I Received Messages From Future Self!
Chapter 557 - 553 Fang Xiaocao: Shut Your Crow’s Mouth

Chapter 557: Chapter 553 Fang Xiaocao: Shut Your Crow’s Mouth

A great teacher produces outstanding disciples, this saying is absolutely true.

Zuo Ci is like Guo Jing in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes." He has many mentors, studies widely, but surpasses Guo Jing in diligence.

Guo Jing encounters numerous fortuitous events, mastering only the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. Zuo Ci, on the other hand, integrates everything he has learned and applies it to perfection.

During the skirmish with Taotie, techniques taught by Fang Xiaocao such as the Praying Mantis Fist, Taotie’s Combat Squeeze, Tom’s Dagger Fighting Technique, and Unhappy’s Beast Movement all came into play.

Within just over a dozen rounds, Zuo Ci effortlessly switched between techniques. Even Taotie struggled to handle Zuo Ci, who quickly gained the upper hand.

Compared to close combat, Zuo Ci was more adept with the hypnotism taught by Fang Xiaocao, but facing Taotie, Zuo Ci felt helpless and had no choice but to engage in close combat.

Taotie’s unique physiology made him completely immune to mental attacks under normal conditions.

In other words, Taotie could not be hypnotized.

Unless Taotie was near death, severely injured, or mentally impaired.

No one could hypnotize Taotie.

Nor could anyone use spiritual power to influence Taotie.

Previously, Fang Xiaocao was able to hypnotize Taotie only because Tom ambushed him, using guns and daggers to severely wound Taotie. Combined with Fang Xiaocao’s desperate hypnosis, it succeeded in bringing Taotie under their control.

But Zuo Ci now didn’t have such an opportunity.

Neither time, location, nor condition favored Zuo Ci.

Unless Zuo Ci could overpower Taotie through close combat.

But that was almost an impossible task.

Among those of the same level, Taotie was nearly invincible in close combat.

No one could single-handedly kill Taotie or completely crush him in battle.

So far, only Tom and Unhappy have suppressed Taotie in one-on-one matches at the same level.

Tom used concussion grenades and flash bombs.

Those didn’t count as close combat abilities.

They were high-tech thermal weapons.

As for Unhappy, he relied on the cooperation of many Wild Men to drain much of Taotie’s stamina. Using his Beastly intuition and movement technique, he tangled with Taotie for a long time but didn’t truly crush him.

Aside from Tom and Unhappy, Taotie had almost no defeat since his debut.

No matter how strong Zuo Ci was, how could he possibly defeat Taotie?

After a brief period of being suppressed, Taotie quickly regained control of the battle rhythm, reversing the battlefield dynamics.

Thirty rounds later, Taotie successfully flipped the situation, adapting to his power level and Zuo Ci’s attack pace, taking the upper hand.

He began to suppress Zuo Ci, completely dominating the fight.

"Little brat, you’ve got some skill."

"Learned a lot and even borrowed some of my flair; quite quirky."

Taotie laughed as he kicked Zuo Ci back five or six steps, giving a wry compliment.

Zuo Ci rubbed his lightly aching arm.

He felt a bitter helplessness.

After all, he bore Taotie’s bloodline, even if it was a distant familial connection, but having grown up with Taotie, half of his skills were taught by him. Blood relations aside, even an unrelated person would inevitably have some resemblance due to constant exposure.

Fang Xiaocao naturally understood this and laughed secretly into his hand, internally calling Taotie a fool who wasn’t so oblivious after all.

"Quickly beat him up!"

"If you let him escape, I’ll tell Xinyan that you were messing with rabbits in Shu!"

Fang Xiaocao called out mischievously with a wicked smile.

"Princess Your Highness, you’ve gone too far!"

Hearing Fang Xiaocao’s words, Taotie panicked.

"I’m a real man through and through."

"I don’t fancy men; you can’t tarnish my reputation."

Taotie shouted indignantly.

