Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1103: I Might Not Like Fighting

Inside a small quiet bar, the house singer was performing the song Black Rain.

Often, after traveling far and wide to chase news leads only to find nothing, it wasn’t all that strange of an outcome.

They were about to leave this place… The trio, having come up empty-handed again, decided to spend the evening experiencing the local flavor—in other words, they grouped up and came to this little bar to let loose a bit.

The bar was filled mostly with out-of-towners… and most of them were fellow journalists like Ren Ziling.

Some were even discussing whether they should sneak around the restricted zones and enter the fog-covered area. After all, the entire country was watching this event unfold—whoever got firsthand intel could easily skyrocket to fame.

Not just domestic reporters—Ren Ziling even noticed a few foreigners. It was likely that a large number of international media were either already nearby or en route to the fog zone.

Ren Ziling was sure that the first ones to break into the restricted zone would probably be these foreign reporters.

Surprisingly, for once, Ren Ziling had no intention of charging into the fog to uncover the truth. Her reasoning was simple: if something went wrong in her own territory, someone would cover for her; but if something happened out here, she’d really be screwed.

—If I’m dead, what happens to Luo Qiu? Who’s gonna pay the mortgage?

So… cheers!“Sister Ren, you and Akiko stay here, I’m going to the restroom,” said Li Zi as she stood up.

Ren Ziling, slightly tipsy, just waved her off and stared dazedly at her drink. “Be careful… don’t get lured away by some street vendor selling kebabs.”

Li Zi rolled her eyes—sure, she was a foodie, but she still had dignity, okay?

Seeing Ren Ziling already tipsy, Li Zi discreetly told Akiko to keep an eye on her, then left—not toward the restroom, but instead slipped out of the bar using a blind spot in the crowd.

Outside the small town, the streets were a little quiet.

After circling around, Li Zi reached the alley behind the bar. She leaned against the wall, slowly unwrapped a milk-flavored lollipop, and placed the white candy in her mouth.

She slowly spun the lollipop stick, and the sound of her sucking it lightly echoed.

After a while, she looked toward the end of the alley. “You’ve been tailing me for a while now… still not planning to show yourself?”

A tall figure stepped out of the shadows—it was Wang Hu, missing one arm.

He walked up to Li Zi, staring at her without blinking.

Li Zi had to tilt her head back to see him clearly. She frowned. “Didn’t I tell you to stop following me?”

Wang Hu shook his head—honestly, he didn’t even know why he had been following her. He just instinctively felt that this petite girl was like him.

Or rather, something about her gave off a very familiar feeling—though faint.

His silence made Li Zi frown even deeper. “I’m telling you seriously—Sister Ren is someone I care about. If you dare lay a finger on her, I’ll eat you alive!”

She puffed up her cheeks and pulled a very fierce face.

Wang Hu shook his head. “I’m not trying to hurt your friend. It’s just… I don’t really know what to do. There’s something about you that feels very familiar.”

Li Zi narrowed her eyes—she knew exactly what Wang Hu was talking about. It was the faint trace of demonic energy she had intentionally released.

With so many demons and spirits around, she had been keeping up a low-level emission of her energy to scare off the small fry who didn’t know better—less trouble that way.

“You really don’t remember anything? Not even your past?” she asked skeptically.

A demon with amnesia? What kind of trauma did he have to lose his entire memory?

Wang Hu simply shook his head again.

Li Zi was silent for a moment, then said, “Fine, let’s say you’ve lost your memory. Even so, I’m not responsible for looking after you. And judging by your strength, you won’t starve without someone taking care of you. So, what’s your original form?”

“Original form?” Wang Hu blinked. “What’s that?”

“I’m asking you!” Li Zi rolled her eyes. He couldn’t even remember his own true form?

“I really don’t remember.” Wang Hu shook his head.

“Don’t remember?” Li Zi let out a cold laugh. “Then what about the dead person inside? Wasn’t that you hunting for food?”

Wang Hu shook his head again. “It wasn’t me. When I got there, that guy was already dead.”

Li Zi stared at him, watching closely for any signs of lying. Only when she saw genuine confusion in his eyes did she frown and walk deeper into the alley.

She’d come here partly because she sensed Wang Hu’s demonic aura—and partly because of the thick scent of blood in the air.

When she got closer and turned on her phone flashlight, she found a shriveled corpse abandoned on the ground.

Wang Hu walked up behind her.

Li Zi glanced back at him, then crouched to examine the body.

“All the blood and life force have been drained,” she muttered, tilting the corpse’s neck to reveal a bloody bite mark. The corpse radiated an eerie chill.

There was also another lingering demonic aura in the air—one that was different from Wang Hu’s.

“Which bastard is hunting so openly?” Li Zi stood up, raising her head to look above the alley.

Thud—!

A body fell from above, landing on the first corpse—also shriveled.

Then another. And another. One after the next, they rained down—five bodies in total.

Finally, a black figure dropped.

Li Zi finally saw it clearly.

A young man with a face like frost—who was still holding a young woman, biting into her neck as blood streamed down. The woman twitched, her face twisted in pain and terror.

The frosty young man tossed her aside, then stared coldly at them, his breath releasing a chilling mist.

“Demons these days just eat in broad daylight now, huh?”

Feeling the dangerous aura and murderous intent radiating from him, Li Zi twirled her hand—several sharp icicles appeared between her fingers.

“Poking into my business?” the frosty man sneered. “I don’t mind adding one more to the menu… maybe two!”

“This guy…” Li Zi muttered. “Is he high or something?”

As she considered how to lure him away—at least avoid making a scene here—the frosty man’s expression suddenly shifted dramatically.

“Hu… Huang Baifu?!”

Wang Hu had stepped forward out of the shadows, his face now fully visible.

The frosty young man finally saw him clearly.

Li Zi noticed the flicker of fear in his eyes and quietly asked, “You know him? What did you just call him?”

Wang Hu shook his head and frowned at the vampire. “Do you know who I am?”

The frosty man’s expression froze. He looked at Wang Hu—specifically at his missing arm.

Wang Hu looked identical to the person he knew—the young master of the White Tiger Clan. But the strange part was, if this really was that same young master… he shouldn’t be so dazed and dull.

In the Demon World of Divine Land, Huang Baifu had always been known for his dominance and brutality.

"Of course I know you," the young man said gravely. "Among the Demon race, there are probably very few who don't. Young Lord Huang, I was just feeding on a few humans—no offense meant to you... or your friend. I’ll be leaving now!"

As he spoke, the frost-faced youth began backing away slowly—he had no intention of clashing with the White Tiger Clan’s young master.

Back in Penglai Vault, to survive, he had eaten the corpses of many Daoist and Demon practitioners—including members of the White Tiger Clan. That was a major taboo. If it came to light, he would be hunted by both Daoist and Demon factions alike.

But Huang Baifu hadn’t made a move—perhaps he hadn’t realized it yet.

"Wait!"

But Wang Hu had forgotten his past—this condition was troubling. Now that someone actually recognized him, why would he let them leave so easily?

He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the youth’s shoulder in one swift motion.

The young man’s heart jumped—his assumption that Huang Baifu hadn’t noticed his sins was instantly shattered.

Panicked, he threw a punch at Wang Hu’s chest.

This punch was full-force, born of desperation—the chilling energy coating it instantly froze the entire alley!

Wang Hu was blasted back by the blow, crashing to the ground—he managed to get up, but blood was now dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"What the...?" The youth stared in disbelief at the bloodied Huang Baifu. He was stunned—no one would believe him if he claimed to have knocked back the White Tiger Clan’s young master with a single punch.

Since waking up, he’d lost his Vermilion Bird Clan’s flame power, but a new strength had arisen within him—stronger than before, like a rebirth. He felt far more powerful than he once was.

But clearly, it still wasn’t enough to match the White Tiger young master—after all, it was with that overwhelming power that Huang Baifu had once beaten the previous Azure Dragon Clan leader into total submission.

"Why are you so weak?"

"I just wanted to ask you something." Wang Hu had taken the punch without fighting back. It felt awful, but he couldn’t muster the will to retaliate. "I... can’t really remember my past. What did you just call me? You recognize me?"

"You..." The young man opened his mouth in surprise. His mind raced. The real Huang Baifu couldn’t be this easygoing. Could this one-armed guy just look like him but actually be someone else?

After all, he didn’t sense that domineering aura from Wang Hu. If the real Huang Baifu was like a commanding general at the Penglai Grand Gathering and saw at the Kunpeng Manor, then this one was more like a deserter.

Wang Hu’s temperament had clearly changed since waking up… Suddenly, the youth gritted his teeth and threw another punch.

Wang Hu’s body instinctively tensed, his fist curling up—his eyes flashed sharply for a moment.

But just as the punch neared, a flicker of pain crossed Wang Hu’s eyes, and his clenched fist opened again!

The punch landed squarely on his face—breaking his nose!

Still, no counterattack.

The youth’s bloodlust exploded like dynamite. He began hammering Wang Hu relentlessly, blow after blow, until blood poured from Wang Hu’s mouth.

Li Zi couldn’t watch anymore. With a flick of her fingers, icicles shot toward the youth.

The youth snorted coldly, waving a hand and smashing them to pieces—but Li Zi only meant to create a distraction.

She waved toward Wang Hu, and a white silk ribbon shot from her sleeve, wrapping around him and yanking him to her side.

Maybe hanging around Ren Ziling had rubbed off on her, because Li Zi immediately started yelling: "Idiot! Are you a punching bag?! You had your fist ready, so why didn’t you hit back?!"

"I don’t know… I just felt disgusted the moment I clenched my fist." Wang Hu shook his head. "Maybe I don’t like fighting."

Li Zi smacked him hard on the head. "Moron! If you don’t want to punch, then slap him! Use your palm!"

"Palm?" Wang Hu blinked.

The youth clearly wasn’t about to give them time to chat—he needed blood and flesh, and only by devouring more could he suppress the cold energy in his body and grow stronger. These two demons were perfect food.

"I don’t care if you’re Huang Baifu or not! You’re both dead!" he roared with a crazed smile, charging forward again.

But just then, Wang Hu suddenly jolted—his thick, tree-trunk-like arm swung out in a flash.

That massive palm slapped the youth directly.

It was so fast that even Li Zi only caught a blur.

Boom—!!

The youth was instantly slammed into the ground—the concrete cracked open on impact.

Li Zi stared, wide-eyed.

He really did slap him…?!

(End of Chapter)