CHAPTER 2156: THE POWER OF INTERNAL ENERGY
The captain nodded quickly in agreement.
Meanwhile, the six individuals thrown into the sea by Charlie had all drowned. Some of their bodies had already started sinking to the ocean floor.
Charlie took the captain to the opposite yacht, where the captain set the course. Afterward, Charlie instructed him to return to their boat. Charlie then turned the yacht's engines to full power, and it sped away.
Sarah, watching from the deck, called out worriedly, “Master Wade…”
Before she finished her sentence, she saw a figure leap from the speeding yacht in a perfect arc, landing gracefully in the water. It was Charlie, who then swam back to their boat effortlessly.
Concerned, Sarah grabbed a towel and, as Charlie climbed aboard, handed it to him. “Master Wade, dry off quickly and take a hot bath to avoid catching a cold,” she urged.
Charlie smiled. “It's fine. I'll just change into dry clothes.”
He then instructed the captain, “Let's set sail immediately and head for international waters.”
“Understood, Mr. Wade!” The captain nodded. “You should change your clothes; we’ll set sail right away.”
Charlie returned to his cabin and changed into clean clothes. The crew put his seawater-soaked clothes into the washer-dryer, ensuring they’d be clean and dry in a few hours.
At this moment, Raven was in a large bedroom on the first floor. With her meridians sealed by Charlie earlier, she could only sit on the sofa, unable to move.
Charlie knocked politely before entering the room. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
Raven, feeling awkward, replied, “I’m… I’m alright.”
She then asked, puzzled, “Can you tell me how you did it?”
Charlie frowned. “Did what?”
Raven asked, “How did you instantly clear the toxins from my body and stop my bleeding? And I don’t understand why my movement is so restricted.”
Charlie replied calmly, “You practice martial arts, so you should know about internal energy, right?”
Raven nodded seriously. “I know about internal energy, but this seems to go beyond that. Martial artists train to enhance their physical strength and power, but your internal energy seems to work within my body, too. It’s… amazing.”
Charlie chuckled arrogantly. “My internal energy and yours are entirely different. As the ancients said, ‘How can a firefly compete with the sun and moon?’ If my internal energy is the sun and moon, then yours is just a firefly.”
CHAPTER 2157: THE SUPERIOR POWER OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY
In Chinese martial arts, the accumulation, circulation, and utilization of internal energy have always been emphasized. Concepts such as the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, Qi sinking into the Dantian, the Great Circulation, and the Small Circulation are all based on these principles.
The overall logic of spiritual energy is similar to that of internal energy, with the most significant difference being that spiritual energy can be externalized.
No matter how powerful internal energy is, it remains confined to the body. A master of internal energy might be able to kill a thousand-pound bull with a single punch or even a full-grown elephant, but they cannot kill a mouse from a distance.
The fundamental reason for this limitation is that internal energy cannot be externalized.
In essence, internal energy is just an entry-level, lower-grade version of spiritual energy.
Spiritual energy, on the other hand, is far superior, almost incomparably so.
The difference between the two is like that between primates and humans.
Though primates share over 99% of their DNA with humans, the disparity between the two remains vast and insurmountable.
No matter how intelligent a chimpanzee is, it can never become human.
There is an unbridgeable gap between the two.
Among Chinese martial artists, those who can master internal energy number in the tens of thousands.
However, among these tens of thousands, none have successfully converted internal energy into spiritual energy.
If it weren’t for the assistance of the Nine Mystical Heavens Scripture and the earlier spirit stone, Charlie would never have been able to form spiritual energy within his body, no matter how many Rejuvenation Pills he consumed.
This is a true great fortune, one that an ordinary person might never encounter in several lifetimes.
Charlie, of course, would not divulge the actual situation to Raven, but the comparison of the firefly to the sun and moon left her profoundly shocked.
She murmured to herself, “So his internal energy has reached a higher level. No wonder his power is so overwhelmingly strong, and he could save my life so effortlessly. This surpasses the martial arts I know by far.”
Charlie continued, “Although the toxins in your body have been completely cleared, your wound is still open. I will remove the crossbow bolt and then clean the wound.”
Raven glanced at her leg wound. The crossbow bolt had nearly pierced through her entire thigh. She felt a wave of embarrassment, thinking, “I’m still wearing black tight pants, but if he has to treat my wound, he’ll have to either remove or tear my pants…”
“But this area is rather private…”
Noticing her embarrassment, Charlie first thought, “Maybe I should let her handle it herself. As a professionally trained assassin, she should be quite skilled at treating such wounds.”
