Tianyi Law Firm.
Ma Da was leading his crew in a study session, something they did almost every day. Zhao Tianyi had fully embraced his role as their instructor, vividly lecturing to this group of former troublemakers.
A makeshift mannequin had been placed on the podium as a teaching aid.
"The key to causing injury without permanent damage lies in the angle and force of the strike when wielding a blade..."
"Let me give you some real-life examples to help you better understand what counts as self-defense..."
"The law relies on evidence—collecting it is crucial. Solid evidence keeps you untouchable. There’s an art to gathering evidence in your favor, like using cameras. The technique and angles matter..."
"..."
The more Zhao Tianyi spoke, the more exhilarated he became. Who knew teaching like this would give him such a thrill?
Was this the satisfaction of steering these streetwise men onto the right path?
Ma Da and his crew listened intently. Though note-taking wasn’t allowed, they committed every detail to memory.
"So that’s how fights can be handled? Eye-opening!"
"Never knew the law could be this useful. Makes me wanna become a lawyer now!"
"..."
But halfway through the session, Ma Da’s phone suddenly rang.
The moment he answered, his expression darkened, and he shot to his feet with a slam.
"What? Someone’s messing with the Young Miss? They’ve got a death wish!"
"I’m heading over with the crew."
The moment the others heard Ma Da’s words, they all stood up in unison, demanding to know what was happening.
"Brother Ma, what’s going on? Who dares touch the Young Miss?"
"Brother Ma...!"
Ma Da didn’t have time to explain. He barked, "Call everyone! Gather the troops!!"
Though he hadn’t known the Young Miss for long, after all their time together, he’d grown to deeply respect her.
Her intelligence, her methods, and the genuine care she showed them—it all moved him.
The fact that they’d gone from being down-and-out strays to building influence and making money was largely thanks to her. And she’d never been stingy, always generous with them.
Ma Da had long decided he’d follow her indefinitely.
Now, someone dared lay a hand on her? Unforgivable.
If anything happened to her, not only would he never forgive himself—he wouldn’t be able to face their late boss in the afterlife either.
"Move, move, MOVE!" Ma Da roared.
His crew erupted into chaos—some making calls, others blasting messages in group chats.
In an instant, the usually sluggish streets of Wushui County boiled over like a pot of water hitting its peak.
Across the county, from internet cafés to pool halls, from fishmongers to diners to those still asleep—hordes of street toughs in yellow-dyed hair mobilized, converging on a single location.
The county wasn’t big to begin with. With over a hundred of these roughnecks gathering, the impact was staggering.
Pedestrians scrambled out of the way, desperate to avoid trouble.
"Who are these guys? Why’s there so many of them? They look like they’re out for blood—some kind of revenge?"
"Is something major about to go down in our county?"
"..."
Outside the KTV, chaos reigned upstairs.
Downstairs, a few lookouts kept watch by the entrance, scanning for reinforcements while staying alert for any cops to warn the others.
They didn’t think a few nobodies could hold out against the dozens already upstairs—they had the numbers, after all.
Little did they know, those dozens were being hammered from both ends by two men, forced into retreat.
After dropping four or five guys, Yun Cheng’s gaze locked onto the man in the white shirt ahead.
That man noticed Yun Cheng’s stare at the same time—their eyes met.
Neither spoke, but their strikes grew fiercer, as if each wanted to prove who could take down more thugs.
"Hold the line! HOLD IT!" Crazy Dog Brother stumbled out of the private room, clutching his bleeding head. He’d thought calling in so many guys would guarantee they’d overpower the man in white.
Instead, the scene before him was nothing like he’d imagined.
It almost felt like a sick joke—his thirty or forty men were being "surrounded" by two people.
But reality didn’t lie. The KTV’s long hallway design meant numbers didn’t matter—only those at either end could engage Chu Yang and Yun Cheng, drastically reducing the pressure.
And then Crazy Dog Brother watched, dumbstruck, as his men fell like wheat to a scythe.
About twenty minutes later, Chu Yang and Yun Cheng met in the middle of the hallway. By then, the corridor was littered with bodies lying haphazardly everywhere, a complete mess.
"You're not bad—took down twelve," Chu Yang remarked.
"Same to you. You also took down twelve," Yun Cheng replied.
"So it's a draw?"
"A draw."
The two bantered back and forth, completely ignoring the thugs still present.
Crazy Dog Brother was hopping mad. "Useless! Every last one of you is useless!"
Before he could finish cursing, a green beer bottle suddenly appeared in front of his face.
"Whoa! Where'd you get such a huge beer bottle?"
Without hesitation, Liu Yutong smashed it over Crazy Dog Brother’s head, sending him crashing to the ground, howling in pain.
"Young Mistress!" Yun Cheng rushed to Liu Yutong’s side. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Liu Yutong said, aware they needed to leave quickly. "Get my classmates out of here first."
Yun Cheng nodded and immediately went to gather everyone from the private room.
Soon, Lin Bin and the others stumbled out, supporting each other. Their eyes widened at the sight of the corridor filled with knocked-out gangsters. They had no idea who had dealt with the attackers earlier—while the boys had been injured, the girls had been busy tending to them inside the room.
Had all this really happened in such a short time?
But there was no time to dwell on it. The priority was to get away from this dangerous place and head to the hospital for treatment.
After escorting them downstairs, Yun Cheng turned to Chu Yang, who hadn’t left yet. "Coming with us?"
He now respected Chu Yang’s strength and was worried about him staying behind. No matter how skilled someone was, if the gangsters called in reinforcements, even the best fighter would go down.
Chu Yang wasn’t foolish either. He knew exactly who he had crossed and nodded, joining them as they left.
Once outside, it seemed almost surreal—none of the usual three-wheeled taxis stopped when hailed. Instead, they sped away as if fleeing from a monster.
With no other choice, Liu Yutong instructed her classmates to walk to the county’s secondary hospital further down the road—a less-equipped facility but better than nothing.
After they left, Chu Yang said, "Don’t worry about me. I can get home on my own."
Liu Yutong, aware of his capabilities, nodded and prepared to leave with Yun Cheng and Yu Xin.
But they had barely taken a few steps when several cars screeched to a halt. Over twenty gangsters armed with various weapons blocked their path.
At the same time, the thugs from the KTV upstairs—those who had only suffered minor injuries—recovered and came charging down, weapons in hand.
In moments, more than fifty armed gangsters surrounded the four of them, sealing off any escape.
