"Before I saw her, I thought Chen Tian's mother was some ugly, dark-skinned country woman. To my surprise, she's actually quite pretty. Even though she's only a few years younger than me, she hasn't lost her looks at all."
"No exaggeration—back in her youth, she was even better-looking than this daughter of hers."
"Hahaha, hearing you say that makes me a bit interested. She's a real treasure!" Brother Snake said with satisfaction.
Guo Dafu smiled ingratiatingly and said:
"Once this is all over, I'll send her over to you."
"Fair enough. If her figure and looks are really as good as you say, the next time you need me for something, I'll give you a discount," Brother Snake said.
"Will do, will do," Guo Dafu laughed.
He had checked long ago: there were only three people in that family. Once they all vanished, not a soul would ever come looking for them.
Only then did the two of them raise their heads and glance at Chen Tian.
The smiles on their faces slowly froze in that exact instant.
Chen Tian charged straight at the dozen-odd men. One of the lackeys, eager to show off, rushed right at him.
Brother Snake figured any random person could easily KO a weakling like Chen Tian.
Who could have imagined that when the two of them collided, the outcome would be nothing like what they pictured?
"Bang..."
Suddenly, their lackey went flying through the air, while Chen Tian stood firmly rooted to the spot like a mountain.
What on earth was going on?
The gang of brothers stared in blank dismay.
The smile vanished from Brother Snake's face as he frowned slightly.
"Where on earth did he get that explosive force?"
He hadn't seen it at all—how had Chen Tian collided with his man and sent the guy flying?
He let go of Chen Xi, took a large stride forward, and barked an order:
"You three, go up first. I'm curious to see how this fellow pulls this off."
Immediately, three of the lackeys stepped out.
Fists clenched, they charged forward together.
Chen Tian's expression was fierce, the veins on his forehead bulging.
Clearly, he was using every ounce of his strength.
If one could see it, they would notice that all the spiritual qi in his body was surging toward his two fists.
Whoosh...
He rushed forward once more, his speed rivaling a hundred-meter sprinter.
The three men showed no intention of backing down either, raising their legs simultaneously as if intending to kick Chen Tian right back where he came from.
Chen Tian immediately adopted a defensive posture.
Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he perfectly blocked all three kicks.
Although the three men managed to stop Chen Tian in his tracks, with one leg still in the air and taking the impact, they lost their balance slightly.
At that exact moment, Chen Tian charged forward again like an enraged bull.
Bang, bang, bang...
He landed a punch on each of them.
The three men had severely underestimated the sheer force behind those three punches.
"Pfft..."
Struck by a sudden, violent pain.
As they stumbled backward, their waists bent like drawn bows.
At the same time, everything they had eaten for lunch spewed out into the air.
"Ah..."
All three crashed to the ground at once, clutching their stomachs, grievously wounded and unable to get up.
What the hell!
Guo Dafu stared at the scene in horror, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
Though a doctor used a scalpel, to street brawlers that knife was little more than a pocket tool.
Back at the hospital, when Chen Tian had tried to hit him, a few security guards had easily pinned him down without letting him twitch a muscle.
Yet right now, the explosive power he was unleashing looked nothing like what his frail frame should have been capable of!
Brother Snake's eyelids twitched, and his frown deepened.
He truly hadn't expected Chen Tian's fighting skills to be this good.
Injuring four of his men back-to-back—that was already formidable.
After all, his men weren't ordinary thugs; the Dragon King's subordinates weren't good-for-nothings, they were all thoroughly trained.
"What are you looking at? Grab your gear and all of you go together!"
Brother Snake commanded in an icy tone.
The remaining ten men pulled out their tools of the trade—steel pipes made of stainless steel, gleaming and blindingly bright.
In a flash, every last one of them rushed forward, brandishing steel pipes.
Brother Snake sneered:
"The kid's got some moves, sure, but if he thinks he can take on this many of my men, he's still a bit too green."
As soon as he spoke, the ten men had already surrounded Chen Tian in a tight circle.
Instantly, every single pipe came crashing down.
Fast as Chen Tian's reflexes were, expecting a single pair of hands to block that many pipes was clearly unrealistic.
What they didn't know was that Chen Tian was not only strong, but blindingly fast as well.
Just as the pipes were coming down.
Chen Tian moved.
With a sudden lash of his foot, he hooked the man closest to him and dragged him right into the fray.
His strength was so great that the man didn't even have time to react before he was lunging headfirst toward Chen Tian.
Seizing the opportunity, Chen Tian suddenly dropped into a crouch.
Clang, clang, clang...
The gleaming steel pipes rained down squarely onto that unfortunate man's body.