However, another thought quickly followed, “This woman is as wild as an untamed horse, with ruthless and cunning ways. To make her obedient and docile from tonight onwards, I must first shatter her pride!”
With this in mind, Charlie said coldly, “Come, let me help you to the single recliner. Lie down, and I’ll treat your wound!”
Raven hesitated, stammering, “I… I’d rather do it myself. Could you give me a pair of pliers, some antiseptic, and bandages?”
Charlie, expressionless, responded, “It’s not impossible for you to treat it yourself. However, the thigh is rich in blood vessels. When you pull out the crossbow bolt, the wound will bleed profusely. If the wound has severed an artery, removing the bolt carelessly will open the wound and could be life-threatening. Furthermore, if a nerve is damaged, you might end up with a permanent disability.”
CHAPTER 2158: RELUCTANT ACCEPTANCE
Raven knew that she could handle ordinary wounds, but dealing with an arterial injury would indeed be challenging for her. If a nerve was damaged, it could lead to permanent sequelae, which would definitely impact her strength.
Thinking of this, Raven hesitated, unsure whether to let Charlie help.
Given Charlie’s superior skills, he would undoubtedly handle her injury more reliably than she could herself.
Seeing her struggle internally, Charlie decisively said, “Alright, stop wasting time. Your life is more important than anything else. Besides, you don’t want your leg to be crippled, do you? A pretty girl walking with a limp would be quite an eyesore.”
With that, he reached out his hand towards Raven and said firmly, “Come, I’ll help you to the recliner.”
Seeing Charlie’s unyielding demeanor, Raven felt a sudden surge of shyness and hurriedly said, “I can do it myself.”
She tried to push herself up with her hands, but found she couldn’t muster any strength in her arms.
Charlie, seeing her struggle, calmly said, “Don’t bother. I’ve temporarily sealed your meridians, so you won’t be able to use your strength.”
Raven, somewhat terrified, reluctantly extended her hand towards Charlie, murmuring, “Then… please help.”
Charlie grasped her delicate, cool hand and helped her up.
This was the first time Raven’s hand had been held by a man, and her heart pounded with nervousness.
She had grown up practicing martial arts under her mother’s guidance, with no time for relationships or even interactions with boys.
Now, being held so intimately by a man made her feel flustered.
Charlie helped her to the recliner, had her lie down gently, then locked the chair’s rocking function. “I’m going to cut your pant leg open,” he said.
Hearing this, Raven blushed deeply, her heart filled with a mix of shame and despair. “Is he really going to cut my pants? That means my entire thigh will be exposed to him!”
Before she could fully come to terms with Charlie’s decision, he had already picked up a pair of scissors and cut along the entry point of the crossbow bolt, removing her entire pant leg.
Raven felt a sudden chill on her right leg and saw her long, slender leg completely exposed, causing her to cover her face in embarrassment.
Charlie hadn’t expected Raven’s leg to be so beautiful, even more so than any woman he knew.
This was likely due to her martial arts training from a young age.
Her leg was not only long and straight but also had subtle muscle definition, rivaling and even surpassing that of supermodels. It was an exceptionally rare and perfect leg.
Seeing Charlie staring at her leg, Raven felt a mix of embarrassment and slight anger. She thought, “This man may be powerful, but he doesn’t seem much different from those lecherous men.”
With a hint of anger, she asked, “What are you looking at?”
Charlie looked up, smiled calmly, and said frankly, “I’m looking at your leg. It’s very beautiful.”
CHAPTER 2159: UNFORESEEN TENSION
Raven was taken aback by Charlie’s candid admission of looking at her leg.
His openness left her somewhat at a loss for how to react, dissipating the anger she felt towards him.
Initially ready to scold Charlie, Raven found herself unsure of what to say next. The faint anger in her heart faded away with his straightforward acknowledgment.
Feeling embarrassed, she glanced at Charlie and then turned her head away, shyly murmuring, “If you’ve seen enough, please help me with the treatment.”
Charlie nodded, smiling, “Alright, let’s start the treatment.”
Instinctively, Raven asked, “Have you seen enough already?”
Realizing how inappropriate her words were, she hurriedly corrected herself, “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant, if you’re ready, we can begin.”
Despite her words, she felt a tinge of disappointment in her heart.
Charlie chuckled, “A doctor must prioritize the patient. While your leg is indeed beautiful, I need to treat your wound first.”
He placed one hand on Raven’s thigh and picked up a pair of pliers with the other. “The crossbow bolt has barbs. I’ll have to cut it from the tail and then pull it out from both sides. It might hurt a bit, so bear with it.”
Raven nodded slightly, “Go ahead. I can handle it.”
