Chapter 113: The Seven Killings!

Chapter 113: Seven Kills!

"A man never frets over his own body; even in death, he greets his adversary with a smile. Whether on the field of vengeance or the field of battle, I wish to nourish the wild grass with my blood wherever I fall."

Before You Mu could react, the giant standing six-foot-five clapped his hands in approval and roared, "That has spirit!"

He then turned to You Mu and said, "Cripple, this opponent of yours is very much to my liking. I spend my days fighting and brawling; I’ve heard and uttered more threats than I can count, but none of them hold as much punch as that simple phrase, 'This is an order.' For the sake of that line alone, you have to do me a favor today and declare a temporary truce with this guy."

He fixed his bell-like eyes on Tang Zhong and asked, "What should I call you?"

"Tang Zhong," Tang Zhong replied. "Tang as in the Tang Dynasty, Zhong as in weight."

"Gongsun Jian," the giant introduced himself. "Gong as in duke, Sun as in grandson. I’ve always pondered whether my ancestors chose these characters for my surname to remind us that we must learn how to be the master and how to be the servant. My given name is just Jian—the Jian of Wang Jian."

"That is a rare surname."

"It’s the only thing about it I’m proud of," Gongsun Jian said.

"Those who know how to be both the master and the servant are the wisest people in the world," Tang Zhong said with a smile.

Though he didn't know Gongsun Jian’s background, the fact that he could speak to You Mu this way without provoking his ire proved he was no simple character.

"Heh. But I only like being the master, not the servant," Gongsun Jian said frankly. "Being the master is my nature; being the servant is just a matter of convenience."

"I’m the same as you," Tang Zhong said. To be a servant before a master and a master before a servant—that is human nature.

Gongsun Jian pointed at Tang Zhong and said, "I like you."

"..." Tang Zhong truly couldn't bring himself to say the same.

You Mu watched the two of them chatting and laughing without feeling that anything was amiss. He understood Gongsun Jian’s character; the man was even more stubborn than he was. Once he set his mind on something, not even nine oxen could drag him back.

Besides, sharing food and drink with someone didn't make them friends. Even if Gongsun Jian walked closely with him, they remained enemies.

You Mu thought about it seriously and concluded that Gongsun Jian was a freak who flipped his attitude faster than a book.

He finally took a step forward, hopped off the wooden bridge, and stood before Tang Zhong. "I hope you live to see the day you fulfill your promise."

"I am not like you," Tang Zhong said earnestly. "I keep my word."

You Mu sneered and limped away toward the stone corridor by the banks of Mingli Lake.

Other students seeing him would only think of him as an ugly cripple, never suspecting the tremendous energy that resided within that broken body.

"Let’s drink together when we get the chance," Gongsun Jian said to Tang Zhong before following after him.

Tang Zhong watched the tall and short pair walk away for a few seconds before stepping onto the wooden bridge and heading toward the bamboo pavilion in the center of the lake.

She wore a light-gray, tassel-hemmed dress that reached her ankles, covered by a cream-white tasseled knit cardigan. She had on a pair of washed-out canvas shoes and a small black bowler hat on her head. Her style sat somewhere between casual and formal—unassuming, yet stunning.

Tang Zhong thought that she wasn't stunning because of the clothes; rather, the clothes were stunning because they were worn by her.

"Clothes make the man," the saying went. That was true, but clothes also needed the person to bring them to life. If someone like You Mu wore such gorgeous clothes, it would be a complete waste. Tang Zhong felt he was being too selfish—how could he use You Mu for such a comparison? He was ugly, but not quite *that* monstrous.

Speaking ill of others behind their backs is not the way of a gentleman. Class. Have some class.

She stood with her back to Tang Zhong, holding a green bamboo rod with a red string tied to it, fishing.

Just like the first time they met, a small yellow flower was tied to the end of the red string. A few fish chased the flower, occasionally bumping it out of the water.

She wasn't fishing; she was playing with the fish.

She didn't speak, and neither did Tang Zhong.

One fished with focus, the other watched with fascination.

After a long while, perhaps tired, she finally lifted the flower out of the Mingli Lake water. To his surprise, a greedy little fish was still biting the flower stem, refusing to let go. With her lift, the fish was pulled into the air.

"Greedy," the woman laughed softly. She gently flicked the rod, the red string swayed, and the fish fell back into the water.

*Splash.*

It sank, then surfaced again.

It still seemed reluctant to leave, blowing bubbles at the yellow flower hanging in mid-air.

"Why aren't you speaking?" Su Shan asked.

"You weren't speaking either," Tang Zhong replied.

"I was fishing."

"I was watching you fish."

"You know I won't catch anything." Su Shan smiled.

"But you caught one anyway," Tang Zhong smiled back.

Su Shan put the rod away in the corner of the pavilion, sat down with her hands gently smoothing her skirt, and looked at Tang Zhong. "What do you want to know?"