"Ah..."
A miserable shriek echoed through the air.
"Hahaha, Chen Tian, aren't you a tough guy? Don't scream now!"
Watching from afar, Guo Dafu patted his chest and let out a breath of relief.
"He's got some moves, but he's still nothing more than a weakling," Brother Snake said smugly.
Just as the two of them were gloating.
The surrounding lackeys let out a chorus of synchronized gasps.
The movement had been too fast; they hadn't even clearly seen that the person being beaten was actually one of their own.
At that moment, Chen Tian hoisted their comrade up and slowly rose to his feet.
Taken aback, they involuntarily took a step back.
Chen Tian was completely unscathed, while their comrade convulsed uncontrollably, streams of blood pouring continuously from his mouth.
When Brother Snake and Guo Dafu saw this, they were once again struck dumb with terror.
How was this possible?
They had clearly seen Chen Tian taking the blows.
Chen Tian should have been dead for sure.
Yet before even three seconds of laughter had passed, they found that Chen Tian was entirely unharmed?
A chill rose from the depths of both men's souls.
With a sinister look in his eyes, Chen Tian dragged the steel pipe away from the unconscious man's grip with his right hand.
Then, with brutal force, he hurled the body away.
Boom...
As it slammed into the ground, the entire unfinished building seemed to shudder.
That lackey instantly passed out cold.
Only then did they realize that none of this was funny at all.
Chen Tian was an invincible force of nature.
At that moment, not a single person dared to step up as the vanguard.
But Chen Tian gave them no opening.
And so, a truly spectacular sight unfolded.
With a steel pipe in hand, Chen Tian transformed the weapon into a flash of white light as it whipped through the crowd.
Their heads were hammered by Chen Tian over and over again like wooden fish in a temple.
Chaos reigned supreme, and they had long since lost track of who they were even fighting.
Clatter...
Moments later, the steel pipe slipped from Chen Tian's grip and went flying, while his opponents were sent soaring through the air in all directions.
Like a pile of messy trash, they were all scattered around Chen Tian.
Silence descended upon the scene!
Brother Snake and Guo Dafu stared fixedly at Chen Tian, their eyes seemingly frozen in their sockets.
How could this be?
Chen Tian had taken down all of them just like that?
Sweat poured down Brother Snake's forehead; he had never witnessed anyone who could fight like this!
Chen Tian hoisted the blood-stained steel pipe onto his shoulder and stalked angrily toward the two of them.
Guo Dafu was already trembling from head to toe.
"C-Chen Tian... let's talk this over!"
"I-I mean, I'm sorry, Chen Tian!"
Whoosh...
Chen Tian's figure flashed as he dashed straight in front of Guo Dafu.
Slap...
A massive backhand sent Guo Dafu sprawling to the ground.
His face instantly turned beet red!
Seeing this, Brother Snake bolted toward Chen Xi and grabbed her by the collar.
"Chen Tian, don't do anything rash. Your sister is still in my hands."
"Let her go!" Chen Tian's gaze shifted, sharp as a night hawk's.
"I'll let her go, I'll let her go—just put down your weapon first, okay? Let's have a civilized talk."
"Let her go!!" Chen Tian roared again.
"You drop the weapon and I'll let her go right this second! Look, we don't even want this money anymore; we didn't have any real beef to begin with."
"Let her go!!!" Chen Tian shrieked hysterically.
Brother Snake swallowed hard, his hands trembling.
Yet the very second his focus wavered, Chen Tian lunged forward.
Like a gust of wind, he clamped a vice-like grip around Brother Snake's wrist.
Brother Snake's eyes turned dark as a murderous gleam crept into the corners of his mouth.
Thwip...
In an instant, his other hand, which he had kept hidden behind his back the whole time, darted out like a venomous snake.
Clutched in his fist was a razor-sharp dagger.
With lightning speed, the blade drove straight toward Chen Tian's heart.
At that split second, Chen Tian's nerves tightened. Pulling his sister toward him with one hand, he threw his bare fist forward to intercept the dagger.
It was pure instinct—losing a hand was better than losing his life.
Yet he never expected that, in that inadvertent moment, his fist would actually block the blade.
Clang...
The dagger struck as if hitting solid metal, utterly incapable of piercing even a fraction of an inch into Chen Tian's fist.
The very next second, the dagger snapped right down the middle.
What?!
Brother Snake's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
A bare fist had shattered a dagger?
Brother Snake had once heard the Dragon King say that such people truly existed in this world.
Yet he had actually run into this kind of mythical-beast-level expert?
The fist didn't stop. After deflecting the dagger, it came crashing down onto Brother Snake's shoulder blade.
