Chapter 159: Boss, We Can't Beat Him!

The scarred man never expected Li Rui to launch a sudden attack against him. Caught completely off guard and pinned down instantly, he flew into a rage and began to spew foul curses.

"You little punk, resorting to a sneak attack! Bah! Shameless! Let go of me right now, or you'll be sorry!"

He spat out harsh threats, hoping to wriggle out of Li Rui's grip, but despite his frantic squirming, he remained firmly immobilized.

"Hey, are you going to let go or not? Taking advantage of someone when they're not looking is something no true hero would do. Come on, let's have a proper, fair fight without any underhanded tricks!"

A cunning glint flashed in the scarred man's eyes as he sophistically raised his voice to challenge Li Rui. Hearing this, Zhang Xiaolan immediately called out to warn Li Rui, fearing that the "honest" Li Rui might fall for the trickster's scam.

"Brother Li, don't listen to him! This scar-face just wants to play mind games because he can't win in a fight."

"Hmph! A person like you has no right to say such things."

Was Li Rui someone so easily manipulated into a trap? He had a very clear perspective on people and matters; right, wrong, virtue, and malice were all weighed distinctly in his heart.

No sooner had he spoken than Li Rui applied more pressure, shoving the scarred man flat onto the ground and ruthlessly pinning him down with his foot to prevent any further tricks. This caught the scarred man entirely off guard, drawing a painful, howling shriek from him.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Are you all idiots? Come over and help!" the scarred man bellowed at his three henchmen.

The three accompanying thugs—one currently gripping the young singing girl while the other two restrained the elderly street performer—did not dare to step forward and help even upon seeing their boss pinned beneath a foot, purely because they were terrified of Li Rui's martial arts and knew they were no match for him.

Normally, these small-time hooligans followed the scarred man, throwing their weight around and bullying ordinary citizens by relying on influential backers. Yet, their actual combat skills were utterly pathetic, suited only for picking on defenseless commoners.

Seeing their boss, the most skilled among them, taking a beating, they stood around with pounding hearts, too terrified to advance, merely watching as bystanders.

"Damn it! You bunch of useless trash, get over here and attack!"

The scarred man cursed them furiously. He had wasted provisions feeding these good-for-nothings, yet at the crucial moment, every single one of them turned out to be a cowardly deserter.

"Ah!..." Hearing their boss's roaring command, the men exchanged anxious glances before finally letting out a coordinated yell to pump up their courage and charging forward.

Meanwhile, Li Rui remained utterly calm and composed, his foot still planted firmly on the scarred man's back. Using only his hands to execute his moves without shifting his stance an inch, he thoroughly thrashed them until they were spitting teeth and howling like ghosts.

"Ouch! Boss, we can't beat him!" Within moments, they were utterly defeated, knocked sprawling to the ground by Li Rui.

"Brother Li is mighty! You've beaten them black and blue!"

Zhang Xiaolan watched the battle with great relish. Seeing the thugs collapse and groan in pain on the ground, she clapped and cheered, lavishing praise on Li Rui's imposing prowess.

"Damn your hide! If you have the guts, let us go, and we'll settle this score with you another day!"

Refusing to lower his posture or beg for mercy, the scarred man continued to provoke Li Rui with harsh words, threatening to exact revenge in the future. Disgusted by his attitude, Zhang Xiaolan squatted down and dealt a fierce slap right across his head, reprimanding him sharply:

"You dead scar-face, do you think everyone is as stupid as you? Today, I'm having you handed over to the authorities to be tried and punished by the law!"

Zhang Xiaolan figured this fellow lacked any real martial prowess and was only capable of running his mouth. It seemed some people truly refused to shed a tear until they saw their own coffin—he would surely regret this shortly.

"You little wench, how dare you hit me? Have you got a death wish?" Feeling the burning humiliation of being struck by a woman, the scarred man's anger flared into an inferno, completely shattering his pride.

Today truly was his unlucky day, running into these meddling busybodies. Not only was he knocked flat and stepped on, but now he was even getting his head smacked by a woman—it was the ultimate disgrace.

"Take a good look at your situation before you run your mouth, will you?" Seeing his arrogance, Zhang Xiaolan rewarded him with yet another sharp rap on the skull.

This man was utterly brainless and hopelessly stubborn. If he dared to act arrogant again, she would just give him a good kick and turn his face into a pig's head—though honestly, he wasn't much smarter than a pig anyway.