Chapter 28: Wu Li Hong Stays Over
That night, Li Er Yong hobbled home on his crutches, leaving Chen Xue Wen alone in the empty apartment, his mind restless.
After a long moment of silence, he walked into the inner room and retrieved a bag.
This bag was the same one Old Du had with him when he escaped from prison.
Aside from some cash, there were also other things inside.
Chen Xue Wen didn’t know Old Du’s true identity, but he wasn’t naive—an old fox like that was definitely not an ordinary man. If he had risked his life to keep something on him, then it had to be extremely important.
Before, Chen Xue Wen had been too busy to bother with it. But now that everything had settled, curiosity got the better of him. He needed to see what Old Du had been willing to die for.
Opening the bag, he found layer upon layer of tightly wrapped plastic. He carefully peeled them away, only to reveal several more layers of kraft paper.
The meticulous wrapping spoke volumes about the value of what was inside.
Finally, as he unwrapped the last layer, two ancient books, their pages yellowed with time, lay before him.
One bore the title Heart Technique, while the other was The Eight Extraordinary Meridians!
Chen Xue Wen was taken aback. Just two books? Did Old Du really risk everything for them?
Flipping through The Eight Extraordinary Meridians, he saw detailed diagrams of the body’s meridians, but with annotations marking certain pressure points—some indicating injuries, others detailing fatal strikes.
This wasn’t just any medical text; it was a manual on how to kill.
Now it made sense—Old Du had taught him ruthless ways to take lives. No doubt, he had learned them from this very book.
Then he turned to Heart Technique, and as he read, shock spread across his face.
This was no ordinary book.
It was a guide on how to read minds, manipulate emotions, and play psychological games.
Some of the contents mirrored what Old Du had taught him in the past. But now, Chen Xue Wen realized that Old Du had only revealed bits and pieces, deliberately hiding the full truth.
As he reached the final pages, his heart pounded.
He finally understood why Old Du had valued this book so much.
The knowledge contained within could change a person’s entire worldview.
Mastering this book could elevate an ordinary man to the heights of power!
To Chen Xue Wen, this was a treasure beyond measure.
Gripping Heart Technique, he devoured its pages through the night, his thirst for knowledge insatiable.
By the time he finished, dawn had broken.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.
Chen Xue Wen tensed, instinctively grabbing a dagger and hiding it up his sleeve before approaching the entrance.
“Who is it?”
A familiar voice replied from outside.
“It’s me.”
Wu Li Hong.
He hesitated. What was she doing here again?
Opening the door, he saw Wu Li Hong, dressed in a short skirt, exuding an air of seduction. The strong scent of alcohol surrounded her.
She looked disheveled, clearly having had too much to drink. Without hesitation, she stepped inside and collapsed onto the couch, her breath heavy with liquor.
Chen Xue Wen frowned slightly but poured her a glass of water, handing it over.
“What brings you here?”
Wu Li Hong drained the glass in one go before leaning against the sofa lazily.
“Got off work, had nowhere to go, so I figured I’d crash here for the night.”
She glanced at him teasingly. “What? Is that a problem?”
Chen Xue Wen hesitated. “Not exactly.”
“It’s just… I’m the only one living here.”
“A girl staying over…”
Wu Li Hong cut him off with a scoff. “Please. You’re not scared, are you?”
“Or do you think you’ll eat me up?”
She smirked, crossing her long legs and lazily shaking her foot, the glint of her high heels catching the dim light.
A challenge.
Chen Xue Wen sighed in defeat. “Fine. Which room do you want?”
“Anywhere’s fine.”
In the end, he gave her his room and went to sleep in his parents’ old bedroom.
Lying in bed, he found it hard to settle down.
After all, he was a young man, and just a wall away lay a stunning woman.
But he forced himself to suppress the stray thoughts and drifted into sleep.
The next half month passed uneventfully.
Li Er Yong came by daily, eventually handing over both the thirty grand and the gold bars to Chen Xue Wen.
Meanwhile, Wu Li Hong practically made herself at home. During the day, she cooked meals for the two men, and at night, she went off to work, only to return and sleep at Chen Xue Wen’s place.
It was almost as if they were a family.
During these weeks, aside from visiting his parents’ graves, Chen Xue Wen spent most of his time wandering the streets, observing the business scene in Peaceful City, looking for an industry to step into.
Strangely, Fifth Master Hou’s people never came looking for him.
The old man had once said he wanted Chen Xue Wen under his command, but now, it was as if he had been forgotten.
Not that Chen Xue Wen was eager to remind him.
After reading Heart Technique, he had become more shrewd than before.
A fox like Fifth Master Hou wouldn’t just let him be—he was likely watching from the shadows, waiting for the right moment.
Better to stay silent and let the old man make the first move.
One morning, as Chen Xue Wen strolled down the streets with Li Er Yong, they turned into an alley.
Three young men with flamboyantly dyed hair and tattoos covering their necks swaggered towards them.
Li Er Yong’s face paled immediately. He ducked behind Chen Xue Wen and whispered urgently.
“Wen Zi, let’s go another way.”
Chen Xue Wen frowned. “Why?”
Before Li Er Yong could explain, the leader of the trio sneered loudly.
“Well, well! If it isn’t Er Yong!”
“Didn’t think you’d be out walking around already.”
“Looks like we didn’t beat you hard enough last time!”
Chen Xue Wen’s gaze darkened as he studied them.
Li Er Yong clenched his fists. “Yang Zi, I never crossed you. Don’t start trouble.”
The leader, Yang Zi, smirked. “That’s where you’re wrong. Old Black said you’re not allowed in this area anymore.”
“If we see you, we beat you. Simple as that.”
He spread his arms mockingly. “And well, here we are. What do you think we should do?”
The two other thugs burst into laughter, their eyes filled with disdain.
Li Er Yong trembled with rage. He opened his mouth to retort but was stopped by Chen Xue Wen’s firm grip on his shoulder.
Chen Xue Wen locked eyes with Yang Zi, his voice low and sharp.
“You’re the one who broke Er Yong’s limbs?”
Yang Zi blinked in surprise before snarling, “Who the f*** are you?”
Chen Xue Wen ignored the question. “I asked, was it you?”
Yang Zi spat. “Yeah, so what—”
Before he could finish, Chen Xue Wen’s foot shot out, slamming into his crotch.
Yang Zi howled in agony, collapsing onto the ground, his body convulsing.
Without hesitation, Chen Xue Wen drove a fist into the second thug’s eye socket, sending him reeling.
He lunged at the last one and barked, “Get him!”
Without a moment’s thought, Li Er Yong swung his crutch with all his strength.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation