowed hard.
Just what kind of person was this girl?!
Only then did he notice something else.
There were plum blossom patterns in Hu Tao's eyes as well!
"Hehe, want to keep going?"
Hu Tao put away the polearm and looked at Fengluo with keen interest.
It was just like a little cat discovering an interesting toy.
"I won't use the spear this time, you know!"
"How dare you look down on me!"
Fengluo clenched his fists. "No matter what, I am someone who has practiced Hunyuan Xingyi Tai Chi for a few years! Master Ma even praised my talent!"
"Wow! So amazing~"
Hu Tao clapped her hands. "Come on, come on, let me witness your fist techniques!"
"Hah! Behold my Five Lightning Whip Strikes!"
Fengluo let out a loud roar, his palms moving so fast they left Afterimage, while his feet executed a bizarre footwork pattern.
He rushed toward Hu Tao ahead of time, launching an attack!
This was his most powerful move.
According to Master Ma, this move possessed tremendous destructive power and should not be unleashed unless absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, whoever was struck would either die or be grievously injured.
Under normal circumstances,
Fengluo would definitely never use such a move against a young girl.
But now he already knew Hu Tao was far from ordinary.
And his savior Qiqi was still watching him from the side, waiting for him to rescue her!
It was time to use this move!
"Pfft, hahahahaha!"
Hu Tao was so amused that she clutched her belly with one hand while blocking Fengluo's attack with the other.
Because at this moment,
Fengluo was executing his attacks with a completely deadpan expression, adopting a comical stance and moving rigidly toward Hu Tao.
Even Qiqi covered her head in exasperation upon seeing this scene.
Then, with absolute certainty,
Fengluo took a punch to the face from Hu Tao, who had finished laughing her fill, and instantly collapsed to the ground!
"Ah!!"
With a look of utter astonishment, Fengluo tumbled several times on the ground before coming to a stop.
How could this be?
Was this the principle of overcoming superior strength through sheer force?
Himself, the proud disciple of Master Ma.
Actually defeated by a young girl with a single punch!
Besides, how could those slender arms and legs of hers
burst out with such terrifying power?
Fengluo couldn't understand it.
But he knew he had lost.
"Well? Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?"
Hu Tao came over with a cheeky grin to where Fengluo had fallen.
"Bring them all on~ This Director will take them one by one! I'll make sure you lose and admit defeat from the bottom of your heart!"
Damn it!
Fengluo gritted his teeth.
Yet he also knew Hu Tao had not dealt a lethal blow.
Otherwise,
given her strength, she could easily have finished him off in an instant.
Was she just toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse,
completely crushing his self-esteem?
Right now, Hu Tao's smile looked exceptionally hateful in Fengluo's eyes.
Yet he was utterly powerless.
The gap in their strength was like a chasm!
"Hello? Have you given up already?"
Hu Tao poked Fengluo with her hand, and seeing that he still didn't react,
she put her hands on her hips and looked down at him with a helpless expression.
"Ahem... since you've already admitted defeat, this Director won't make things difficult for you. Let me compose a poem and dedicate it to you~"
Hu Tao rolled her eyes as she thought.
"Today I'm here to bury Qiqi, a fool fought back quite foolishly. I beat him till he fell apart, while laughter echoed in my heart~"
"Hahahaha! As expected of the Alleyside Dark Doggerel Poet! I've got to write this down!"
Feeling that her creation was simply brilliant, Hu Tao quickly fished out a small notebook from her pocket and jotted it down.
This made Fengluo so angry he almost passed out.
"I lack the skill, so do as you please—kill me or carve me up, I yield to your disposal!"
Having no other options left, he could only channel the spirit of the hero Ke Zhen'e, stiffening his neck as he sat right there on the ground.
He put on the stubborn posture of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.
"Why would I want to kill you? Do you think this Director is the kind of person who slaughters the innocent indiscriminately?"
Hu Tao looked at Fengluo with a strange expression. "In all of Liyue Harbor, who doesn't know me, the compassionate Director Hu?"
"And you call that not slaughtering the innocent?"
Fengluo's eyes widened in disbelief.
Oh, you Hu Tao!
You look all cute like a good person, are you treating me like an idiot?
Stretching out a trembling finger in utter rage, Fengluo pointed at Qiqi, who was still sitting inside the sack with her adorable, clueless expression.
"Such a cute little girl! She hasn't even grown up yet, hasn't even experienced the beauty of the world, and you are actually going to bury her into the cold dirt at an age like a flower bud!"
"You have no conscience, you're a monster!"
Fengluo accused her.
Meanwhile, Qiqi inside the sack didn't quite understand, tilting her head in an utterly clueless and adorable manner.