Crack!
The bone shattered.
"Ah..."
Crying out in agony, Brother Snake clutched his shoulder.
"D-Don't kill me!"
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't!"
Chen Tian slowly rose to his feet, consumed by burning rage.
"You guys tried to kill me first. Doesn't this count as self-defense?"
"Brother, I... I'm one of the Dragon King's men. Killing me is a direct challenge to the Dragon King! The Dragon King has anywhere from nine to ten thousand men under him—you won't be able to escape. I'm saying this for your own good."
Brother Snake retreated nervously.
Chen Tian said coldly:
"I said it before: nobody touches my sister!"
"To those who respect me, I show threefold courtesy."
"You tried to kill me, and I'm not wiping out your entire family—that is the greatest mercy I can grant you." Chen Tian's eyes were bloodshot.
"Brother Chen, Grandpa Chen—no, wait, Guo Dafu is the one who wanted to kill you!"
"Don't you know who the Dragon King is? As long as you don't kill me, I can introduce you to him! The Dragon King's influence is massive. With combat skills like yours, you could definitely make it big," Brother Snake pleaded, waving his hands frantically.
Chen Tian flashed a grim grin. "I'd love to see what the Dragon King can possibly do to me if I wipe you out."
"I, Chen Tian, am afraid of no one!"
With that, Chen Tian looked down at his own fist.
The next moment, his gaze darkened as he lashed out with a kick.
Struck by a colossal wave of force, Brother Snake went flying backward as if riding a skateboard.
"Ah, no, please don't..."
Boom!
He sailed right off the edge of the rooftop, plunging down thirteen floors.
Brother Snake was dead!
Chen Tian had actually killed one of the Dragon King's men?
Guo Dafu stared in stark terror as Chen Tian advanced toward him, the hair on his arms standing on end in fright.
Just days ago, he was still an intern at the hospital, being chewed out relentlessly by the head of department!
Yet right now, he actually had the guts to kill someone?
In the blink of an eye, he had turned into a demon!
"At the hospital, you made me take the fall!"
"In prison, you sent a bunch of death-row inmates to finish me off!"
"And today, you snatched my sister and hired a hitman!"
"Guo Dafu, how do you want to die?"
Chen Tian's eyes were bloodshot, brimming entirely with murderous intent.
Guo Dafu flailed his hands in sheer panic, shaking with dread.
"Chen Tian, I was wrong, I won't dare do it again! From now on, I'll treat you like my own grandfather, okay?"
"Heh, too late!" Chen Tian sneered.
"Don't do this, please! This is breaking the law, you've got to be rational!"
With those words, Guo Dafu dropped straight to his knees before Chen Tian with a loud *thud*.
"Spare me, and I'll give you every single penny of savings I've got in this lifetime."
Chen Tian had already reached Guo Dafu, looming over him with the predatory gaze of a hawk.
"You're the one who pushed things past the point of no return. Don't blame me for being ruthless."
Chen Tian scoffed coldly.
Realizing that Chen Tian was dead set on finishing him off, Guo Dafu's mind raced frantically.
Brother Snake was dead, and Chen Tian had nothing left to fear; he certainly wouldn't mind crossing off one more name.
At the very last moment, driven by the instinct to survive.
Ah...
He lunged forward, grabbing Chen Tian and charging toward the edge of the roof.
Chen Tian was pushed back several steps before planting his feet firmly.
With a push of his right foot, Guo Dafu exerted every ounce of his strength, yet failed to budge Chen Tian an inch toward the precipice.
Chen Tian's gaze grew even darker as he stared down at him as if watching a clown.
"T-This..."
Guo Dafu's heart shattered completely, reduced to a hollow, despairing wreck.
Chen Tian grabbed a handful of his hair and hoisted him straight into the air.
"A scumbag like you... letting you die just like that would be letting you off way too easy."
With that, he glared fiercely at the writhing men on the ground.
"If you want to walk out of here alive, get over here and dig a hole for Guo Dafu."
"Ah, what are you going to do, ah..."
Stumbling clumsily to their feet, the few of Brother Snake's lackeys who had sustained lighter injuries scrambled up from the ground.
They followed Chen Tian out to the overgrown hills behind the building.
Before long, a shallow grave had been dug.
"Chen Tian, Grandpa Chen, just give me a quick death, I'm begging you."
Chen Tian grunted coldly, offering no reply.
Step by step, he shoved Guo Dafu down into the pit.
Warm urine soaked through the man's trousers.
A moment later, his shrieks were smothered by the falling earth.
Chen Tian dusted off his hands and said with a sinister edge:
"That is what you get for messing with my sister!"
