Chapter 17: The Intent to Kill Arises

Outside the window.

Lin Zheyu took a deep breath.

He hid his body within the darkness.

Reaching into his robes, he pulled out a black pair of brass knuckles and slid them onto his fingers.

Brass knuckles, also known as iron fists or knuckle dusters, were weapons specifically for fist fighting; worn over the fingers, they significantly increased the lethality of a punch.

It wasn't as if he had never killed a man before.

Back when he was mixed in with the refugees, Lin Zheyu had taken out more than one person who tried to steal his food.

Now that he knew these men were plotting against him, how could Lin Zheyu let them go?

Lin Zheyu clenched his fist, his mood complex.

He only wanted to live a stable life, a peaceful existence free from the world's strife.

Yet, this world was just that cruel; if you didn't take the initiative to harm others, you would be targeted by them instead.

The men inside the house finished discussing their secret plot, but they didn't leave immediately; they brought out wine and began to drink.

Houses in the outer city were not as densely packed as those in the inner city.

The distance between houses was quite large; some even stood alone in the middle of fields, isolated structures in the vast expanse.

The moon rose, and a light breeze blew.

Winter had already arrived, and the weather was somewhat cold, though with Lin Zheyu’s current physique, he felt nothing.

The three men drank until late into the night before stumbling out of the house.

These fellows had decent tolerance; after drinking for so long, they were only slightly tipsy, their gaits swaying unsteadily.

This house seemed to be their temporary base; after drinking and chatting, they each headed toward their own homes.

"One by one. Take out the two weaker ones first, then finish off the big guy," Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

He quietly followed the thinnest man, intending to finish him off as quickly as possible before moving on to the other two.

"Hiss, it's still so cold after drinking. Need to add more layers."

"Once we rob that kid, I'll have the money to buy some warm clothes."

Wen Biao walked along the small path, muttering with a leering grin.

His personality was somewhat cowardly; he coveted Lin Zheyu’s silver, yet he was terrified of something going wrong.

*Hiccup—*

After letting out a drunken burp, Wen Biao felt much more comfortable.

Under the moonlight, a black figure moved rapidly toward him.

"What the—"

Before Wen Biao’s brain could process the shadow, a fist encased in brass knuckles landed on his temple.

The immense force left Wen Biao dizzy, and the sharp protrusions of the knuckles pierced into his temple.

He opened his mouth to cry for help, but no sound came out; a cold, rough hand clamped over his mouth.

Lin Zheyu held Wen Biao’s mouth shut with his left hand, pinning him firmly against his chest, while his right hand struck out rapidly, slamming into the temple again.

After three consecutive punches, there was no more movement in his arms. Only then did Lin Zheyu stop, his fists and clothes stained with blood.

Looking at the lifeless corpse, his arms trembled slightly, but a flash of determination crossed his eyes.

In this chaotic world, good people didn't live long.

"Hoo—"

Taking another long breath, Lin Zheyu suppressed the emotions in his heart.

He moved his feet and quickly chased after the other direction.

Since he had already started, he had to eliminate everything that could possibly threaten him.

Lin Zheyu didn't want to be constantly targeted by a bunch of rats from the gutter.

On the other side, Yan Ling was quite dizzy from the drink. He swayed as he walked home by the moonlight.

"If I get back late, the wife will nag me again."

"What does a woman know? Times are hard, and making money is difficult. If this job succeeds, I can live off it for a year or half a year."

Yan Ling muttered, venting the frustration in his heart.

He stood by a ditch and pulled out his member to relieve himself.

Drink too much, and the urge comes.

With a full-body shudder, Yan Ling mumbled, "Why did it get so dark?"

*Bang—*

*Gurgle, gurgle—*

A massive wave of pain struck from the center of his brow. Yan Ling tumbled into the ditch, struggling to climb out, but a large hand pressed down on him, leaving him unable to move.

In the ditch, bubbles gurgled up, and within moments, there was no more movement.

Both of these men were just ordinary people, lacking any martial arts skill and not as sturdy as Lin Zheyu was now; Lin Zheyu had finished them off with ease.

