Chapter 38: Striking Straight at the Heart (Part One)

“Master, wait for me, I want to go with you too!” the Enchanting Cat mewed in her soft, childish voice. “I can help!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xian paused, his eyes flickering with thought before he replied, “Very well, you may come with me.”

Meow~~~

Delighted to have her master’s permission, the Enchanting Cat let out a joyful cry. After urging the three stray cats to continue their cultivation, she sprang lightly with her hind legs, her petite body landing in Chen Xian’s arms like a ball of black cotton.

Holding the Enchanting Cat, Chen Xian strode forward, sensing the location of 002. As he walked briskly toward the entrance of the residential complex, he pulled out his phone to call a ride.

In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared from the sight of the three stray cats. The Enchanting Cat, her sapphire-like eyes wide with curiosity, gazed up at her master.

“Master seems so terrifying now—just who could have provoked him?” she wondered to herself.

When Chen Xian reached the entrance of the complex, the ride he had booked arrived just in time. He settled into the front passenger seat with the Enchanting Cat in his arms and instructed the driver to head straight for the North City Complex at the fastest possible speed.

From 002, he’d learned that the assassin named Vulture was also speeding toward the North City Complex.

Chen Xian was deeply anxious; he could not allow anything to happen to his parents or his younger sister!

Fortunately, the information relayed by 002 indicated that Vulture’s route to the North City Complex was longer than his own. Even so, Chen Xian dared not be careless, repeatedly urging the driver to go faster. He even increased the driver’s fee by a hundredfold, turning a hundred-yuan fare into ten thousand.

Money makes the world go round. Tempted by such a hefty sum, the driver slammed the accelerator to the floor, the engine roaring as the car shot forward like an arrow from a bow.

Meanwhile, Chen Xian’s mind raced:

“Who exactly is this Mister Ma, and why does he want me dead?”
“This Mister Ma is most likely the true owner behind the Guangnan Casino. Only the real master of Guangnan Casino would spend twenty million to put a price on my head. After all, I stole nearly six hundred million in cash from them and knocked out all their bodyguards, including that so-called Seventh Young Master.”

Chen Xian’s suspicions were entirely correct.

“No matter who they are, if they want my life and dare to threaten my family, I’ll make sure they die for it!” Chen Xian vowed through gritted teeth, a ferocity in his eyes the likes of which he had never known before.

Even a cornered rabbit will bite.

But Chen Xian was no rabbit—he was a tiger in hiding. Force him to bare his claws, and there would be blood.

…

In the heart of M City, atop a towering skyscraper, stood a vast and luxurious office spanning hundreds of square meters. There, at the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, Ma Tian, head of the Ma family, gazed out at the sea of city lights, his expression grim.

He had just received word that two of the three top assassins he had hired at a cost of sixty million—Black Snake and Poison Wolf—had been caught by the police. Only Vulture remained, who had managed to escape and was now rushing toward the North City Complex.

At first, Ma Tian had believed that three assassins, each capable of hunting down a peak-strength martial artist, would be more than enough to kill Chen Xian. For that reason, he had not intended to target Chen Xian’s family, as such actions, if word spread in the martial arts world, would bring only shame.

He had not expected the operation to fail, losing two assassins in the process.

Now, Ma Tian could no longer afford to care about appearances. The family patriarch had issued a death order: Chen Xian must die.

He had to seize Chen Xian’s greatest weakness—his family—and use them as leverage.

“I hope Vulture brings me good news,” Ma Tian murmured, rubbing his brow with a sigh.

Lately, the Ma family’s fortunes had been bleak. Their casinos, a prime source of income, had come under police scrutiny: Guangnan Casino was shut down, Ma Tian’s beloved son was arrested, and the other two casinos had also closed temporarily to avoid the storm.

The casino business accounted for half the family’s total revenue, and Ma Tian managed it personally. The family also dabbled in real estate, entertainment, and health products, which together made up the other half of their income—real estate being the lion’s share at thirty-five percent, entertainment five, and health products ten.

Recently, the family’s real estate ventures were being suppressed by a rival martial clan, the He family, causing a noticeable downturn in performance. If not managed well, their income could plummet.

Entertainment and factory businesses remained stable, but these were minor branches.

It was no exaggeration to say this was an unlucky year for the Ma family.

As head of the family, Ma Tian bore immense pressure. Many within the clan were already openly dissatisfied with his perceived incompetence.

If he failed to complete the mission handed down by the patriarch, he might not be able to hold onto his position as family head much longer.

…

At the entrance to the North City Complex, a private car sped in and screeched to a halt beneath a large tree. The door opened, and a man stepped out, his bloodstained clothes and the black rectangular case slung on his back hinting at his trade. His eyes were sharp as blades, his whole presence exuding a chilling murderous aura.

Under the dim glow of the streetlamp, he looked every inch the remorseless killer.

This was Vulture. He cast a cold glance at the blood-dripping trunk, a cruel smile tugging at his lips.

Retracting his gaze, Vulture turned toward the old North City Complex, ready to move forward.

“There’s a road to heaven, yet you refuse to walk it; there’s no door to hell, yet you insist on barging in!”

Just then, a voice as icy as death rang out from behind him, so cold that even the air seemed to freeze. Even Vulture, who had killed without blinking, could not suppress a shiver.

He turned to see a young man with a crew cut staring directly at him. Those eyes were cold beyond words, as if Death itself were gazing upon him.

“It’s you!” Vulture could not hide the terror in his voice.

Without hesitation, he turned to flee, abandoning any thought of capturing Chen Xian’s family.

But the young man with the crew cut—Chen Xian—would never let Vulture escape. In a flash, he appeared behind the assassin, struck him with a swift chop to the neck, and knocked him out.

Chen Xian then searched Vulture and found his phone, sending a message to the police: “At the entrance of North City Complex, a ride-share driver has been murdered!”

After handling this, he hoisted Vulture over his shoulder and, avoiding every security camera, raced at incredible speed toward the deserted demolition zone nearby.

As for the safety of his parents and sister, Chen Xian was momentarily at ease. He had already checked on them and found them safe. He did not disturb their rest, but quietly left the Enchanting Cat behind to protect them.

If anyone tried to kidnap his parents or sister, Chen Xian was certain that with the Enchanting Cat there, no villain would succeed. Her powers of enchantment were formidable—more than enough to deal with any martial artist below the master level.

Soon, Chen Xian arrived at the depths of the abandoned neighborhood and threw Vulture to the ground. Using his mind’s power, he jolted the assassin awake…

Half an hour later.

At Chen Xian’s feet lay a cold corpse—Vulture’s.

After extracting the information he wanted from the killer, Chen Xian annihilated his mind, ending his life.

The lurking tiger had finally unsheathed its fangs for the first time.

This was Chen Xian’s first kill.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

“To walk the path of spiritual cultivation means embracing the way of the blade—I must learn to adapt,” Chen Xian told himself quietly.

Then, with a thought, he activated the storage ring on his little finger. A ghostly light shimmered, forming a vortex that quickly swallowed the killer’s corpse.