"If I say you do, then you do!"

"Tom and Mantis can testify."

Fang Xiaocao declared matter-of-factly.

"I... I testify..."

Tom weakly raised a hand to back the Princess up.

"I testify too..."

Mantis also sided with Fang Xiaocao.

Listening to the declarations from the injured Tom and Mantis.

Taotie nearly burst a vessel out of fury.

It’s all fine, it’s all fine.

Just another day of being betrayed, quite used to it by now.

Betrayed by both Tom and Mantis.

Taotie was beyond exasperated.

He quietly vowed to stop feeling sympathetic for Tom.

A sign of punishment for Old Tom.

Hmm—

Once he dealt with Zuo Ci, he’d go back to feeling bad for Tom.

Taotie turned his frustration into strength, focusing his fury on Zuo Ci.

With one big stride, Taotie charged at Zuo Ci, fists the size of sandbags raining blows down like a storm.

Zuo Ci swerved left, darted right, evading Taotie’s relentless attacks where he could but having to take the brunt when he couldn’t, being thoroughly suppressed without respite.

Step back after step back, retreat after retreat.

Absolutely no dignity.

The more arrogant his earlier boasting, the more pitiful his current beating.

Witnessing this, Fang Xiaocao nodded in satisfaction and climbed into the car’s trunk.

Fang Xiaocao found a cozy position, curled up in the trunk, and shut his eyes.

——

Two hundred years into the future!

Honghu Headquarters!

Amid a barrage of urgent alarms.

Fang Xiaocao removed the helmet from his head.

The next instant!

Sparks flashed in a cascade.

The lighting in the entire Honghu Building flickered erratically.

Bang—

A muffled sound exploded, producing sparks from the helmet.

It then emitted another whirl of sparks.

Whew—

Seeing this scene, Fang Xiaocao exhaled deeply: "Dear me, that was close."

"Good thing I returned just in time."

Fang Xiaocao muttered with relief.

"Princess Your Highness, that little brat Zuo Ci should be finished this time, right?"

Taotie, sitting nearby, removed his mechanical hand and gazed at his severed arm with an extremely complicated expression.

Fang Xiaocao turned to Taotie, his eyes fixed on Taotie’s missing arm: "This time, using Thousand Faces to scare the younger Xiaocao, leveraging her as bait, combined with advanced strategic planning to ensure that the past you advanced to Super earlier, Zuo Ci shouldn’t survive."

"Let’s hope that’s the case."

"Previously, every arrangement was utterly flawless, yet he managed to escape every single time."

Tom, holding a portable particle extinguisher, extinguished the flames on the helmet and casually remarked.

Fang Xiaocao shot a hostile glare at Tom: "Shut that crow mouth of yours! Fix the helmet quickly. With such awful timing, we’ll need this helmet again next time."

After being scolded by Fang Xiaocao, Tom shrugged indifferently with a smile: "As you command, Princess Your Highness."

"By the way, the teleportation gate tickets for the male model pool party in Sanya next week have arrived. Do you need to adjust your schedule?"

Tom asked with a wistful gaze directed at Fang Xiaocao.

"Go!"

"Of course I’m going!"

"This time, it’s the world’s handsome contest finals, with the male models performing collectively. I must go."

Hearing about a pool party, Fang Xiaocao’s eyes shone brightly, almost drooling.

Taotie pouted: "What’s so interesting?"

"Every world male models contest is entirely sponsored by you under Honghu’s name. Nobody but you would fund such boring competitions."

Fang Xiaocao glared venomously at Taotie: "Shut your mouth! You think I don’t know you sponsor the world dance contest under Phoenix Nest’s name, and every time you have Thousand Faces change your face so you can shamelessly participate and bully kids?"

Faced with this exposure, Taotie was silenced.

Knowing when he’d been beaten, he wisely shut his mouth.

"Idiot!"

Unhappy, who had finally grown his hair back, grinned broadly and spat out the word upon seeing Taotie lose face.