Chapter Twenty-One: Fierce Beating of the Tall, Skinny Monkey

"Heh, did I say you could leave?" Luo Changning stepped in front of them once more, his tone icy. Though he knew full well that Gao Haitian’s father was a martial master, someone far beyond his current ability to provoke, at this moment Luo Changning was intent on teaching this group a lesson.

After all, there were two kinds of people he loathed above all others: one was named Dugu Bancheng, and the other was the shameless sort who harassed or even assaulted women. Unfortunately, Gao Haitian and his cronies belonged to the latter.

A man with blood in his veins could not simply stand by when a girl he regarded as a sister was bullied, pretending nothing had happened and allowing villains to walk away unscathed. As for the fellow already sprawled on the ground, that was Ma Xue’e’s handiwork, so he didn’t count.

"You..." Gao Haitian was about to curse, but a glance at Ma Xue’e in the distance, her silver whip in hand, made his tone soften immediately. He forced a grin and said, "Hey, what’s the point in quarreling with a child like me? I barely have a whisker to my name—I was just joking with you just now. The only girl I ever wanted to marry is my little cousin; why would I covet anyone else?"

Luo Changning scoffed. "A child? I wonder which ‘child’ once had the heart to order me beaten nearly to death before tossing me into the sea. Heaven had eyes, and good men live long—I survived. And those four dogs following you—are they children too? Was it all just a joke?"

Gao Haitian's brows drew together, his eyes darting as he schemed. He put on a fawning smile. "How about I hand these three blind dogs over to you for whatever punishment you see fit? After all, it was they who led me astray, who taught me to do wrong..."

The three henchmen were speechless. Young master, it’s one thing to throw us under the bus, but now you’re pinning everything on us? Everyone in the Gao family knows you beat your wet nurse to death at the age of five, just because she could no longer feed you! Over the past six years, you’ve left at least sixty, if not a hundred, dead or maimed in your wake. The four of us only entered the Saint Hand Martial Hall as enforcers five years and three months ago!

One of the big men finally spoke up with resignation, "Young sir, we admit we were in the wrong. Please, have mercy on us this once. It’s not easy being servants, but we promise we’ll never let our young master act out again."

"Oh? I hadn’t realized dogs now had the right to decide for their masters, to police their masters’ behavior. Has the world turned upside down?" Luo Changning clearly had no intention of letting them off so easily. He wasn’t about to kill them—Gao Haitian was right about one thing, he was still a child. And Luo Changning, having lived two lifetimes, had no desire to bicker with a brat. But today, his anger demanded release; at the very least, Gao Haitian would get a thorough beating.

Yet, if he knew the full extent of the crimes this skinny monkey had committed over the years, perhaps he would change his mind. In this world, some children were more terrifying than demons themselves—innocence was not a given.

Gao Haitian, his neck stiff with bravado, crowed, "That’s right! You dogs don’t get to speak out of turn. If I say you led me astray, then you did! You’re at fault, and you deserve the punishment!"

Heh, with the blame shifted, he figured he’d be safe. Perhaps he should slip away and let these dogs tear each other apart. It was late, his stomach was rumbling, and he wondered if his little cousin was still waiting for him...

Luo Changning let out a cold laugh and drew the bladeless sword at his waist. He had no intention of killing anyone; the sword remained sheathed. "I’m running out of patience. All four of you, come at me together. Even if today’s incident hadn’t happened, I’d still be teaching you a lesson."

At his words, the four tried to flee, but a flash of the sword blocked their path, leaving them no choice but to defend themselves.

Though Gao Haitian and the others didn’t take Luo Changning seriously, Ma Xue’e’s formidable presence made their hearts pound. That seemingly frail girl wielded a whip that could claim a soul with a single strike. Luo Changning was no great threat, but missing their chance to escape and angering the girl in pink would spell disaster.

To them, dodging Luo Changning’s attacks should have been child’s play—and indeed, they managed to evade his first strike. But before they could celebrate, Luo Changning’s cold voice rang out: "That was just the appetizer. Now the real show begins!"

