Chapter 73: Kicked an Iron Plate

It was spring, and the temperature was just right—neither too hot nor too cold. Zhou Xuan hummed a tune as he cycled along. After traveling a few dozen meters, a flicker of surprise crossed his lips, followed immediately by a cold, mocking smile.

After a moment’s thought, he reached an intersection, veered his bike, and ducked into a narrow alleyway. Three men who had been tailing him on bicycles sped up, led by the burly man sent by Liu Ze.

After riding for a short distance, Zhou Xuan turned into another small alley and came to a halt, watching the entrance coldly. A few seconds later, the sounds of commotion and swearing echoed through the lane.

"Damn it, where did that brat go? He’s fast as a rabbit!"

"The kid’s sharp; he actually spotted us."

"Stop yapping! Just find him. I refuse to believe he could have gotten far."

Hearing their voices, Zhou Xuan realized they were indeed here to cause him trouble. As for the motive, he didn't know yet, but they had the misfortune of running into him. Today, he would teach them exactly what it meant to hit a brick wall.

A few seconds later, as the men reached the opening, Zhou Xuan spoke up, his voice cold and sharp: "Are you gentlemen looking for me?"

The sound of his voice startled them, but when they turned and saw that it was indeed their target—and that he was alone—they burst into laughter.

The leader, a burly man, tossed his bicycle aside and walked toward him with a sneer. "That's right, it's the brat. Oh, look at that, you didn't even run. I don't know if you've got guts or if you're just plain stupid."

With a wave of his hand, the other two circled behind Zhou Xuan, blocking his exit from the alley.

Zhou Xuan showed no fear. He leaned casually against his bike and asked, "Who sent you?"

The burly man cracked his knuckles, the sound of his joints popping enough to make one’s skin crawl. "Listen, kid, you shouldn't have offended people you couldn't afford to cross. Today, I'm going to break both your legs. You can spend the rest of your life thinking about who you should and shouldn't mess with."

"Heh, judging by your accents, you're not from Rongzhou at all. You sound like you're from the north of the province—Yangcheng or Bashan, perhaps?" Zhou Xuan guessed.

Since his rebirth, he hadn't been anywhere outside of Rongzhou except for the provincial capital. His enemies were limited to Fatty Luo in the county and the Tengfei Group in the city—a company that had risen to prominence in Yangcheng. Connecting this to his recent grievances with Liu Ze and his associates, he didn't need much guesswork to realize these men were likely sent by Liu Teng or Liu Ze to deal with him.

The thought filled him with rage, followed by a tremor of fear. If they came for him, he didn't care; his martial arts prowess was more than enough to handle them unless they used firearms. But he shuddered at the thought of them targeting his parents. That was something he would never forgive himself for.

He had been too careless. Fortunately, they had come for him first. If they had targeted his parents to threaten him, he would have been forced to submit.

Looking at the three men and thinking of the Liu brothers behind the Tengfei Group, a surge of hatred welled up in him. He wished nothing more than to see them thrown into prison immediately.

"Oh, stop guessing, kid. Once we break your legs, you’ll have plenty of time to think about it," the burly man said with a sadistic grin.

Zhou Xuan stood his ground, a fire burning in his heart. He laughed coldly, "Are you so confident that you have me cornered?"

The man, clearly irritated by Zhou Xuan’s arrogance, shook his fist and laughed. "Boys, this middle-schooler is mocking us. Make sure you treat him well."

"Haha, boss. This little brat hasn't even grown a full beard yet, and he dares look down on us? We’ll show him why the flowers are so red." The other two closed in, wearing mocking expressions, clearly convinced that Zhou Xuan was trapped.

Zhou Xuan felt a rush of adrenaline. Since mastering his breathing technique to an elementary level, he hadn't had the chance to test his skills. He didn't know his true strength, but he was certain that teaching a few hired thugs a lesson would be child's play.

He looked at the three men with the predatory excitement of a hunter spotting his prey.

Seeing the expression in Zhou Xuan’s eyes, the leader felt a strange flicker of unease, but given the boy’s age, he brushed it off as a bluff. "You're asking for death! Get him! Break his limbs!"

At his command, the two henchmen charged forward, fists flying. They were clearly experienced brawlers, their strikes forceful and swift.

But to Zhou Xuan, this was elementary. He twisted his left hand, caught the first man’s fist, and pulled him sideways toward the second.

The first man felt his arm caught in the grip of a giant. A massive force jerked him, and he slammed uncontrollably into his comrade. The second man tried to steady him, but the impact was too great, and both collapsed to the ground, howling in pain.

"You... you..." The leader stood frozen, mouth agape, staring in disbelief at how easily Zhou Xuan had dispatched his men.

Zhou Xuan laughed. "A few ants, and you dare trouble me? Is that fellow Liu Ze tired of living?"

At the mention of Liu Ze’s name, the leader’s expression shifted. He stammered, "I don't know who Liu Ze is! Don't you know who you've offended? It's the famous Boss Chen Yulin from the Rongzhou underworld!"

Zhou Xuan found this amusing. If the man was going to lie, he should have picked a better target—the wealthiest man in Jiangbei? If this thug knew that he and Chen Yulin were actually friends, he’d probably be terrified.

The shift in the leader’s face confirmed that they were indeed sent by Liu Ze. Given their tactics, he realized he needed to dismantle the Tengfei Group as soon as possible, or there was no telling what they might do next.

"Do you really think I believe you?" Zhou Xuan sneered.

"It was Boss Chen who sent me! Now go to hell!" The leader whipped out a switchblade, its cold edge glinting in the light.

As the blade swung toward him, Zhou Xuan sidestepped, tapped the man’s wrist with a sharp strike, and delivered a lightning-fast punch to his chest, sending him flying backward.

The knife clattered to the ground, and the leader landed heavily two or three meters away.

Zhou Xuan walked over, patted the man’s cheek gently, and sneered, "Don't you know that Chen Yulin and I are good friends? Go back and tell Liu Ze: if he dares to come again, none of you will be leaving in one piece."

As the leader watched Zhou Xuan cycle away, he truly felt like crying. He had hit a brick wall—a very thick one at that. He understood the warning: if he didn't leave Rongzhou today, he wouldn't be leaving it at all.