Chapter 107: The Inevitable Path

With Yagyu’s provocation, five burly fighters leapt onto the stage at once, each as strong as an ox, one fist equal to Yagyu’s two. Yagyu spun in place, surveying the five challengers before him, then taunted, “What’s this? Just a few scraps coming at me today?”

“Scraps? Today, I’ll show you what real strength is!” one of the fighters snarled. Instantly, all five surged forward in unison to attack Yagyu.

Yagyu swiftly activated his enhanced hearing, attuned to each movement. Despite the fierce onslaught, he suffered no disadvantage. “Impressive! Every punch cuts through the air!” he murmured in admiration.

The fighters muttered among themselves, “Damn! This kid’s got some unnatural skill—he seems to predict our attacks!”

Suddenly, Yagyu smiled. “Enough playtime. Now I’ll show you a real performance.”

The five fighters’ faces darkened with anger as they charged again like wild bulls, crashing across the ring. Yagyu dodged deftly, then seized one man’s arm and, using his momentum, swung him off the ground effortlessly.

“Whoa!” the crowd erupted in astonishment. The boss on the second floor, who had been frowning, broke into a smile. “Looks like this kid’s got some real skill! I’m going to make a killing tonight! I’ve hit the jackpot!” he chuckled greedily.

Since the bets had been placed on Yagyu’s defeat, and he was now clearly winning, the boss had raked in a fortune. Yagyu’s prowess was undeniable; the last match would surely be a bet on him—though the fix was for him to lose.

In the ring, Yagyu spun with the captured man as the fulcrum—a massive man weighing over two hundred pounds—whirling him around before hurling him out. The flung fighter crashed into the remaining four, and all five tumbled out of the ring simultaneously.

One of the fighters waiting upstairs cursed, “Damn! If it weren’t for the fix today, I’d never face this monster!”

“I said all of you, come on up! I don’t have time to play games with you!” Yagyu shouted again.

The crowd below, who had all thought Yagyu would lose and had bet accordingly, now began to weep, realizing they had lost everything.

As Yagyu bellowed, over a dozen fighters jumped onto the stage, surrounding him. Yagyu glanced toward the last fighter upstairs and made an obscene international gesture.

The fighter on the second floor glared but remained silent, knowing Yagyu’s strength and fearing that crossing him further would only bring worse trouble in the final match.

Faced with ten fighters, Yagyu no longer hesitated; he leapt forward, striking one with an elbow that sent him crashing to the floor. Then he adopted Muay Thai moves inspired by Adatai and counterattacked.

“That kid knows Muay Thai! A true martial prodigy!” the boss on the second floor shouted excitedly, confident that with Yagyu and his influence, money would flow into his pockets for years to come.

One by one, Yagyu felled the fighters with single blows. None could evade or land a second hit. Once the defeated were carried away, Yagyu waved to the fighter upstairs, signaling him to come down and face his fate.

The announcer grabbed the microphone. “The final match is about to begin—our fighter against the renowned champion, Arlie. Place your bets quickly, the fight starts soon!”

As expected, the crowd, having witnessed Yagyu’s fierce display, eagerly bet everything on his victory. The second-floor boss smiled broadly, muttering, “Fortune is mine! Fortune!”

When Arlie stepped onto the stage and approached Yagyu, he whispered, “Just put on a show. Follow my lead. When I nod, pretend to let me knock you down. Then we’ll both make a fortune.”

Yagyu nodded, and Arlie stood opposite him, waiting for the signal. Before Arlie could react, Yagyu spun and kicked him off the stage.

Arlie crashed to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth. The move was so swift the audience barely registered it, then erupted into cheers. The boss, hoping for a Yagyu loss, had raised the odds to historic highs—but Yagyu had ended it with a single kick.

The boss upstairs, watching Arlie spew blood, clenched his fists in anger and gestured a throat-slitting sign to three henchmen behind him. They understood immediately, nodded, and left the second floor to lie in wait for Yagyu on his way home.

After the crowd dispersed happily, Yagyu entered the second-floor office. The boss eyed him warily, knowing Yagyu’s strength and intending to coax him away so the henchmen could ambush him.

Before the boss could speak, Yagyu seized his neck, pinning him to the floor. “I’m here to avenge my brother!” he growled.

Yagyu unleashed a furious assault, finally suspending the boss from a hook in his own office, blood dripping onto the floor.

“You’ll die a miserable death!” the boss hissed with a sinister grin.

