"Apprenticeship?"
"Calling him boss?"
Cao Cheng left the community, his body honed with counter-surveillance skills. Under the dim streetlights, his figure moved deliberately through blind spots—places the gangsters would never notice.
Until they entered the alley. Cao Cheng followed from the other side, separated from them by just a wall.
With sharp ears and keen eyes, he caught every word they said.
Now he understood—after their last encounter, this "Dragon Brother" Kuang Long had been beaten into submission and wanted to pledge loyalty?
Well…
This was a bit tricky.
Young Master Cao had no intention of gathering society’s dregs. Didn’t they know a crackdown was coming in a few years?
He didn’t want to get dragged down by them.
Sure,
he could educate them, set them straight, and do society a favor. But with no personal ties, Cao Cheng couldn’t be bothered to put in the effort.
Besides, they weren’t women.
As the chosen one of fate, if he were to take in gangsters, they’d have to be female gangsters.
A bunch of men?
Does that make sense? Does it?!
Of course,
female gangsters shouldn’t be wasted, male gangsters… shouldn’t be spared!
With such a wave of emotional value delivered right to his doorstep, naturally, he’d pocket it all.
……
Cao Cheng arrived at the mouth of the alley.
Inside, the group was still squatting, deep in discussion. Kuang Long was rambling on and on without end.
Since when did gangsters spout so much nonsense and lecture people?
Spouting rhymes like that—are you prepping for grad school?
"Hey—"
Cao Cheng stood at the dim alley entrance and barked.
Whoosh—
The gangsters all turned, startled. Their faces twisted into menacing scowls, cigarettes dangling from lips or clutched in hands—a scene that looked downright vicious.
"So it’s you guys. I knew someone was tailing me."
"Seems like last time wasn’t enough of a lesson."
"Memory that short?"
Cao Cheng spoke, not giving them a chance to respond.
Kuang Long’s face lit up at the sight of him, but hearing his tone, he quickly scrambled to his feet, trying to intervene: "Misunderstanding—"
Before he could finish, Cao Cheng was already lunging forward.
Another chop to the neck—not too hard, not too soft.
Just like last time.
Kuang Long’s face instantly flushed red. Clutching his throat, he dropped to his knees with a thud, unable to speak…
The other gangsters saw their boss struck down and roared to their feet: "Brothers, get him!"
Kuang Long’s heart sank in despair.
No.
Boss, let me say something first!
We’re not here for revenge.
Ugh…
What did my neck ever do to you?
A neck chop—in the underworld, this was called "drinking cola." Like sprinting a thousand meters and then chugging a soda—your throat goes numb, speech fails, and you’re left miserable.
A few seconds later…
Kuang Long watched helplessly as his underlings collapsed, clutching their weak spots, moaning or howling in pain.
At least no arms or legs were broken.
"Drinking cola" was agonizing but not life-threatening.
"Bring more men next time. This trash isn’t even enough for a warm-up." Cao Cheng tossed the words over his shoulder and bolted.
No time for chatter.
He couldn’t let this misunderstanding clear up—otherwise, he wouldn’t have an excuse to beat them up next time.
A thousand points of emotional value deposited.
Fewer gangsters this time, missing a few faces.
But the emotional yield was double the last haul.
Meant most of them had been bottling up resentment, and this time, it all exploded out.
So,
next time he beat them, he’d probably rake in close to two thousand.
Such prime emotional loot—couldn’t let them swear loyalty and ruin it.
Watching Cao Cheng’s retreating figure,
Kuang Long stretched out a hand, wanting to call him back, but all that came out was a choked "gah—gah—" His other hand clutched his throat, face twisted in discomfort…
Kuang Long genuinely wanted to acknowledge Cao Cheng as his mentor, to learn his "arts."
But after getting beaten, negative emotions still flared—even if he didn’t hate, pain and misery lingered.
Over ten minutes later,
the gangsters finally helped each other up.
"Boss, that bastard… hits way too hard, damn—" One underling clutched his waist, grimacing like he was constipated.
Kuang Long rasped: "You should be thanking your lucky stars. If he saw us as a real threat, losing limbs would’ve been easy. Now you see what ‘arts’ are? Total dimensional crushing. You even know what that means?"
What gangster understood that?
They knew how to spend money on women, but "dimensional crushing"?
This generation—all idiots.
"Now, I’m going to apprentice under him, call him boss. Anyone got a problem with that?" Kuang Long croaked.
This time, no one openly objected—but they weren’t happy either.
Why?
Two beatings, and we just let it go?
Seeing his men’s conflicted expressions, Kuang Long knew they were still fuming.
Honestly,
he wasn’t feeling too great either. He shook his head. "Let’s go, rest up. We’ll try again tomorrow."
"Again?!" The underlings paled.
Come on, boss.
Can’t we just stay far away?
He’s not gonna chase us down, right?
"We’re coming back." Kuang Long’s voice was firm.
He’d made up his mind.
Next time, no talking. Just drop to his knees and kowtow—no way that could be misunderstood.
As for why not go to Cao Cheng’s home? They didn’t dare enter the neighborhood—didn’t want to tarnish their "boss’s" reputation. Such was the tragedy of gangsters.
Even turning over a new leaf came with strings attached.
……
……
Cao Cheng returned to the neighborhood in high spirits.
This time, he hadn’t hit too hard—just enough to keep them down for a few minutes. By tomorrow, they’d be fine.
Wouldn’t interfere with their next visit.
One-time feast or a lifetime of meals? Cao Cheng knew the difference.
As for whether they’d show up again, he wasn’t worried. Even if they chickened out, he’d track them down at their usual haunts and beat them one by one.
Prime emotional loot—couldn’t let it go to waste.
Stack those resentment layers, milk them dry.
After bidding the aunties goodnight, he headed home.
The system had finished upgrading.
But since he was outside, Cao Cheng hadn’t checked yet.
This update seemed packed.
He’d need a quiet place to go through it properly.
Back home,
he found the sisters sipping tea.
The deep purple brew had faded—they’d drunk quite a bit.
The washing machine rumbled in the background; they’d done laundry.
The kitchen was tidied up too.
Nice!
Cao Cheng circled the kitchen.
Ren Yuege followed, chest puffed with pride. "So? First time washing dishes. Clean, right?"
"……" What was there to brag about?
Cao Cheng picked up a plate, rubbed it. "You didn’t rinse off the detergent. Trying to poison someone?"
Ren Yuege’s face fell. "No way! I rinsed them!"
"Feel this. Still slippery."
[Ding~~ Negative Emotion +20]
Huh?
This time, Cao Cheng could distinctly sense the "embarrassment" and "shame" radiating off her.
A system upgrade perk—more detailed feedback now.
"But for a first try, not bad at all."
Cao Cheng smirked. "Tomorrow, I’ll cook a feast. Consider it a welcome."
[Ding~ Positive emotions +2]
A hint of 'happiness' and a trace of 'gratitude' emanated from Ren Yuege.
Ren Yuege pouted and said, "Hmph, I'll wash them again. Just wait—tomorrow, I’ll make sure they’re spotless."
Cao Cheng smiled and nodded. "Go for it."
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
