ried about potential fatal consequences.

The hesitant thugs wanted to preserve their lives and avoid jail.

"Swish~" 

A blur of motion later, Yang Feng had disarmed them and kicked them to the ground. Xue Ying, terrified, nearly fainted, but Yang Feng caught her, feeling a sting of pain seeing her so frightened.

With eyes full of murderous intent, Yang Feng glared at Li Tianyou. Moving swiftly, he kneed Li Tianyou to the ground.

"Do you know who I am?" Li Tianyou spat, wiping blood from his mouth. "You'll pay for this!"

"Enough noise!" Yang Feng growled, kicking him across the yard, then carrying Xue Ying and Xiao Hei inside.

"Master! Master!" The remaining thugs scrambled to help Li Tianyou and fled.

Yang Feng laid Xue Ying on the bed, tended to Xiao Hei’s injuries with alcohol and hemostatic medicine, and bandaged him up. Xiao Hei curled up with Xue Ying and fell asleep.

"Good, they ran quickly!" 

In the now-empty yard, Yang Feng's anger subsided. Yet doubts about his newfound strength remained, unsure if this was a blessing or a curse.

Regardless, he resolved to face whatever came his way, leaving it to fate.

Chapter 4: Mutual Affection

"Slap!"

A loud slap echoed out from a luxurious villa in downtown Shanghai. The bodyguards outside felt a wave of fear; they knew their master's temper all too well. Any brothers who failed their tasks or angered the master usually ended up with broken limbs or worse, paying with their lives. They lived in constant trepidation.

"Seven or eight of you couldn't take down one young man. Do you only eat to waste food?" The obese middle-aged man inside the villa bellowed. "Our young master got seriously injured because of you. Each of you leave a finger behind!"

"Please, Master, spare us!" The burly men kneeled, kowtowing. "That guy was fast and strong."

The middle-aged man frowned while the bodyguards took out knives. The thugs were pinned to the ground, and their fingers were chopped off.

"Ah!~"

"Ah!~"

The men screamed in pain, but no one cared for their fates. They were mere expendables.

"Find some skilled brothers from the gang; we must eliminate him," the middle-aged man said. "Whoever dares to harm a member of the Black Tiger Gang must pay."

"Yes, Master!"

The bodyguards, knowing their boss was furious, quickly exited. 

From a back door, a few elaborately dressed women emerged. They were there out of necessity, to support their families. The obese man dragged his bulk toward them, forcing them onto the couch. The scene inside was explicit, an uncomfortable reality for all involved.

The risqué sounds echoed through the courtyard, familiar yet unsettling to the bodyguards.

"Sigh!"

"The boss has ruined so many innocent girls," a young bodyguard whispered. "Times are getting worse."

"Are you

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