Yagyu ignored the threats, producing an authority card. “You recognize this, don’t you?”

The boss stared dumbfounded at the card, swallowing hard. “You’re with Huayong?”

“Don’t let this place operate again. If it does, end yourself,” Yagyu warned before leaving.

Still hanging, the boss snarled, “If I die, I’ll take you with me!”

Outside, Yagyu sensed the henchmen lying in wait but didn’t know their exact location. He knew they had guns and was extra cautious, wary of being killed by an unseen bullet. As the saying goes, an open weapon is easy to avoid, but a hidden arrow is deadly.

No sooner had Yagyu activated his enhanced hearing than he heard a gun being cocked. He froze time instantly.

Using the pause, he pinpointed the three men’s positions, darted to them, and snatched their guns before resuming time.

The three, battle-hardened but never having witnessed such an uncanny feat, were stunned to see Yagyu suddenly before them, holding their weapons.

Yagyu pointed a gun at them, commanding softly, “Kneel.”

At first, they refused. Yagyu vanished and reappeared beside them, repeating, “Kneel!”

Terrified, they dropped to their knees, trembling. “Brother, we were just following orders. Spare us, please.”

Yagyu’s heart softened; he considered letting them go. But having revealed his powers to them for survival, he knew they couldn’t be allowed to spread the secret. His life depended on their silence.

He raised the gun, aiming at one man. Sweat poured down his face, breath shallow, hand trembling uncontrollably.

Biting his lip, he resolved to fire but lacked the strength. His hand dropped the gun.

The targeted man saw this and bolted, but Yagyu raised the gun again.

Bang!

The man collapsed, blood gushing from a bullet hole through the back of his skull.

Yagyu shuddered violently, staggering backward, legs shaking uncontrollably. He stared wide-eyed at the lifeless body, unable to believe he had just killed someone, as if trapped in a nightmare.

The other two henchmen, seeing his fear, whispered, “He’s scared! Let’s fight; it’s our only chance to survive!”

They rose and charged. Overcome by panic and tension, Yagyu instinctively raised the gun.

Bang! Bang!

Two shots struck the men squarely between the eyes.

Yagyu dropped the gun and collapsed, trembling uncontrollably.

The underground fighting arena was deep in a remote mountain range, so no one heard the gunfire.

After a long time, Yagyu, regaining composure, pulled out his phone and called Steward Jin.

“Yagyu, calling so late—are you in serious trouble?”

“I... I... I killed someone!” Yagyu stammered in fear.

“Address?”

“South of the Chong City Underground Fighting Arena.”

“Good. Leave the weapon at the scene. I’ll send people to handle it.”

“Master Jin, will I be okay?”

“To do great things, this path is inevitable. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

After hanging up, Yagyu grabbed two more guns and rushed from the scene, sprinting toward the hospital, his mind haunted by the image of the three men he had killed. The more terrified he became, the faster he ran.

At Ren Xiadong’s bedside, Tian Yun asked the flustered Yagyu, “What’s wrong? Why so nervous?”

Yagyu was still visibly shaken, eyes wide, body trembling, gasping for breath.

Ren Xiadong noticed Yagyu’s right hand twitching as if still holding a gun and quickly told Tian Yun, “Go downstairs to the 24-hour convenience store and buy two bottles of cola—Yagyu likes it. He must be exhausted from running.”

After Tian Yun left, Ren Xiadong whispered, “Did you kill someone?”

Yagyu nodded.

Ren Xiadong’s body visibly shivered, then said softly, “You said this is the path we must take; sooner or later, this day would come—it’s inevitable.”

Yagyu stood frozen. Ren Xiadong continued, “I can tell by your heavy breathing you’re scared. You’re not just tired from running; it’s something deeper. Also, I told Tian Yun that we’re starting a business together, so things will get busy. It’s a white lie to keep her from worrying.”

When Tian Yun returned, Yagyu drank a bottle of cola in one gulp but remained tense.

“Go home and rest well. You didn’t sleep all night; you have classes all day. Rest up. I’ll be discharged tomorrow; don’t worry about me.”

Hearing this, Yagyu left the hospital, mind blank and disoriented—he couldn’t recall who he was or where he was.

Unconsciously, he returned home. Upon entering his room, he found someone lying on the bed and instinctively drew his gun, nerves on edge.

“Yagyu, you’re back? What are you doing?” Tang Xin, awakened by the noise, asked.