"One left."

Lin Zheyu looked indifferently at the man who had gone silent in the foul ditch.

You and I had no grudge, but since you targeted me, you deserve to die!

He didn't rush to clean up the scene; delayed by these two, Gao Yu had already walked quite a distance.

Lin Zheyu pushed off with his feet, kicking up sprays of mud.

Among the three, only Gao Yu had any real strength.

He was a sturdy man, one meter eighty-three tall, from a family of hunters. He had practiced some crude martial arts as a child, though he had let it lapse as he grew up.

"Hehe..."

Gao Yu walked along the road, chuckling and humming a tune, in a good mood.

Having found such an easy mark, once this job was done, he could live it up for a while.

"That kid is a talent, too. If only I could control him to earn money for me," Gao Yu muttered, though he knew it was impossible.

*Rustle, rustle.*

The cold wind blew, and the trees made a rustling sound.

Gao Yu tightened his clothes and quickened his pace.

It was late; he should hurry back. His woman at home had already warmed the bed for him.

*Whoosh—*

A black shadow darted past, its movement masked by the howling cold wind.

Having had a bit to drink, Gao Yu didn't notice the anomaly beside him.

Gao Yu turned a corner, passed a residential house, and after walking another dozen meters, everything was silent.

Just then, Lin Zheyu’s figure erupted into motion.

His brass-knuckled fist struck toward Gao Yu’s temple—a vulnerable spot on the human body. A lethal strike there would cause dizziness at best, and instant death at worst.

*Bang!*

Gao Yu lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Being a hunter by trade, he had experience fighting wild beasts; he actually struggled and kicked out at Lin Zheyu as he lunged forward.

Lin Zheyu dodged to the side, grabbed Gao Yu’s leg with both hands, and used his body weight to press down hard on his head.

A cracking sound followed; Gao Yu’s leg had been broken by Lin Zheyu.

Because of the alcohol, the intense pain was delayed by a few seconds. Just as he opened his mouth to scream, a rough hand clamped firmly over it.

*Bang, bang, bang—*

Continuous punches landed on Gao Yu’s forehead. Within a few breaths, he stopped breathing.

Lin Zheyu sat on the ground, gasping for air, trying to suppress the unspeakable emotions in his heart.

This was his first time killing someone proactively; back when he was a refugee, it had only been passive resistance for the sake of survival.

He didn't stay dazed for long before quickly rising to his feet.

"Better clean this up."

Although he knew the chances of a murder case here being traced back to him were slim, for the sake of caution, it was better to handle it.

He hoisted Gao Yu’s corpse onto his shoulder, found an empty patch of wasteland, and abandoned the bodies in the wilderness.

"So poor. Not even a hundred wen on them."

Lin Zheyu shook his head as he looked at the silver he had scavenged from them.

...

Returning home, Lin Zheyu lit a fire and burned his blood-stained clothes.

He went to the courtyard and washed his body several times, yet he still had the illusion that he was stained with the blood of his own kind.

Having lived a stable life in his previous life and received decades of civilized education, he couldn't easily accept the idea that human life was as cheap as grass, nor could he kill his own kind without any psychological burden.

Lin Zheyu lay down to sleep, but couldn't, so he got up to shower again. This happened several times until he finally fell asleep late in the night.

*Cock-a-doodle-doo—*

Early morning.

The rooster with the raspy voice crowed again, waking Lin Zheyu from his sleep.

He opened his eyes groggily, pulled the quilt over his head, and went back to sleep.

He slept until the afternoon.

*Ha—*

Lin Zheyu yawned as he arrived at the Bidan Teahouse.

"Did you spend the night at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, kid? Why are you so listless?" Manager Wu teased.

"Homesick. Didn't sleep well last night," Lin Zheyu said.

He had had nightmares all night long, a jumbled mess; he hadn't slept well at all.

"It's still early. Why don't you go get some more sleep?" Manager Wu suggested.

"Alright then, call me when it's time."

Lin Zheyu didn't decline; he really did need to catch up on sleep.

...

(End of chapter)