Chapter 1: Rebirth of the Useless

Summer has arrived across the land, and the sweltering heat is unbearable.

But in Zui City, it remains cool.

In all of Huaxia, there is no one who has not heard of Zui City. There are many legends about it: the City of Debauchery, the City of Extravagance, the City of Sin... but few know exactly where it is located or who is in charge of it.

The only certainty is that Su Jin, the assassin who strikes fear into both the underworld and the righteous, comes from here.

It is said that she is bloodthirsty and ruthless, with a face like an Asura.

One night, in a basement in the east of Zui City, a surgery was underway. The physician took a scalpel from his kit and skillfully sliced open the left shoulder of the woman on the operating table. As the cold blade sank in, the bullet embedded in her flesh was soon revealed.

Quickly, he used tweezers to extract the bullet and tossed it onto an empty tray.

After that, he remained motionless for a long time.

The woman on the bed bit her lip hard, refusing to let any sign of pain escape. She lifted her eyes faintly, hiding the despair in her heart deep away. "Let it be this way. Thank you for fulfilling my wish."

Hearing these words, the physician’s body jolted violently, his previous composure shattered. Did she know something?

No! Impossible!

She had been too busy trying to distract herself from the pain to notice his subtle movements. He believed he had injected the neurotoxin into her body without her ever realizing it; how could she possibly know?

The woman’s pale face was devoid of life, like a broken ragdoll. "To die by your hand is the thing I most wanted to do in this life, and it is the only correct thing I have ever done."

The physician stiffened at these words.

She really did know.

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, wanting to smile, but he couldn't. He wanted to cry, but he felt that getting rid of a thorn in his side was a cause for celebration, not a reason for tears. In the end, he stared wide-eyed at the woman, glaring at her as if he could pierce a hole through her. "Why?"

Why!

The woman, none other than the legendary cold-blooded assassin Su Jin, smiled self-deprecatingly and said nothing.

Watching her expression, a nameless rage began to surge through the man. He stepped forward manically and grabbed her collar. "Do you think this will make me soft-hearted? That I will be grateful to you?"

Su Jin was cold, using her final strength to speak. "Father... goodbye."

Never to meet again.

For all lifetimes, never to cross paths.

The neurotoxin began to take effect, and gradually, her limbs stiffened, unable to move. As that last shred of consciousness was about to fade, she suddenly remembered an event from ten years ago. Back then, her teacher had asked them to write an essay about their dreams. She had only written four characters: *Repay Father with my life.*

That year, her teacher had used her as a laughingstock, causing the whole class to roar with laughter.

And now, it was finally realized.

Repaying Father with my life; we are even.

In the cramped basement, the physician tore off his disguise, revealing his true face. Looking at Su Jin’s deathly still features, his expression remained rigid. As long as Su Jin was dead, he could rest easy. No one would ever expose his past schemes and conspiracies again, and those enemies would disappear along with Su Jin’s death.

He would be able to take the immense wealth she had plundered and enjoy his life.

But why did he feel so empty?

Yan Kingdom, late night, the backyard of the Qingcheng County Magistrate’s office.

It was already winter. The outside was covered in ice and snow, and the biting cold wind blew relentlessly, as if trying to sweep everything away. The branches heavy with snow swayed, causing the snow to fall in flurries.

The cold assaulted the world.

In a room that was not very spacious, little Su Jin lowered her delicate eyes, snuggling into her mother’s arms and acting spoiled, rubbing here and squeezing there, refusing to settle down. It wasn't warm inside, and her small face was frozen red.

The woman’s compassionate gaze fell upon her daughter. "This cotton-padded jacket was sewn just for you. Once you put it on, you won't be cold anymore. Then you can go outside and play in the snow."

After speaking, she continued to sew by the lamp, her expression gentle.

Little Su Jin reached out with her icy little hands and tugged at her mother’s lapel. "Mother, I’m not cold, really. Jin’er knows Mother is cold. When Jin’er grows up and has money, I will buy Mother lots and lots of clothes, so you can be warm."

Outside, the wind howled even more violently.

Inside the room, not a sound from the outside could be heard.

The woman’s eyelid suddenly twitched. By accident, her hand was pricked by the needle, and beads of blood welled up—a shocking sight. Little Su Jin was just about to wipe the blood for her mother when the door was kicked open.

A man dressed in the official robes of a seventh-rank official entered. Su Jin blurted out, "Mother, look, it’s Uncle..."

The wind outside poured in frantically, and she was freezing to death.

Her voice trembled as she spoke.

The pitch-black night was illuminated stark white by the snow. Before little Su Jin could react, the man who had entered drew a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed it fiercely into the woman’s body, right into her heart. But he didn't stop; he continued to stab.

One strike, two strikes...

Blood gushed continuously from the woman’s body.

It splattered everywhere, and the smell of iron filled the air.

Little Su Jin was terrified out of her wits. She didn't scream or run; she just stood there, dazed. After a long while, she reacted and tightly gripped the rough hand the man was using to hold the dagger. "Uncle, don't kill my mother, please, I beg you to stop, I beg you."

The man looked down at little Su Jin.

He pulled his mouth into a smile.

Revealing his stark white teeth.

Little Su Jin was so terrified that she fainted dead away.

The snow fell all night without stopping, and the wind blew wantonly, blowing away the smell of blood, but it could not blow away the sin of the murder.

The man in the seventh-rank official robes grabbed the woman’s hair with his left hand and dragged little Su Jin with his right, walking out the door. He threw them onto a carriage that had been prepared in advance and sped off toward the mass grave.

...

As soon as Su Jin regained consciousness, she smelled a thick, bloody stench. She reached out, looked at her small, pitch-black paws, and then tugged at the blood-stained child-sized clothing. Memories that did not belong to her flooded her mind, leaving her completely speechless.

Helplessly, she stretched out her tiny fist and pounded the ground.

She wanted to verify if it would hurt, if there was any possibility that she was dreaming.

Her fist struck the ground with a *thud*.

It hurt!

Su Jin shook the dirt off her body and climbed up. Just as she was planning to find a way to leave, she suddenly heard a shrill cry. She looked up, quickly found the source, and stood still. "Can you stop making noise? There’s nothing here but dead people and ghosts; who’s going to pay attention to you?"

The one being scolded by Su Jin was a boy, about ten years old.

Not expecting anyone else to be here, he hurriedly wiped his tears with his sleeves, worried about being laughed at, and looked at Su Jin with slight embarrassment. "Are you here to pay respects to your relatives too?"

Su Jin looked up. "No."

The boy looked Su Jin up and down and nodded affirmatively. "Then you must have run here and gotten lost. And you’re scolding me? Be careful, or I won't take you out, and you’ll have to stay here forever to keep the ghosts company."

A threat!

A very obvious threat!

And, quite effective.

Su Jin was no longer fierce, nor did she dare to keep a straight face. She tried her best to pull off a gentle smile. "Little brother, don't cry. It was my fault for being reckless just now. Be good, hurry and tell sister how to get out of here."