Chapter Ninety: A Transformation as Complete as Rebirth

For two years after moving in with the Chen family, Su Zheng had long since formed a habit: almost every other day, he would rise before dawn and head to the morning market to wrestle with a crowd of old men and women for discounted eggs and fresh fruits and vegetables.

By the time he returned with his groceries, the sky was still pale as a fish belly, a thin mist lingering in the air. The streets were sparsely populated, mostly by fitness enthusiasts out for their morning exercise or by elderly men and women like him, dragging little carts behind them.

On the road from Liyuan Residential Complex to the morning market, there was a narrow path along the river, and in the early hours it was usually deserted.

Just as Su Zheng was about to leave that path, he saw four figures standing at the far end, clustered together and smoking, their faces grim and unfriendly.

Beside them was a battered van with its windows tightly covered.

Su Zheng felt a little curious, but thought nothing of it and was preparing to walk around them.

Yet the moment the four noticed him, they ground out their cigarettes and rushed forward to surround him.

"Su Zheng, are you?"

The leader, a burly bald man with a vicious face, pulled out a photograph and asked in a low voice.

At the same time, another man quickly jumped into the van, started the engine, and opened the door.

"You know me? What do you want?"

Su Zheng swept a cool glance over them, showing no trace of panic.

Seeing them blocking his way, he even frowned and checked the time on his phone, his face full of impatience. "If you've got something to say, make it quick. I don't have time to waste with you here."

"Hahahaha..."

Hearing that, the bald man and the others burst out laughing, their faces full of mockery and cold malice.

"Didn’t expect my luck to be this good. First day on the job, and we’ve already cornered you!"

As he spoke, the bald man drew a dagger from his waist, his expression ruthlessly ferocious.

"Kid, when you’re on your way to the underworld, don’t blame me. Someone paid a high price for your life. We brothers are just trying to make a living, so we had no choice but to send you on your way!"

The words had barely fallen when the dagger in his hand thrust fiercely toward Su Zheng’s side waist. But before the blade could fully strike, the bald man’s vision suddenly went black. His world spun violently, and with a thud he crashed onto the ground, only feeling the back of his head hit hard, pain surging through him as his ears rang and his mind went blank.

"Boss!"

The other thugs’ faces changed drastically. They looked at Su Zheng in terror, not even seeing clearly what had happened.

Even the man in the van hurriedly jumped down and nervously gathered with his companions.

"What are you standing there for? All of you, attack him!"

Still sprawled on the ground, the bald man gritted his teeth and barked at his men. Coming to their senses, they could only steel themselves and charge at Su Zheng.

Su Zheng stood upright, his expression calm.

The instant the nearest thug reached him, Su Zheng raised his hand like lightning and delivered a palm strike with overwhelming force.

With a dull crack, the thug felt as though his head had been smashed by a heavy hammer. His footing went light, his body tipped, and he crashed face-first onto the ground.

Without pause, Su Zheng followed with a hook punch and a whipping kick, neatly putting the other two thugs down as well.

"Failure."

Su Zheng glanced at the time and shook his head with a sigh. "It should have taken only two seconds. Looks like I’ll have to step up my daily training."

Hearing that, the bald man on the ground trembled violently.

Three seconds to deal with three of his men, and he still called it a failure?

He had originally hoped to seize the chance to get up and ambush Su Zheng from behind, but seeing his men with their necks slapped crooked, he was so frightened that he sank back to the ground again. In his heart, he cursed his employer to no end and felt utterly cheated.

Weren’t they supposed to be dealing with a waste?

This was clearly a war god.

The bald man had some martial arts background, but after watching Su Zheng’s moves, he could make neither head nor tail of them. They looked like nothing more than ordinary swings and punches, the simplest of actions, yet the force behind them was beyond belief.

"Who sent you?"

Su Zheng turned and looked at the bald man, a streak of coldness flashing in his eyes.

If the bald man insisted on staying silent, Su Zheng did not mind continuing.

"Young Master Wu Chenghao!"

To Su Zheng’s surprise, the bald man blurted it out almost without hesitation.

Su Zheng’s expression grew even colder.

He was somewhat surprised to hear Wu Chenghao’s name. After all, they had only met once, and he had not expected that man to be so vicious at heart.

Su Zheng narrowed his eyes and let out a contemptuous laugh, his voice icy. "You’re trying to pull teeth from a tiger’s mouth. You don’t know death when you see it."

Hearing the chill in Su Zheng’s voice, the bald man could not help trembling again. He immediately knelt up and pleaded nonstop:

"Sir, we’re just taking money to do a job. The one who wants your life is Wu Chenghao, not us. He lied to me, saying you were just a useless man with no strength at all... If I’d known you were such a heroic figure, even with ten times the courage, we still wouldn’t have dared!"

The other three thugs also forced themselves up despite the pain, knelt on the ground, and begged while bowing repeatedly, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

"People like you—murder, arson, and worse—you’ve done your share before, haven’t you?"

A trace of disgust flashed through Su Zheng’s eyes. His tone was flat, yet carried a thread of resolve. "If you don’t want to die, go turn yourselves in."

"Tu-turn ourselves in?!"

The bald man trembled violently, his face deathly pale. With the charges hanging over his head, if he went in and turned himself in, wouldn’t his whole life be finished?

"I’m doing this for your own good."

Su Zheng slowly crouched down, took the bald man’s phone, and checked the call logs and messages between him and Wu Chenghao.

After confirming everything, he found Wu Chenghao’s company address, then snapped the phone cleanly in two with a crack, warning the bald man not to tip Wu Chenghao off.

Then he went on:

"Once you’re inside, at least you’ll still be alive. But if you don’t do as I say, and I find out, then you’ll be dead."

"Choose for yourselves."

With that, Su Zheng patted the bald man on the shoulder, stood, pulled his cart, and left without another word.

The bald man and his three subordinates were left drenched in cold sweat. Only after Su Zheng’s figure disappeared at the intersection did they finally breathe out in relief.

"Boss, what do we do? This guy’s no ordinary person. Let’s go back, pack up, and run!"

One of the subordinates urgently said to the bald man.

He felt Su Zheng had not been lying. If they did not run, they really might be killed.

The bald man said nothing. After a somber moment of weighing things in his mind, he gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Turn ourselves in."

...

After Su Zheng returned home, Chen Muxue had only just gotten up. Wearing shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt, her two long, fair legs were exposed, her perfect figure on full display, causing even Su Zheng’s eyes to flicker with a trace of unusual light.

Seeing Su Zheng carrying bags and bundles in his hands, Chen Muxue, unlike her usual cold self, lazily stretched and said good morning as she walked toward the bathroom.

"Morning to you too."

Su Zheng answered her gently, then added, "I’ve got something to take care of outside, so I won’t be having breakfast at home today."