"What can you tell me?" Tang Zhong countered.

"Girls don't like men who speak in riddles," Su Shan said.

"That only applies to ordinary girls."

Su Shan pursed her lips and smiled, revealing two pretty dimples.

Tang Zhong was dazzled.

From a man’s perspective, every look and smile of this woman was extremely alluring. It wasn't affected; it came from the heart, natural and spontaneous. Just as the morning sun has light, as flowers have fragrance, as autumn maples have their deep red, and winter snow its chill—her beauty reached such an ultimate peak.

"The greatest beauty of Mingzhu University," Tang Zhong thought. She was certainly worthy of the title.

"Girls love to hear flattery," Su Shan said calmly. "You’ve already met You Mu—the genius madman of the You family. He was born this way, so his psyche is different from ordinary people. He never appeared in public before the age of twelve; few even knew the You family had such a person."

"A sudden rise to fame?" Tang Zhong asked.

"More than just fame," Su Shan said, her expression serious. She held respect for those who were excellent, whether they were friend or foe. "He invested one million into the new startup Kesi Technology. Three months later, the shares skyrocketed, and he made a twenty-seven-fold profit. He used that money to speculate in silver, making another fifteen-fold profit half a year later. Then he used those funds to acquire Tianfang Music, along with all its websites and copyrights, and took the company public a year later. His net worth exceeded two billion."

"That is truly astonishing," Tang Zhong said. Such a rate of wealth accumulation rivaled that of legendary figures.

"More importantly, he did all of this without family support. Of course, at the time, the You family never intended to support a disabled child they hoped would never appear in public. From start to finish, the only thing he had was the one-million-yuan startup fund from the family trust."

"He is a pitiful man, too," Tang Zhong sighed.

"Indeed. Perhaps he felt his fate early on, so before the age of twelve, he read everything. Astronomy, geography, politics, economics, philosophy, Buddhism—he studied and mastered them all. More importantly, he was self-taught. He didn't even ask a single teacher for guidance. When one holds such ambition, changing one’s destiny becomes a natural occurrence. Now, the You family treats him like a treasure."

"But—" Tang Zhong pointed to his head. "Why do I always feel like there’s something wrong with him up here?"

In Tang Zhong’s eyes, You Mu was just an arrogant, violent, impulsive, and mindless rich kid.

Su Shan laughed.

"Because of inferiority," Su Shan said. "Everything he did was to hide his innate disability. He hid it because he cared about it too much. Before the age of twelve, other than reading, he barely had any contact with anyone. In other words, he had knowledge but no emotional intelligence; he didn't understand human nature or social norms."

"Since he appeared, he has injured dozens of people and broken the legs of two—one of whom was his own cousin. Because someone mocked him as a 'cripple,' he used a razor to slice open the face of his uncle’s daughter, disfiguring her. The people in the You family gave him a nickname: 'Mad Dog'."

Tang Zhong squinted and smiled. "His life has been truly colorful. How has he not been killed yet?"

"The elder of the You family believes that the hope for the family’s rejuvenation rests on him alone," Su Shan said. "So, you can be hostile to him, but do not underestimate him. Because he is always prepared to drag someone down to hell with him."

"I can tell," Tang Zhong said. "The tough fear the fierce, and the fierce fear those who don't care about their lives. Everyone in your circles is pampered and precious; who would want to roll in the mud and fight to the death with someone like that?"

He paused, then added, "You know him very well?"

"There is jealousy in your words," Su Shan stated as a fact.

"I know I’m not your type," Tang Zhong laughed. "But I also don't want him to be your type."

*What I cannot have, my rival shouldn't have either*—that was Tang Zhong’s thought. What a simple, naive child he was.

Su Shan hesitated.

She wasn't used to explaining herself. She felt she had no reason to explain anything to him.

However, she said, "The Su family and his family are old acquaintances. I was one of the few people he was willing to interact with when he was young."

"I should have guessed that," Tang Zhong said with a smile. "What about Gongsun Jian? I'm curious about him."

"Have you ever heard of 'Seven Kills, Breaking Army, and Greedy Wolf'?" Su Shan asked.

"The 'Sha Po Lang'?" Tang Zhong asked, puzzled. Of course he had heard of it.

The 'Sha Po Lang' first appeared in the I Ching and belonged to the Ziwei Doushu system. In astrology, when the Seven Kills, Greedy Wolf, and Breaking Army stars align in the life palace's three directions and four cardinal points, it forms the 'Sha Po Lang' formation.

The Seven Kills is the thief who disrupts the world; the Breaking Army is the general who conquers the world; the Greedy Wolf is the cunning and treacherous schemer.

Legend has it that once these three stars align, the world will inevitably change hands.

Of course, Tang Zhong scoffed at such rumors.

But what did this have to do with Gongsun Jian?

"He is the Seven Kills," Su Shan said.