Trembling from head to toe, Brother Snake's men wore expressions of utter terror.
"I killed these men myself. Feel free to run and tell the Dragon King. If the people in this world refuse to be reasonable, then I'll just have to step in and teach them how."
Hiss...
Having delivered that overbearing ultimatum, Chen Tian turned on his heel and strode away.
Returning to the unfinished building, he untied his sister.
"Wuwuwu, Ge, I was so scared!" Chen Xi wailed bitterly.
Chen Tian gently wiped away her tears and smiled:
"It's over now, little sister."
"Your big brother promised you that no one will ever hurt you again. I'm sorry I'm late."
"Wuwuwu, Ge, where are those bad men? I heard you... did you kill someone?" Chen Xi asked, trembling with fear.
Chen Tian forced a lighthearted smile and lied with absolute ease:
"Of course not. Don't worry, your big brother is fine."
"Shall we go home?"
Though still half-doubtful, Chen Xi had calmed down considerably by now.
"Are you really okay?"
She pressed on, seeking reassurance.
Chen Tian scratched his head and patted Chen Xi affectionately on top of her head.
"It's all over, everything's settled. Big brother made some money, so let's go out and have a big feast."
***
Meanwhile, a middle-aged woman stood quietly in a distant corner, watching the scene unfold in a daze.
She was Chen Tian's mother, Yang Yinmeng!
At her side stood a white-haired old man who regarded her with an air of absolute, reverent devotion!
Inside several dilapidated shacks not far away, the four guards assigned to watch her were rolling around on the ground in agony.
"Madam, what are your orders for our next move?" the old man asked respectfully.
"I had always expected my son to live out a quiet life as an ordinary man in this tiny backwater of Jiangzhou."
"Yet never did I foresee that someone would actually attempt to harm him."
"In just a few short days, he has already set foot upon the most perilous path imaginable. Life truly is stranger than fiction."
Yang Yinmeng was approaching fifty years of age.
Yet despite living in that barren corner of the world, not a single wrinkle marred her face.
Even dressed in plain clothing, she exuded an innate aura of nobility.
Her bearing and demeanor carried the unmistakable grace of a queen.
"Madam, what's done is done. How shall we handle the aftermath?" the old man inquired again.
Yang Yinmeng glanced into the distance at the tender, protective way Chen Tian was supporting Chen Xi, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
"I must admit, my son has proven himself to be a remarkably competent older brother. If I had known, I should have told him sooner that Chen Xi isn't his biological sister—who knows what other interesting developments might have unfolded!"
"Besides, my original intention was for this girl to serve as my son's maid in the first place."
The old man cast a glance in that direction as well, asking with a trace of surprise:
"Could this... could this girl be the Divine Kingdom princess you abducted back then?"
"Indeed. As a hostage, she was meant to endure endless torment, yet who could have guessed that my foolish son would treasure her like the apple of his eye from childhood?"
"And now, he's even gone on a killing spree for her, bringing a mountain of trouble down upon his own head."
Yang Yinmeng let out a soft sigh.
"That girl is the absolute key to saving our lord! If the Divine Kingdom discovers her whereabouts and manages to sneak her away, they will have nothing left to fear and will surely execute our lord!"
The old man's expression shifted as realization dawned on him instantly.
Yang Yinmeng nodded and said:
"Precisely. The Divine Kingdom has been searching for this princess all along, but Huaxia is vast and full of wonders. Hiding in this corner of Jiangzhou under assumed names, they could search until the end of time and never find her."
"Then, does Madam intend to take Young Master away from Jiangzhou?" the old man asked.
Yang Yinmeng shook her head:
"No matter where he goes, this rascal will always stir up storms. Let him forge his own path."
"If he fails to make it, it simply means he lacks the ability. But if he manages to grow, one day he will surely be capable of rescuing his father with his own two hands."
The white-haired old man quickly offered: "I shall stay behind to protect the Young Master!"
"There is no need. If a bird never learns to fly on its own, it will eventually starve in its nest," Yang Yinmeng waved her hand dismissively.
The old man fell silent at once.
After a long pause, Yang Yinmeng continued:
"My boy has already begun to make a name for himself. Chen Xi can no longer remain by his side, or she will inevitably be exposed to the Divine Kingdom's secret agents."
"Therefore, we shall take Chen Xi with us when we leave, and let him face Jiangzhou entirely on his own!"
"What? Will that really be alright?" The white-haired old man was deeply shocked.
"It must be. Though he is the Young Master, he is the most wretched of young masters, for he carries the heavy burden of saving his father. A single misstep means total destruction, so his path is one no one else can walk for him."
Yang Yinmeng's expression abruptly turned somber.