Carey got up from the ground too, grinning at Leo, who was visibly injured. “Leo, how does it feel? Rex’s Fist of Fiery Blaze is not something ordinary folks get to experience.”
Rex approached Leo step by step, taunting, “Kid, you must be a cultivator too. I won’t kill you, but I’ll cripple your internal energy, break your hands and feet, and then humiliate your woman.”
Leo’s eyes flashed with a cold glint.
With his mind focused, a purple light flickered in the air.
Silent as lightning, yet swift as can be.
Rex’s heart trembled, and he instinctively tried to block.
The purple light passed through his palm, pierced his chest, and vanished.
Leo’s spiritual power depleted, and he couldn’t stand any longer; he knelt on one knee.
Rex’s expression turned horrified as he collapsed to the ground.
“Rex!” Carey and his underlings rushed to Rex.
Nicola took the opportunity to start the car, pulling Leo into it.
With a press on the gas pedal, the Porsche’s engine roared like a beast, shooting towards the exit of the underground parking lot.
Leo finally felt a sense of relief lying in the passenger seat. He regretted not using the Purple Radiance Dagger earlier; maybe he wouldn’t have taken that punch to the back.
Rex lay on the ground, blood flowing from his hands and chest. The attack didn’t pierce his heart, nor cause severe damage to his organs; his injuries looked serious, but he wasn’t in mortal danger.
“Get me to the hospital, damn it! Stop gawking!” Rex suddenly opened his eyes, spewing blood from his mouth.
Carey was relieved to see Rex alive; he immediately instructed his men to lift him into another car.
Carey had secretly asked Rex to help him today, keeping it a secret from his uncle. If Rex died, Carey’s life would become miserable.
“Ah Q, take Rex to the hospital. I’ll go after that Leo guy!” Knowing Leo was severely injured, Carey saw this as an opportunity to finish him off. If he didn’t seize it now, it might never come again.
Carey signaled, and three henchmen joined him in an Audi, speeding towards the exit of the underground parking lot. The others carried Rex into another car.
Unfortunately, Carey was a step too late. In a busy area like this, once a car blended into traffic, finding it would be like looking for a needle in the ocean.
After driving away from the underground parking lot, Nicola stopped the car on a secluded street.
Looking at Leo, pale and weak in the passenger seat, she worriedly asked, “Leo, are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?”
Leo shook his head, blood trickling from his mouth, and spoke in a low voice, “No need for the hospital. Take me to a secluded place. I can treat myself.”
“A secluded place?” Nicola frowned, thinking for a moment and then made up her mind, starting the car.
Leo’s vision blurred, and he drifted into a half-conscious state, but he faintly heard someone calling his name repeatedly. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Above him was a pretty chandelier, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air. It seemed like he was in a room.
Nicola’s figure gradually became clear before him.
Leo attempted to sit up, but his back throbbed with pain. That punch from Rex was brutal.
“Leo, you’re finally awake. If you didn’t, I was prepared to call an ambulance,” Nicola said with a pleased expression.
Leo endured the pain and managed to sit up, glancing around. “Where is this place?”
“This is my home. Are your injuries serious?” Nicola asked.
Leo realized his shirt was missing, and he felt embarrassed. “Did you undress me?”
“How else can I apply medicine to your wounds? Don’t get any ideas; I won’t let you take advantage of me,” Nicola retorted.
“Thank you,” Leo sincerely expressed his gratitude.
“I feel like the injuries on your back might be quite serious. Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?” Nicola suggested.
Leo waved his hand. “It’s alright; I know some medical techniques. I can treat myself. By the way, do you have any jade jewelry here?”
Nicola didn’t understand why he needed jade, but she nodded, saying, “I have some. Wait a moment, I’ll get it for you.”
Soon, Nicola brought a jade bracelet, a pendant, a ring, and a small jade goat to Leo.
All these items were made of top-quality jade.
“Here you go,” Nicola said.
Leo took the jade and placed it beside him on the bed. Then he looked at Nicola and said, “How about you step outside and close the door? I’ll treat my injuries using this jade.”
“Use jade to heal injuries?” Nicola heard of it for the first time.
Seeing that Leo wasn’t joking, she left the room and closed the door behind her.
Leo arranged the jade pieces around him, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Following the methods recorded in the Nine Heavens Star Chart, he began treating his injuries.
Over an hour later, the door to the guest room opened, and Leo walked out.
Nicola was sitting on the sofa, watching TV. She was surprised to see Leo up so quickly. “You’re already fine?”
Leo nodded. By utilizing the spiritual energy in the jade and what little spiritual power he had left, he had mostly healed the injuries on his back. Now, it only hurt slightly.
Leo sat down on the sofa, and Nicola continued, “Leo, you’re really unlucky. You actually encountered a cultivator.”
“Cultivator?” Leo was unfamiliar with the term, raising an eyebrow. “What’s a cultivator?”
“I heard about them from my grandpa when I was little,” Nicola said, recalling. “Throughout the long history, there have been some special individuals hidden in the world-they are known as cultivators.”
“Supposedly, cultivators can cultivate internal energy. Once they possess internal energy, their strength and martial arts will undergo a qualitative change, becoming thousands of times more powerful than ordinary martial artists.”
“Internal energy?” Leo paused for a moment. “Isn’t that something only found in martial arts novels?”
Nicola nodded. “Some aspects of martial arts novels aren’t entirely fictional. These cultivators usually belong to specific sects or schools, but they rarely get involved in worldly affairs, so very few people know about them.”