Chapter 53: Fated Enemies Cross Paths

The security guards exchanged glances, all utterly bewildered. Even the one reputed to be the strongest among them had been so easily laid flat, let alone the rest, who were mere small fry by comparison. What’s more, the opponent hadn’t used any tricks—he’d met force with force, trading fists head-on. Facing such a monster, charging forward now would be nothing short of suicide.

The bald boss blinked hard, as if doubting his own eyes, but the truth was right before him, undeniable.

“Well, no wonder you’re so arrogant, kid. Turns out you do have some skills,” the bald boss gasped, then turned to the remaining security guards and shouted, “Whoever steps up gets fifty thousand.”

The allure of money is limitless. Fifty thousand was over a year’s salary for these guards—worth risking a shot. Three guards immediately volunteered. They looked at the bald boss and asked, “Is it fifty thousand each, or do we split it?”

Desperate to deal with Lingtian, the bald boss steeled himself and replied, “Fifty thousand each.”

At those words, the remaining guards perked up. If it was fifty thousand apiece, better to all go together—maybe they’d stand a better chance.

“What the hell are you all standing around for? Get on with it!” the bald boss bellowed angrily. If not for witnessing the first guard’s miserable defeat, perhaps he would have grabbed a weapon and joined in himself.

The three guards charged at once, but Lingtian didn’t even bother to look them in the eye. As they rushed him together, he unleashed three punches, almost simultaneously. All three fell at his feet in unison, not even managing a scream.

This time, the bald boss truly panicked. He shouted, “All of you, get him! One hundred thousand each!” In a crisis, he no longer cared how much this was going to cost him.

But not a soul among the remaining security dared move. The lure of money was great, but there was no enjoying wealth if you didn’t live to spend it. The fate of the previous four had already scared them out of their wits.

“What, it’s not enough? I’m offering a hundred thousand each, and you’re still not satisfied?” the bald boss roared again. “Get in there, or you’re all fired!”

Still, none of the guards stepped forward. These men were all seasoned veterans, no fools. Even if they lost their jobs, they wouldn’t gamble with their lives.

Lingtian spoke coolly: “I’ve already wasted too much time here. You tried to steal my brother’s woman. Granted, she’s worthless, but she’s not yours to take. Worst of all, you weren’t satisfied with one—now you want to try a second time.” As he spoke, Lingtian began to walk toward the bald boss.

The bald man trembled so hard his legs would no longer obey him. He couldn’t run, only stand there stupidly, awaiting Lingtian’s approach.

“I have money! Name your price! As long as you spare me, I’ll give you everything I have,” he begged, utterly cowed by Lingtian’s overwhelming killing aura. After all, the killing intent exuded by the King of Mercenaries, who had walked out from mountains of corpses, was not something just anyone could withstand.

Lingtian shook his head slightly and replied, “Money? I wouldn’t even look at your pocket change. Zhang Ding, I leave him to you. Do as you please—even if you kill him, I’ll take care of it.”

Zhang Ding, already seething with rage, immediately snatched up a wooden stick from the ground and charged at the bald boss. Without a word, he swung the stick down hard on the bald man’s head, the sound of wood hitting flesh mingling with the man’s screams.

The remaining security guards all threw down their weapons, squatted on the ground with their hands raised above their heads, and awaited Lingtian’s judgment.

The female clerks and Zhou Juan, seeing the bald boss being beaten, realized nothing good would come of today. Terrified, they started to edge backward, hoping to slip away unnoticed.

Having knocked the bald man to the ground, Zhang Ding, still holding the bloodstained stick, strode over to Zhou Juan, glaring at her with fury.

“Zhang Ding, I still love you, truly. He threatened me, forced me—otherwise I never would have left you,” Zhou Juan said, feigning tenderness. As she spoke, her eyes reddened and a few tears fell.

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” Zhang Ding swore loudly, raising the stick to strike.

Zhou Juan hastily pleaded, “Zhang Ding, we were married for years. Doesn’t that count for anything? Even for old times’ sake, you can’t treat me like this.”

