Chapter 183: Sorrowless
"No problem, I've noted the price." Luo Shiyi smiled faintly, looking at the two people before him. "A man who's fake stout, a girl as skinny as a stick. Their fists are probably as soft as cotton—won't hurt a bit."
"Hah!" Zhang Shan laughed in anger. "Won't hurt a bit? Come and try it!"
"Try it, then." Luo Shiyi pushed Old Sun aside and stepped onto the bridge.
By now, all six had made it onto the bridge, but their formation was a mess.
From left to right stood Qiao Jiajin, Xiaoxiao, Zhang Shan, Li Xiangling, Luo Shiyi, and Old Sun.
The two teams had been scrambled. The most important thing now was which side could break through and lead their team to victory.
Zhang Shan and Li Xiangling had fully entrusted their backs to Qiao Jiajin, focusing all their attention on the opponent in front of them.
"Zhang Shan, let me try first," Li Xiangling said. "You be the finisher."
"Alright." Zhang Shan nodded. "Be careful in everything."
Li Xiangling acknowledged with a hum, stepped forward slowly, and said, "Big guy, you say I'm as skinny as a stick. I wonder if you can take my moves?"
The young man named Luo Shiyi didn't answer. Instead, he kept muttering under his breath: "Fake stout, skin and bones, won't hurt a bit. Fake stout, skin and bones, won't hurt a bit."
He seemed to be in a trance.
Li Xiangling ignored the man's mumbling. Instead, she hopped forward, stomped hard on the ground, and delivered a sweeping kick aimed at his soft abdomen.
A normal person would definitely be injured by that strike.
But Luo Shiyi didn't even block it. He took the hit squarely with his waist, then swung his fist and punched Li Xiangling right in the cheek.
"Ah!"
Li Xiangling was knocked to the ground. Zhang Shan immediately helped her up.
"You okay?" Zhang Shan asked.
"I'm... I'm fine..." Li Xiangling had practiced martial arts since childhood, so her physique was naturally stronger than most. But she really couldn't understand why the man had counterattacked so quickly.
"Be careful," Zhang Shan said. "These lunatics have an 'Echo'."
"Yeah, it's really strange..." Li Xiangling rubbed her cheek. She clearly remembered the feel of that kick. She had put a lot of force into it and hit his body. Logically, it should have hurt his internal organs. But he hadn't felt a thing.
"I told you, you can't do it," Luo Shiyi said, wagging a finger. "You're still way too early to beat me."
Li Xiangling's eyes darkened. She assumed a fighting stance again and said, "No matter how thick your skin is, if I keep hitting you, you'll show a weakness sooner or later."
"Then come and try," Luo Shiyi beckoned.
Li Xiangling wasted no time. She sidestepped, planted her feet wide in a solid horse stance, and thrust her right elbow forward, striking him square in the chest.
This wide, forceful move was from Bajiquan, which she had learned from other villagers in her spare time.
Luo Shiyi hadn't expected such power behind the blow. Although he felt no pain, the immense impact lifted him off the ground, sending him flying half a meter through the air before he crashed down.
Li Xiangling immediately rushed forward. Her goal had never been to kill, but to "cross the bridge." If she could get past him, there would only be one opponent left.
But to her surprise, something again blocked her path underfoot. She looked down to find her feet surrounded by a pile of rubble.
The rubble was covered in moss, and some moss had already crept up her legs, as if the stones had been there for years, and she had been standing there for years, too.
She blinked, made sure she was fully conscious, then quickly bent down to clear the stones. She knew she had to seize the advantage while the opponent was down—otherwise, all effort would be wasted.
"Watch out!" Zhang Shan shouted, throwing himself forward.
Luo Shiyi, who had just been knocked down by Li Xiangling, stood up as if nothing had happened. His hands were clasped together, as if holding something, and he swung them toward Li Xiangling's head.
Li Xiangling's eyes widened. She clearly saw him swinging at empty air, yet she suddenly felt as if a stone had struck her head.
Sure enough, she saw a broken stone club in Luo Shiyi's hand. The club seemed to appear out of nowhere, as if it had been in his grip all along.
The impact sent stone chips flying, directly knocking Li Xiangling off the bridge.
Zhang Shan shouted in alarm and threw himself to the ground, stretching out a hand at the last critical moment to grab Li Xiangling's wrist, preventing her from plunging into the abyss.
"Hey! Girl!" Zhang Shan yelled. "You okay?"
Li Xiangling shook her head, slowly opened her eyes, and felt dizzy.
"I'm fine... Brother Shan." Li Xiangling gave a wry smile. But the next second, she saw Luo Shiyi appear behind Zhang Shan with another broken stone club, swinging it fiercely at his head.
"Brother Shan, watch out!!" Li Xiangling screamed.
Zhang Shan's expression turned cold. The club landed squarely on his head.
"Bro... Brother Shan..." Li Xiangling was worried, but she noticed that the hand holding hers was still strong.
"I thought it'd be harder than that," Zhang Shan sneered. "Now *that's* what I call 'won't hurt a bit.'"
Luo Shiyi froze.
He turned and waved his hand. Old Sun handed him another stone club.
He gathered all his strength, raised the stone high, and slammed it down again.
Stones flew everywhere. Zhang Shan still showed no reaction.
Luo Shiyi was the one wielding the club, hitting the other man twice—yet it was he who backed away several steps.
"What the hell is this guy?!"
Zhang Shan got up nonchalantly, pulled Li Xiangling up with one hand, placed her behind him, and casually brushed the stone dust off his head.
"Fighting is one thing, but trying to kill a girl?" Zhang Shan's expression was a little angry. "Come on, hit me with your club. If I dodge even once, I'll take your last name."
He walked forward slowly, his intimidating presence forcing Luo Shiyi to retreat step by step.
Luo Shiyi reached back; Old Sun pulled out another stone club from thin air.
He swung the club and stepped forward, but Zhang Shan immediately threw a heavy punch that connected with his face.
The muscles on Luo Shiyi's face rippled from the blow. Several teeth flew out like wood chips.
The punch was too heavy.
Zhang Shan knew that even Qiao Jiajin would never be able to take a punch like that.
But Luo Shiyi, after taking the hit, immediately turned his head back and swung the stone club down, striking Zhang Shan on the head again.
Zhang Shan still didn't dodge. A trickle of blood slowly oozed from his forehead.
This time, being hit seemed to make him understand something.
"Your 'Echo'... is it having no sense of pain?" Zhang Shan wiped the blood from his brow and asked coldly.
"Pleasure to meet you..." Luo Shiyi grinned, his mouth full of blood. "I'm 'Sorrowless.' Not just pain—I can't feel any negative sensations at all."
"Oh?" Zhang Shan nodded slightly. "So you plan to beat me with that ability?"
"That's right." Luo Shiyi nodded with a smile. "The 'Jidao' paid a good price this time, so you have to die. Next time, if the price is right, I'll kill for you too."