Chapter Thirty-Two: No Offense Intended

She raised her hand.

The moment the slap connected, a sharp "swish" cut through the air, followed immediately by the sickening thud of flesh striking flesh. Pei Siying had put her entire weight into the blow.

The pink-haired man shrieked, clutching his hideously swollen face. His lips moved, but no sound escaped. Pei Siying looked down at him as he sprawled on the ground like a heap of refuse. She carelessly ground the toe of her boot into his hand, which he had been using to try and push himself up, listening to the crunch of his finger bones buckling under the pressure.

"Argh!" The agony of crushed fingers exploded in his mind. Had he known there were two superpowered individuals here, he never would have come. That man surnamed Zhou had been foolish enough to think he could take on two of them alone.

Pei Siying ground her heel harder. She preferred slow torture over a quick death; she enjoyed savoring the nuances of another's suffering. This little habit was a legacy from her past life. At the thought, her foot pressed down with renewed force, her gaze drifting toward the horizon.

The pink-haired man was on the verge of fainting from the pain. His eyes rolled back as he choked out a few syllables: "Gr-grandma... please, let me go..."

Pei Siying lifted her foot. The man gasped as a portion of the skin on the back of his hand, shredded by the grinding, remained stuck to the sole of her boot. His fingernails were dislocated, and through the blood, one could faintly see the raw bone beneath.

Staring at his mangled hand, the man winced and tried to lift it. Because the flesh had effectively fused with the ground under the pressure, the act of lifting it caused the palm to tear away, leaving raw tissue behind. He let out a sharp cry of agony, then looked up at Pei Siying with a pathetic, pleading expression.

"Oh, mercy, grandma..." he wheezed, holding up his ruined hand, his face twisted. "I truly know I was wrong... hiss... can't you just let me go?"

The veins on his forehead bulged like knotted ropes, and the arteries at his temples pulsed violently from the sheer intensity of the pain. Seeing him like this, Pei Siying couldn't help but laugh; the man looked like a pig that had gained sentience. His swollen cheeks had squeezed his already small eyes into mere slits.

She beckoned to Zhang Min, who was leaning against a tree nearby. Seeing the gesture, Zhang Min understood instantly. She pushed herself off the trunk and walked over slowly, catching sight of the pink-haired man's "face."

She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "What is it, Siying?"

"Look at his face. What does it look like to you?" Pei Siying laughed, her hand brushing against Zhang Min’s as she gestured. Instantly, the warmth from Pei Siying’s hand transferred to Zhang Min’s.

"Zhang Min, why are your hands so cold?" Pei Siying asked, gripping her friend's hand in surprise.

"Probably from overexerting my ability," Zhang Min replied with a gentle smile, reverting to her usual soft-spoken senior student persona—if one ignored her bright red hair and the row of earrings. "But if you look closely..." She paused, drawing out the tone, "...it looks like a peach."

Yu Niaoniao burst into a giggle, pointing at the pink-haired man. "Minmin, that’s far too polite." She then erupted into even louder laughter, "It clearly looks like an ass."

...

"Hey? Why is no one answering me? Is it not funny?"

Zhang Min twitched the corner of her mouth and exchanged a glance with Pei Siying. Pei Siying released Zhang Min’s hand, hooked her arm around Yu Niaoniao’s shoulder, and laughed along. "When you put it that way, it really does look like one."

"Haha... right? I knew it!"

...

"Boss, why is there the sound of women laughing coming from up ahead?"

"Old Yellow-Tooth" stroked his greasy double chin, puzzled. "Yeah, and how can these women be so loose? To be so willing in a situation like this?"

His underling narrowed his eyes, a red glint of lust igniting within them. "Damn it, I can't take it anymore. Those bastards are already feasting!"

He threw his fruit knife onto the ground and charged into the woods. As he ran, he tore off his shirt and tossed it to the side of the path. But the moment he burst through the foliage, he froze, his breath hitching in his throat. He saw his brothers lying in various positions on the ground, drenched in blood. Even more terrifying, several of the bodies were headless.

He crept forward in a panic, his eyes darting around like a rat’s, finally landing on a shadowed area. Three women stood in a row, and his "good brother"—the pink-haired man—was kneeling on the ground, weeping and begging for mercy. He only recognized him by that hair, dyed to look like a pink rooster.

What kind of monsters were these three women? To have killed so many of his brothers... but this wasn't the time to dwell on that. He had to run and get "Boss Zhou" for help. Otherwise, if the rest of the gang walked into this, they’d all be wiped out. They had brought even fewer men this time than the first wave.

The three women were facing away from him. He just had to retreat—quietly, slowly retreat.

"Laizi!"

Laizi froze. He turned and bolted.

"Stop." Pei Siying’s voice was cold and emotionless. She turned around to see a half-naked man with his back to them.

The man turned around, his face ashen, and forced a hideous smile. "Hi~"

Then, his eyes widened in horror as he looked at the pink-haired man kneeling on the ground. "Ah-Fen! You son of a bitch, you set me up!"

The pink-haired man seemed to have forgotten his pain, laughing hysterically. "Hahahaha, Laizi..."

Before he could finish, Pei Siying delivered a reverse kick, slamming her heel into his face.

"Cough..." The pink-haired man spat out a mouthful of blood, his teeth clattering out along with it. He collapsed, groaning in agony.

Seeing this, Laizi immediately fell to his knees, kowtowing frantically. "Grandma... I didn't mean to offend you, please, let me go..." He was so terrified that his voice had lost all composure.

Pei Siying stared at his face for two seconds, then curled her lip in disgust. She extended a finger, forming an ice needle as thin as a sewing needle.

"Shoo!" It shot from her fingertip, piercing the man directly between the eyebrows.

Her energy was nearly spent; she had to conserve what was left.

Laizi felt a sharp pain in his brow, followed by a sudden void in his mind. His expression didn't even change as he tipped over, falling straight to the ground.

The moment Laizi fell, Old Yellow-Tooth and his group charged forward. Pei Siying’s expression darkened. Why were there so many thugs in this area? They were clearly rushing her now that they knew her energy was depleted.

Pei Siying felt the strain. Even though there were fewer of them than before, she was forced to overdraw her reserves. Unlike Zhang Min, who could stay in one place and let others transfer energy to her, Pei Siying’s combat style required constant movement, making energy transfer impossible.