Chapter 3: Whoever dares to harm my family will never be forgiven, not even in death.

With a sharp crack, Su Meng collapsed to the ground.

“Meng’er!”

Seeing his daughter struck down, Su Zhenguo cried out and rushed over, helping her to her feet. A vivid handprint had blossomed across Su Meng’s delicate face, and a trickle of blood stained the corner of her lips. Having not eaten all day, she was already weak and listless; now, after a blow to the face, her senses reeled, and she was barely conscious.

Witnessing his daughter in such a state, rage surged within Su Zhenguo. “All of you, attack! Kill them!”

“Yes, sir!”

The four Su family guards behind him received the order and charged in unison toward the crew of burly, yellow-haired thugs.

“Hold it! Let me stretch my muscles a bit,” the yellow-haired brute barked, halting his own lackeys with a wave of his hand as they grew restless behind him.

He rolled his neck, vertebrae crackling audibly, and watched the four guards barrel toward him. At his moment, he threw a punch.

Bang!

The leading Su family guard took the blow head-on, sent flying before collapsing in a motionless heap.

“Damn, that feels good!” the brute roared with a savage grin, swinging again.

Bang!

Another guard was knocked off his feet, tumbling through the air.

The remaining two guards, alarmed by the quick defeat of their fellows, exchanged grim looks and split to attack from both sides, hoping to surround him.

But the brute remained unruffled, even as the pair closed in. He leapt forward—thud, thud—landing two kicks in rapid succession. The guards had no time to react; both were struck hard in the chest and sent flying.

In less than a minute, all four guards were sprawled unconscious on the ground.

“Hahaha! Tell me, Master Su, your family claims to be a third-rate clan, but all you have are these pathetic weaklings?” The yellow-haired brute couldn’t hold back his mocking laughter as he gazed down at the fallen men. The thugs behind him erupted into laughter, showing no respect for the Su family at all.

“Meng’er, my child, what happened to you?!”

At that moment, Su Zhenguo’s wife, Zhang Hong, rushed out from the mourning hall. Seeing her daughter barely conscious, she hurried over in panic.

Su Zhenguo handed his daughter to his wife, then turned to face the yellow-haired brute and his gang. “Green Dragon Society, you’ve gone too far!”

“Too far?” The brute spread his arms and broke into raucous laughter, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. “We are going too far! What are you going to do about it? If you’ve got the guts, come and bite me!” He craned his neck forward in open provocation.

“You…” Su Zhenguo’s fists clenched; he nearly stepped forward, but reason quickly held him back. He couldn’t afford to be reckless. He was only an ordinary businessman, and his opponent was a genuine martial artist. Even if the brute stood still, he might not be able to harm him. The disparity was too great.

Worse yet, he had a family to protect. He couldn’t risk their safety over a moment of anger.

The brute, head still thrust forward, waited for a response. When none came, he scoffed, “So this is the famous Su family? What a bunch of cowards.”

Enduring the insults, Su Zhenguo’s fists trembled as he answered in a low, steady voice, “If my father were still alive, you wouldn’t dare act this way.”

The brute spat on the ground. “You’re not wrong. But so what? Your old man is dead. What can you do to me now? I’ll give you one last chance: hand over the goods, or I’ll take your wife and daughter right before your eyes.”

His gaze slid past Su Zhenguo to where Zhang Hong and her daughter stood.

Su Zhenguo immediately spread his arms to shield his wife and daughter. “Try it, and I’ll call the police!”

It was all he had left—a threat, desperate, hoping it would work.

But it was futile.

At the mention of the police, the brute only laughed harder. “Go ahead, call them. How many of your family have died already? If the police could help, would things have come to this? Hahahaha…”

The arrogant laughter filled the Su residence.

Seeing his threat fall flat, Su Zhenguo gritted his teeth. “I don’t know what you’re after, and I don’t have it. If you want to touch my family, you’ll have to step over my dead body first!”

He took a resolute step forward, prepared to die.

His son had vanished five years ago. Now, his father was gone. He was the last man left in the family. If anyone wanted to harm them, they’d have to kill him first.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you die so easily,” the brute sneered. “I told you—I’m going to have my fun with them before your very eyes.”

He began to advance.

“Don’t you dare! Wife, take our daughter and run!” Su Zhenguo lunged at the brute, desperate to buy even a moment for his wife and daughter to escape.

But in the next instant—

Smack!

A slap sent Su Zhenguo reeling, his cheek burning. He crashed to the side, dazed.

“Hold him down. I want to show him what happens to loudmouths,” the brute commanded.

Two thugs stepped forward, seizing Su Zhenguo and pinning him to the floor.

“Let me go, you bastards! You’ll pay for this!” Su Zhenguo struggled, but it was useless. He was just a regular man, and these thugs, while not martial artists, were burly and strong—far more than he could handle.

“Zhenguo, you monsters, let him go!” Zhang Hong clung to her dazed daughter, screaming curses at the men humiliating her husband.

“Yes, that’s it, keep cursing…” the brute howled with laughter. “The more you do, the more excited I get. I want you to scream!” He enjoyed the chaos, thriving on their resistance.

“Stay away!” Zhang Hong cried, retreating with Su Meng as the brute closed in.

“Don’t be afraid, I promise I’ll satisfy you both,” the brute sneered, licking his lips with a lecherous gleam in his eye. “I never realized Mrs. Su was so beautiful—over forty and your skin’s still so smooth…”

Horrific images played out in his mind.

Seeing this, Su Zhenguo’s voice broke with anguish. “Don’t touch them! I beg you, don’t hurt them…”

At last, even as the head of the Su family, his composure shattered. Tears streamed down his face.

The brute snorted. “I gave you your chance. Even if you hand over the goods now, I’m still going to have them.” His eyes flicked greedily between the mother and daughter—one breathtakingly beautiful, the other mature and alluring. He had no intention of letting them go.

…

Outside the gates of the Su residence.

Su Yifan returned to the home he hadn’t seen in five years, memories guiding his way. Yet as soon as he arrived, a sense of foreboding gripped him.

What…what is this?

Wreaths lined the entrance, and the ground was littered with funeral paper. Su Yifan froze, stunned. How could this be? He’d only been gone five years. His family had been healthy when he left—what had happened?

His mind reeled, struggling to accept the scene before him.

Suddenly, a woman’s scream pierced the air from within the compound, jolting him from his daze.

That voice—so familiar.

A surge of dread flooded him. Instantly, Su Yifan unleashed his spiritual sense, sweeping through the residence. In a flash, he grasped the entire situation.

What!

If you dare harm my family, not even death can atone for your crimes!