Charlie carefully clipped the crossbow bolt with the pliers, then grabbed its head, saying, “Alright, I’ll count to three and then pull it out. Get ready.”
Raven quickly agreed, “Okay!”
Charlie nodded, “Here we go. One, two—”
Before he could say “three,” Raven felt a sharp pain in her leg and screamed, “Ah! It hurts! You said you’d count to three! Why did you pull it out at two?”
Charlie smiled, “I like to catch people off guard. If I had counted to three, you might have reflexively tensed your leg, making it worse.”
With tears of pain in her eyes, Raven complained, “You can’t just surprise me like that. It hurt so much, and I wasn’t prepared at all.”
Charlie chuckled, “You’re a seasoned killer. Can’t you handle a bit of pain?”
Feeling wronged, Raven replied, “This kind of wound hurts more than a gunshot.”
Charlie smiled faintly, “The pain is just temporary. Now it’s over. I’ll clean and disinfect the wound, apply some anti-infection medicine, and then bandage it. That should do the trick.”
Raven nodded and asked, “You’re not going to use alcohol for disinfection, right? That would hurt even more.”
Charlie waved his hand, “Alcohol isn’t suitable for wound disinfection. I’ll use iodine. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt as much as alcohol.”
Raven breathed a sigh of relief. She watched as Charlie took a bottle of iodine, soaked a clean cotton ball with it using metal tweezers, and gently applied it to her wound.
Iodine is excellent for wound cleaning and disinfection and is much less painful than alcohol.
CHAPTER 2160: UNVEILING TIES AND SECRETS
Watching Charlie carefully treat her wound with tweezers, Raven felt a growing sense of goodwill towards this once infuriating stranger.
Curious, she asked, “Hey, I still don’t know your name!”
Charlie smiled slightly, “Does my name really matter to you?”
Feigning annoyance, Raven replied, “Of course it matters! I still haven’t settled the score with you for tricking me last time!”
Charlie nodded, “Well, I tricked you because your act of exterminating the Matsumoto family was too extreme. As a Chinese, you should know our ancestors’ principle: not involving innocent family members. Didn’t you understand that?”
Feeling a bit guilty, Raven said, “I was just following orders. The family head demanded the Matsumoto family pay the ultimate price, so I followed his orders and led the team to annihilate them.”
Charlie asked, “When you say family head, do you mean Virtuoso or Harrison?”
Raven softly answered, “Virtuoso.”
Charlie sneered, both disdainful and self-mocking, “Virtuoso, that old bastard, sure is lucky. By sheer coincidence, I ended up saving his son and daughter, Cameron and Camilla. And today, I save his illegitimate daughter too. This is ridiculous!”
Raven exclaimed, “What? You saved Cameron and Camilla?!”
Charlie nodded, clearly displeased, “Yes, I did save them. At the time, I didn’t know they were Virtuoso’s children. If I had known, I wouldn’t have saved them!”
Raven couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have a deep hatred for him?”
Charlie looked at Raven seriously, “I have an unresolvable enmity with him!”
He continued, “I’ve said before, one day, I’ll make him kneel before me, begging for my forgiveness, crying for my mercy. And then, I might chop off his head or maybe forgive him. His fate will depend on his own actions!”
Charlie didn’t yet know the extent of Virtuoso’s involvement in his parents’ deaths. From the information he had, Virtuoso indeed opposed his father at every turn, even forming the infamous Anti-Wade Alliance.
However, it was still unclear how directly connected the Anti-Wade Alliance was to his parents’ deaths.
In Charlie’s estimation, three parties were responsible for his parents’ deaths: the Wade family, the Salvador family, and Europe’s Rothschild family. He just hadn’t figured out which one bore the most responsibility.
Raven was stunned by this revelation and cautiously asked, “Can you tell me what exactly happened between you and him?”
Charlie responded flatly, “You don’t need to know the details.”
Disappointed, Raven nodded and then asked, “Can you at least tell me your name?”
Charlie said calmly, “My surname is Wade, and my name is Charlie.”
Raven muttered to herself, “Surname Wade, named Charlie? Could it be…”
She stared at Charlie, eyes wide with realization, and exclaimed, “Are you from the Wade family?!”
, and Claire had to deal with so much BS 'cause of him. He even had the nerve to ask for money during Grandma Wilson's big party, making Claire hella embarrassed 
. They kicked Charlie Wade out, but then plot twist! 
Some butler dude shows up. Turns out, Charlie Wade's actually from the uber-rich Wade clan. The butler's like, "Come home, fam." But since his parents were, like, done dirty by the Wade fam, he's like "Nah." But he did take his grandpa’s black card loaded with 10 billion. 
#MicDrop
