Chapter 172 Unconventional in All Things

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, startling all the dozing men awake.

Inside the police command vehicle, Inspector Li jolted up from his chair, grabbed the walkie-talkie, and barked angrily, "What's going on? Who fired that shot!"

Immediately, officers stationed around the single-story brick house reported that the gunshot had come from the back of the building.

At the same time, chaos erupted inside the house. Some men drew machetes and rushed outside, while others shouted to ask what had happened.

"What should we do?" Inspector Li's deputy asked. "Should we storm in and make arrests? If we don't act now, these people will likely disperse immediately."

Inspector Li glanced at the monitor and finally gave the order, "Move in. Tell the riot squad to charge."

As soon as the order was given, two teams of heavily armed officers leaped from the other police vehicles, carrying riot shields as they rushed toward the house.

The lookouts guarding the outside of the building spotted the police and immediately screamed, "Cops! It's the cops!"

One lackey turned to run the moment he saw the police, but the leading boss kicked him sprawling to the ground. "Nobody runs! Grab your gear and fight them!"

Kun Jiu's subordinates whipped out their machetes, squaring off against the police.

"You are completely surrounded! Drop your weapons and surrender immediately!" the deputy squad leader shouted through a megaphone.

...

Taking advantage of the chaos in the front, Lu Feng smashed a window at the back of the house and entered the room where Zhong Jianguo was being held.

Zhong Jianguo was still tied to a chair, his head slumped and completely motionless. It was impossible to tell whether he had fallen unconscious or lost consciousness entirely.

The situation was rather strange. If Zhong Jianguo had fallen victim to some sorcery like a soul-stealing spell, tying him up shouldn't have been necessary. The previous confinement could perhaps be excused as a trap disguised to look otherwise, but binding him this time seemed redundant.

Lu Feng considered another possibility: Zhong Jianguo possessed a formidable willpower and had not entirely lost his mind, which was why he had to be restrained.

Lu Feng walked up to Zhong Jianguo, confirmed he was unarmed, lifted his eyelids to examine his pupils, and then took his pulse at the wrist.

His pulse was chaotic—a rhythm Lu Feng had never encountered before, entirely unbefitting a living human being.

The chaotic confrontation outside was intensifying, and they would likely breach the room before long.

Lu Feng immediately produced a silver needle. Holding it in his right hand, he used his left hand to locate the precise acupoints on the crown of Zhong Jianguo's head.

The Conserving Spirit Needle technique was derived from the ancestral martial manual of his sect, possessing not only the ability to heal the sick and save the lives of the dying, but also the supernatural power to repel evil and preserve the spirit.

Lu Feng drove the needle into the Baihui acupoint at the very top of Zhong Jianguo's head, twisting it gently.

Situated at the apex of the head, the Baihui point is the meeting place of a hundred meridians, connecting throughout the entire body and possessing the efficacy of preserving the spirit and clearing the pathways.

With a single needle insertion, Zhong Jianguo's fingers twitched slightly, as if his consciousness were struggling to break free.

For his second and third needles, Lu Feng targeted the Fengfu acupoints on both sides of the nape of the neck. The Fengfu points clear heat, dispel wind, unblock barriers, and open the orifices.

Zhong Jianguo's entire body shuddered, and at last, he opened his eyes.

He looked at Lu Feng, a trace of confusion in his gaze. "You... why am I here?"

"Shh..." Lu Feng lowered his voice. "Don't speak for now. Come with me. Your current condition is very grave. Let's get out of here first, and I will find a way to cure you."

Zhong Jianguo only remembered receiving the message to come to Conghua to find Kun Jiu. After locating him, his consciousness had suddenly blurred, and his subsequent mental state had felt utterly bizarre; he couldn't piece it together in a short moment.

Lu Feng's acupuncture was only temporarily helping Zhong Jianguo recover his wits and had not yet completely purged the evil magic from his body. The top priority right now was to leave this place.