With a low shout, Luo Changning activated his internal energy, channeling it through the unity technique as he wielded his sheathed sword, launching a flurry of strikes. These were not the original techniques of Luo Feng, but transformed forms—he believed all martial arts ultimately led to the same place, and one should not be bound to rigid forms.

Besides, until he was strong enough to face Dugu Bancheng, he could not reveal his father’s sword style to the world. He must rely on these altered techniques for now.

Not that Luo Changning believed anyone in this small county would recognize the moves of the world’s greatest swordsman—most who had ever seen Luo Feng draw his blade were already dead. But caution was always wise; a single misstep could betray his identity.

As for Ma Qingyun, he took no precautions. In Luo Changning’s heart, they were already friends—comrades and brothers. From the moment they met, some instinct told him this was a man who would never betray him, but fight by his side to the end. He trusted that instinct. Yet, when the future brought change and conflict, would that faith remain, or would it bring him nothing but pain?

Infused with inner power, the sheathed blade sliced through the air, its afterimage slashing toward the group.

Gao Haitian’s mocking smile froze on his lips as the blade’s shadow passed over him. His fine silk robe split open in a thin line, his abdomen stung sharply, and he staggered back, sent flying by the impact before crashing heavily to the ground.

Luo Changning had not struck hard, using just enough force to send Gao Haitian tumbling and draw a little blood without causing real harm. The shockwave of inner power had done the rest.

Gao Haitian was a spoiled wastrel whose skills had been built on pills and shortcuts, his foundation weak. He bullied the helpless and relied on his status to avoid true combat. When things got rough, his men stepped in. In truth, his experience was little better than Luo Changning’s.

The other three were also sent sprawling, though not so far or so hard as their master.

"Ah—damn it, you nearly killed me!" Gao Haitian spat out a mouthful of dirt, rage blazing in his eyes. He had never been a good man—he’d killed his own wet nurse without blinking. And now, having suffered such humiliation—he, who had always been feared and flattered—he, beaten by another!

"You bastard, just you wait! When I return to Blackwater County, I’ll have my father bring men to wipe out your whole family, dig up your ancestors, and curse your line for eighteen generations!"

Gao Haitian’s eyes flashed with malice, pride, and fury as he howled his threats.

Luo Changning paused, his gaze cold and disgusted as he looked down at Gao Haitian, as if regarding a corpse.

He stepped around the three henchmen and stood over Gao Haitian. "You know, I was just planning to teach you a lesson. But now, it seems you’re begging for something much harsher."

Family meant everything to Luo Changning in this second life, and he would not tolerate anyone cursing his kin—let alone his ancestors.

Sheathing his sword, he bent, seized Gao Haitian by the collar, channeled his inner power into his right fist, and began to pummel the boy’s face again and again.

With each blow, he snarled, "I’ll wipe out your ancestors, I’ll curse your ancestors, I’ll dig up your ancestors’ graves! That’s for harassing women, for insulting my family—let’s see if you even recognize yourself when I’m done!"

"Ah—how dare you hit me, it hurts, you miserable wretch! Are you three dead? Can’t you see your young master is being beaten? Get this beggar off me!"

The three henchmen scrambled to their feet and lunged for Luo Changning.

But as he rained blows down, Luo Changning’s inner power surged, radiating from a thousand points throughout his body. He didn’t care where the energy went—he was confident that, no matter how they attacked, they would be swept aside by his power.

And so it proved—a thousand streams of energy wrapped around him, keeping the three big men at bay. They couldn’t get near enough to rescue Gao Haitian, nor could they dodge the wild surges of energy.

So, in the silence of the street, only the sound of fists, the wind of unleashed power, and the miserable squeals of Gao Haitian and his men could be heard.

Ah! Oof! Ow! Ugh!

Growing tired of his awkward posture, Luo Changning simply sat astride Gao Haitian’s belly and continued the beating.

He was so absorbed in his vengeance, so exhilarated, that he failed to notice his inner power was purer and stronger than ever before—no wonder the three henchmen, all skilled fighters themselves, stood no chance.

No one noticed, either, the faint pulse of energy rippling quietly from the sword at Luo Changning’s waist, as if it, too, shared its master’s fury.