"Isn't that boy Jian Long? He's that crazy, strong guy who doesn't hesitate to fight anyone! He just fought Li Fei Le earlier… and they say he defeated him!"
One person in the crowd spoke, and his words quickly stirred an uproar.
"He defeated Li Fei Le?!!"
"You're exaggerating! I heard the opposite—he was the one who lost!"
"Didn't they end in a draw?"
Voices overlapped, conflicting and filled with curiosity.
Then one of them said firmly:
"It doesn't matter who won… the important thing is that he's crazy. He doesn't tolerate being insulted by anyone."
He paused for a moment, then added while looking at Fang Leng:
"And it seems Fang Leng… has finally stepped on a tiger's tail."
At that moment, a man from the crowd—who seemed to know Fang Leng—shouted:
"Fang Leng! Give him what he wants! That guy is insane! In the end, Fang Gong will teach him a lesson!"
Jian Long looked at Fang Leng, who was suspended in the air by his neck, and smiled coldly:
"Go on… listen to him. Be sensible for once and give me the Gu worms."
But Fang Leng, despite his situation, showed no intention of backing down.
Anger burned fiercely in his eyes.
Then suddenly—
he spat in Jian Long's face.
"I'd rather die than do that."
In the next moment—
Jian Long released another surge of electricity into his body.
The crowd froze.
Shock spread across their faces.
What was wrong with Fang Leng?
Didn't he value his life?
In the end… this was just a few Gu worms.
But—
what no one understood…
was how Fang Leng saw this situation.
It might seem illogical—after all, he was the one who started the insult—
but in his eyes…
he was the hero.
The wronged hero.
And in this moment, all his grievances took form in Jian Long—
the "villain" who had been born with everything, who gained power and talent without effort…
while he—
had spent over twenty years struggling, striving, trying to improve his aptitude…
only to remain the same.
How could he accept this?
How could he bow to such a "villain"?
And so—
every person…
has their own story.
And their own way of seeing the world.
As for Jian Long—
despite the cold, domineering facade he put on…
inside, it was a completely different story.
Intense tension gnawed at his nerves, cold sweat soaking his back.
After all…
he had never tortured anyone before.
This was his first time.
And he didn't truly know what he was doing.
He had never expected Fang Leng to possess this level of resilience—
and every time he released a surge of electricity, he feared… that he might actually kill him.
Of course, he didn't care about Fang Leng's life—
nor the lives of a thousand others like him.
But what he did fear—
were the consequences.
There was a vast difference between torture… and killing.
A single line—
and crossing it could bring disaster upon him.
On top of that—
time was pressing him.
At any moment, word could spread outside the shop.
And once that happened…
everything would spiral out of control.
He had to finish this quickly.
Fang Leng regained consciousness, his body trembling, his breathing uneven.
Around them, some of the onlookers began shouting at him, urging him to give Jian Long what he wanted—
but he…
refused again.
With blind stubbornness.
And at that moment—
Jian Long's tension only grew stronger.
And yet—
Jian Long maintained his cold demeanor, as if nothing could shake him.
At that moment, one of the bystanders shouted, addressing one of the shop workers:
"You! Go and bring the Gu worms he wants!"
Jian Long let out a quiet sigh of relief internally.
Finally…
someone reasonable.
He silently thanked the man, as his intervention could have ended this dangerous situation without further escalation.
But—
it didn't last long.
Fang Leng suddenly shouted, refusing:
"No! Don't do it! If you do… I'll fire you!"
The man who had intervened frowned, then said in annoyance:
"Are you still insisting on this stupidity?"
But Fang Leng did not back down. Instead, he snapped sharply:
"And who asked you to interfere, you filthy monkey?!"
The man froze for a moment, unable to believe what he had just heard.
Then his expression changed, and he said with resentment:
"You say that even though I'm trying to help you?! Truly… ungrateful!"
Then he turned to Jian Long and said coldly:
"Kill him… and spare us the trouble."
Jian Long: "…"
Even in his worst moments—
Fang Leng's sharp, venomous tongue was a weapon no less dangerous.
With just a few words—
he completely turned the situation around.
The man who had been trying to save him moments ago…
now wished for his death.
And so, another argument broke out among the crowd, voices rising—
until some of them…
completely forgot the cause of the chaos.
And they forgot about Jian Long.
Another man stepped forward from the crowd, trying to contain the chaos and impose some order:
"Both of you, shut up! And you—what are you waiting for? Go and bring the Gu worms!"
But another voice cut him off harshly—
Fang Leng:
"Back off! Don't interfere!"
Then he shouted at the worker:
"And you! Didn't I tell you I'd fire you if you did that?!"
The man intervened again, this time more firmly:
"Ignore this idiot and go. Don't worry—I'll deal with him later."
"No! Don't do it!" Fang Leng shouted again, his voice starting to choke with rage.
The worker froze in place.
Her eyes moved between the two sides—
conflicting orders, and she didn't know what to do.
But before she could make a decision—
Jian Long's voice thundered, cutting through everything:
"Go and bring the Gu worms… or I'll kill you."
After what she had just witnessed, and with the rumors spreading about his reckless and insane nature—
she didn't hesitate.
Fear of death… outweighed fear of losing her job.
"Yes!"
she answered quickly, then rushed inside to fetch the Gu worms.
Behind her—
Fang Leng erupted in a scream with all the strength he had left:
"No! No, you bitch! What are you doing?!"
Moments later—
the worker returned, holding two lightning-path Gu worms in her hands.
The instant they appeared—
a distinct aura spread from them… the aura of Rank two.
The atmosphere tightened, and all eyes focused on them.
The worker stepped forward cautiously, then began explaining, her voice carrying a hint of tension:
She pointed at the first Gu—a small sphere crackling with electricity, tiny sparks dancing across its surface:
"This is the Lightning Bubble Gu… a defensive-type Gu."
She paused briefly, then continued:
"When used, it surrounds you with a sphere of lightning, forming a barrier that protects you from attacks."
Then she moved to the second one—
a small blue bird, entirely formed from lightning energy, its wings flickering with every flap:
"And this is the Blue Bird Gu… an offensive-type Gu."
She glanced at Jian Long before continuing:
"It allows you to release lightning in the shape of a bird… and you can control its direction while it's flying."