Chapter 2: Supporting a Brother? Not Happening!
At the entrance of Jinhuang KTV, Zhao Xiao, whose attempt at heroic intervention had been cut short, hesitated briefly, then withdrew the foot he had just stepped out of the car with. He patted the back of the driver’s seat, and the black sedan quickly disappeared into the night.
As for Bai Ruyue’s friends—the background characters of this novel—they had already scattered like frightened birds.
On the other side, Lin Zhifeng, still holding onto Bai Ruyue and sprinting, stopped abruptly at just the right moment, skidding to a halt. She waved casually at the bewildered Bai Ruyue.
“You should head home now. I’ve got something to do.”
She still had to go enjoy the show—watching her dear old dad get beaten up!
“Zhaodi is so cool! A master hiding right by my side!” Bai Ruyue looked at her retreating figure, eyes sparkling with admiration.
Lin Zhifeng ran all the way back to the alley beside the KTV. Just in time—Xie Yaozu had just walked out, holding his phone and negotiating something.
“No way, not a cent less than 120,000! Gotta go with a lucky number!”
Lin Zhifeng frowned. Given Xie Yaozu’s stingy, petty nature, he wasn’t even fit to talk about a 12-yuan deal—what could he be selling that was worth 120,000? A bad feeling stirred in her gut.
‘Don’t tell me… he’s trying to sell me?’
“She’s eighteen now! My own kid—I’d know! I’m drinking with Brother Qiang right now, give me a call once it’s finalized. That fool’s family won’t stiff us, right? Good, then it’s settled.”
Rage surged in Lin Zhifeng’s chest—he really was trying to sell his daughter!
Just then, a group of bruised and battered thugs trailed behind a burly man wearing a gold chain, accompanied by nine unfamiliar gang members, heading their way from a distance.
Xie Yaozu glanced at them and muttered gloatingly, “Someone’s about to have a bad day,” before turning and walking back toward the private room.
Lin Zhifeng quickly summoned the system. “Give me ten memory-altering talismans.”
The system hesitated. “Host, you must first complete something deserving of a reward to exchange for items in the shop. We already made an exception last time…”
“…Hmm?”
The shop was hidden pretty deep—if she tried to force her way in, it could collapse. Best to just threaten the system instead.
The system trembled as it sensed Lin Zhifeng’s powerful divine soul.
Ding—
“Detected host’s heroic act of saving the damsel in distress. Reward: 10 memory-modifying talismans. Please accept.”
Well, that was kind of ceremonial. Lin Zhifeng reached out and caught the talismans. With a wave of divine power, the golden talismans whoosh whoosh whoosh slapped themselves onto the backs of the battered thugs.
A flash of golden light—visible only to her—flickered across them. Confused expressions passed over the faces of the ten men. The memory of the petite girl who had beaten them to a pulp had now been replaced by a scrawny, buzz-cut man.
Wait… wasn’t that the guy they’d just seen outside the KTV on the phone?
“Big Bro! I saw him go into that private room!”
“Let’s go drag him out!”
Watching them head straight into Jinhuang KTV, Lin Zhifeng’s smile turned wicked. But then, a sudden wave of fatigue swept over her body. Noticing her confusion, the system quickly explained:
“Host’s divine soul is too powerful—if deeply embedded in a novel world, it may destabilize and cause collapse. Excessive usage of divine power will trigger physical strain in the host body. Eight hours of deep sleep is required for recovery.”
So that’s what happened. No wonder last time she nearly wrecked an entire novel world when she entered it with her full soul power.
Her nine divine soul fragments were essentially her “true body.” Now that her divine soul resided in a mortal shell, of course there would be side effects.
“Got it. I’ll use my power sparingly,” she replied.
…
Private Room A06, five middle-aged men were lounging comfortably, each draped in the arms of flirtatious hostesses, their faces flushed from drink and pleasure.
Xie Yaozu had one arm around a pale, slender waist, and the other gripping a karaoke mic, crooning with his raspy duck voice in an attempt to flatter the chubby man in the floral shirt sitting nearby.
“Big Brother Qiang! Thanks for treating your little brother to drinks and meat tonight! Once I make it big, I’ll never forget you!”