Knowing that something was severely wrong with him, Zhong Jianguo allowed the ropes to be untied and immediately departed the house with Lu Feng.

Kun Jiu's men were preoccupied with the confrontation with the police in the front and failed to notice Zhong Jianguo's escape at all.

The clash at the front grew increasingly fierce. The well-trained riot squad quickly routed the group of hoodlums and rushed into the house to search for drugs.

...

Lu Feng successfully led Zhong Jianguo out of the building. After rendezvousing with Guo Yanzhi, they drove to a remote location.

"How is Uncle Zhong?" Guo Yanzhi asked, turning around after parking the car.

Zhong Jianguo shook his head and said, "My head is still a bit dizzy. It feels like my body is sinking, as if something is pulling at me. Earlier, I felt immense pain. In my stupor, I sometimes felt like I was a wild beast, and at other times I felt like I was floating and could even see my own body."

Guo Yanzhi looked at Lu Feng, asking with deep concern, "How could this happen?"

"This is a case of an evil spirit possessing the body. Someone tried to abduct Uncle Zhong's three spiritual souls and replace them with a malignant entity, which is why he lost his mind and randomly attacked people," Lu Feng explained.

Zhong Jianguo had heard of such demonic arts before. While serving in the military, he had even witnessed firsthand corpses raised by others, so he looked at Lu Feng with lingering anxiety. "Is there still any hope for me? If there is no way, just shoot and kill me."

Lu Feng nodded. "There is still hope, but I have to tie you up first."

Three silver needles remained inserted into Zhong Jianguo's head; they were the reason he was able to remain temporarily lucid. If these three needles were removed, he would revert to a rampage and attack people again.

Zhong Jianguo nodded. He looked around the interior of the car and, failing to see Xia Yubing, asked, "Isn't Xiao Chong with you guys?"

"She... she's injured," Guo Yanzhi said with a trace of dejection.

Zhong Jianguo looked from Guo Yanzhi to Lu Feng, and finally guessed, "Did I do that?"

Lu Feng nodded.

Zhong Jianguo asked anxiously, "Is the injury serious?"

"She was stabbed in the chest, but the wound has already been treated and her life is not in danger. We are heading back right now," Lu Feng replied.

Knowing that he had stabbed Xia Yubing, Zhong Jianguo immediately held out his hands and said, "Tie me up right now."

Lu Feng bound Zhong Jianguo securely with rope, then instructed Guo Yanzhi to drive back to the safe house.

...

At dawn, Xia Yubing woke up. She checked the time, propped herself up on her arms, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Due to excessive blood loss, she had slept in a heavy, dreamless slumber for nearly ten hours.

Deeply worried that something might have happened to Zhong Jianguo, she forced herself to stand up, changed her clothes, and leaned against the wall as she walked to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and mindlessly wolfed down some untoasted bread and cold yogurt, washing it down with a large glass of water.

Her complexion was deathly pale, and her lips were slightly chapped, but she nevertheless returned to the living room, inspected her daggers and handgun, packed them into a travel bag, slung the bag over her shoulder, and prepared to walk out.

Just as Lu Feng had guessed, Xia Yubing intended to rescue Zhong Jianguo alone.

Because she knew Lu Feng and Guo Yanzhi would never allow her to go, and yet she was resolved to go no matter what, her only option was to slip away behind their backs.

Just as she reached for the doorknob to leave, the door swung open from the outside.

Standing in the doorway was Lu Feng. The two stared at each other for half a second. Xia Yubing froze, then hastily shoved her hand forward to push past Lu Feng and step outside.

"Are you going to rescue him?" Lu Feng asked.

"Don't stop me!" Xia Yubing gritted her teeth.

"I have to stop you."

"I must go."

"You don't need to go."

"I must go!" Xia Yubing repeated stubbornly.

"You truly don't need to go, because Uncle Zhong is already back." Lu Feng said.

Xia Yubing paused in astonishment, then eagerly craned her neck to look past Lu Feng.