By now, Zhang Ding no longer cared about losing face. He shouted angrily, “Bullshit! You were only with me because you’d been used up by others and needed a place to stay. After we married, you slept around everywhere—don’t think I didn’t know. I only put up with it because I didn’t want to destroy the family I finally had…”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, his eyes growing bloodshot. For a man to endure so much, Zhang Ding was already at his limit.

With the pretense completely dropped, Zhou Juan raised her voice, “Didn’t you swear you’d never hit a woman? When we married, you promised you’d never lay a hand on me. Are you going back on your word now?”

Zhang Ding brought the stick crashing down on her mouth, knocking out three of her front teeth on the spot. Each blow only fueled his anger, and he struck her a dozen more times, shouting all the while, “In my eyes, you’re not even a woman. You’re trash—a public bus anyone can ride!”

Seeing that things had gone far enough, Lingtian stepped forward, patted Zhang Ding on the shoulder, and said, “That’s enough. It’s all in the past. Don’t dwell on it. You have a new life ahead of you.”

Zhang Ting chimed in, “Women like her deserve a beating. She’s not worth your anger. Don’t waste your health on trash like that.” With that, Zhang Ting took the stick from Zhang Ding and tossed it aside.

Having finally let out years of pent-up fury, Zhang Ding felt much better. He let out a long sigh, then dropped to his knees before Lingtian. “Boss, from now on, my life and death are yours.”

Lingtian helped him up with a laugh, teasing, “What would I want you for? Maybe I should give you to Zhang Ting instead. You did lift her skirt today—aren’t you going to take responsibility like a real man?”

Both Zhang Ding and Zhang Ting blushed deeply, unable to respond.

Meanwhile, the battered bald boss, lying on the floor, pulled out his phone and made a call. When he finished, he looked at Lingtian and sneered, “Don’t think you can throw your weight around just because you’re tough. None of you are leaving today.”

Lingtian smiled faintly. “Is that so? I’d really like to know who your master is, to be so bold. Even if one of the Four Great Clans showed up, it wouldn’t make a difference to me.”

“And who is so arrogant as to disregard even the Four Great Clans?” A suave young man entered, flanked by four burly, besuited bodyguards in sunglasses. They had been nearby when the bald boss called, and rushed over at once.

The bald boss immediately cried out, “Young Master Gu, you must help me! These people are out of control, causing trouble on our turf. To hit me is to slap you in the face!”

Lingtian glanced over and recognized the newcomer at once: Gu Feng, eldest son of the Gu family, one of the Four Great Clans. He’d crossed paths with him once during a black market deal, and later clashed with him over the orphanage land, when Gu Feng had been the mastermind behind the scenes.

Zhang Ding and Zhang Ting both inwardly groaned. The Four Great Clans wielded enormous power in Yunhai City, commanding both the underworld and legitimate society—far beyond the reach of ordinary folk.

“So it’s you,” Lingtian snorted dismissively, not even bothering to look at Gu Feng directly.

Gu Feng, upon seeing Lingtian, felt his heart leap into his throat. Of all people to run into, it had to be this scourge. Only moments ago, Gu Feng had heard that the boss of Nianhua Real Estate had gone mad and a fire had broken out. Though he didn’t know for sure who was behind it, he believed that in Yunhai City, only Lingtian had the nerve to pull something like that.

“You’ve opposed me time and again. Aren’t you afraid my family will deal with you?” Gu Feng circled Lingtian, his expression dark. Normally arrogant and overbearing, at this moment he was uncharacteristically cautious, for the family had ordered him not to act rashly until Lingtian’s true identity was clear.

Since Lingtian’s arrival in Yunhai City, he’d acted with utter disregard for the Four Great Clans, striking whenever he pleased. This had made the clans wary; they all hoped to keep any conflict contained.

Unless their vital interests were threatened, the clans would hesitate to move against the mysterious Lingtian.

It was like the rivalry between the US and Russia—each wanted to destroy the other, but neither dared to make the first move, so they kept to petty skirmishes instead.