Brother Qiang was a well-known local fixer—greasing palms and connecting shady deals for a living, with a notorious reputation. Hearing Xie Yaozu’s flattery, he curled his lip in disdain and waved impatiently.
“Talk to me again when you’ve actually pulled it off.”
Bang—
The private room door was suddenly kicked open. The burly man with a gold chain led nineteen men inside in single file, all with fierce expressions. He swept a sharp glance across the room, spotted the stunned Xie Yaozu, and knew they had the right room.
“Drag him out!”
Brother Qiang recognized the gold-chained thug as a notorious local hoodlum. Naturally, he wasn’t about to stick his neck out for Xie Yaozu. So, without batting an eye, he cued up a karaoke song—“My Good Brother”—and belted it out loudly, letting them haul Xie Yaozu out without interference.
Xie Yaozu, looking like a castrated rooster, turned even paler.
“Big brothers, maybe there’s been some kind of misunderstanding?”
The gold-chained man didn’t respond, only motioned for his men to haul Xie Yaozu out. Once they dragged him into the dark alley, they skipped over the usual cursing and went straight to the beatdown.
Hiding at the other end of the alley, Lin Zhifeng watched as countless shiny leather shoes ruthlessly stomped down on Xie Yaozu’s face and body. Every time a kick landed, Xie Yaozu let out a shrill cry of pain.
Brutal. Satisfying.
“Serves you right!” Lin Zhifeng felt a deep sense of joy—beating up a demon lord hadn’t even felt this good.
“Aiyo, he’s gonna die! Brothers, stop beating him already!”
Xie Yaozu’s vision spun, stars dancing before his eyes. His already dim-witted brain completely short-circuited. As three teeth flew out of his mouth, he cried out in fear.
“Big brothers, I’ve got money! I’ll give it all to you!”
The gold-chained thug, who had been smoking on the sidelines, heard the word money and suddenly lost a bit of interest in seeking revenge. He raised a hand to stop the beatdown and barked righteously:
“Money? You think you can buy me off that easily?”
Even an idiot like Xie Yaozu could hear the subtext: bribery is acceptable—but only for the right price.
Clutching his sunken cheek and drooling blood, he mumbled a desperate plea.
“I’ll give you twenty thousand. Please stop hitting me!”
“Twenty thousand?” The gold-chained man exchanged a look with his lackeys, who—clearly well-trained—immediately ceased their assault. After all, revenge was one thing, but money was always more important.
Xie Yaozu was seething with hatred inside, but he was terrified they might beat him to death. In a moment of panic, he threw out money he hadn’t even gotten yet as a bargaining chip. Of course, he was still a little cautious—not stupid enough to blurt out the full 120,000 yuan.
Seeing the gold-chained man visibly tempted, he immediately regretted it—but he didn’t dare show it. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to keep up the act.
“As long as you let me off, Big Brother, anything’s negotiable.”
The gold-chained man squatted down and gave him a good look, calculating quickly.
He’d heard of Xie Yaozu before—the guy had moved to the city with his family from some village, had no real background, lived off the wages his woman earned cooking at construction sites, and lazed around all day. Recently, for some reason, he’d gotten in with Brother Qiang.
Now, anyone who got involved with Brother Qiang was definitely up to something profitable. For this scrawny rooster to throw out twenty thousand without hesitation? He was definitely holding back.
“Prepare thirty thousand. I’ll give you one month. If I don’t see the money by the end of August…”
The gold-chained man cracked his knuckles with two crisp clicks, scaring Xie Yaozu into shrinking back like a whipped dog, his face smeared with tears and snot.
“Let’s go!” the gold-chained man waved, and the thugs stepped over Xie Yaozu one by one. A few, still unsatisfied, took the chance to sneak in a few more stomps.
Five minutes after they left, Xie Yaozu finally slumped to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood. He sobbed and howled over the money he’d just lost before even getting his hands on it, and with trembling fingers, pulled out his phone to call an ambulance.
Lin Zhifeng watched him sob and whimper for a while, taking in his utterly pathetic state, then sighed to herself, “So it’s true—an adult’s breakdown really does happen in just one instant.”
With that, she turned and calmly made her way back to the Xie household.
