I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 971: Chapter 265: The Man Born in a Brothel

His friend was indeed mining for gold in Beimang, but he wasn’t there to strike it rich from panning; instead, he had been kidnapped and forced into labor. In the mines, there was a rule: anyone who could bring in strong men would not only receive extra food and meat, but with enough people, they could even become a foreman, supervising others’ work.

Thus, most of the slaves in the mines had been deceived into coming by their own friends or even relatives. Once they were on the mountain, they could never leave again.

The profligate son had come to Beimang to turn his luck around, full of hope to escape from becoming a slave. Upon his arrival, he immediately thought of plotting with his friend to find a way out, but his friend reported him to the mine owner. He was whipped dozens of times, hung from the mine cliffs for a day and a night, while his friend, for having provided valuable information, was rewarded with extra meat and only needed to lure one more person to be promoted to foreman.

The pampered profligate son had never suffered such hardships, but no matter how loudly he cursed, no one paid him any mind.

Gradually, he became like the others: from cursing to pleading, from pleading to anger, from anger to silence, and finally, he became a miner on the gold mine.

The profligate son ran away, but the debt remained unpaid. Before the gang could come to collect, the son’s elderly parents argued with the Righteous Gang’s enforcers and were thrown into the lotus pond. In the dead of winter, the old couple never surfaced again.

And so, the debt fell upon the pregnant mistress. The woman, heavy with child, sold all the houses and land she owned at a pittance but was still short three thousand gold—a gaping deficit. The gang then targeted the woman, demanding she sell her body to pay off the debt.

The woman vehemently refused, so the gang negotiated, suggesting she give birth to the child and then sell her body, even persuading her that with her beauty, she could pay off the debt in at most half a year.

A year rushed by, the child was born without complications, and the woman discovered that the three thousand gold debt had compounded to ten thousand. But now that the child had been born, how could she leave? What would become of the child?

Helplessly, she gritted her teeth and accepted. Just as the gang had said, the woman was attractive and soon had customers flocking, but the interest on ten thousand gold wasn’t the original sum anymore, and aside from entertaining clients, she also had to care for her child. Within three short years, the once graceful widow had been defiled beyond recognition.

There were no men cruder than the patrons. When the woman was beautiful, they couldn’t wait to visit daily, but once her looks were gone, they detested even a glance.

As the woman lost her beauty, patrons dwindled, and she had to lower her prices to the point where even the manure collectors and beggars could afford her services.

Because she and the child had to survive!

But at such prices, she could hardly pay the interest, let alone the principal. Not long after, the woman fell gravely ill and passed away, leaving behind a six-year-old child.

The Righteous Gang, with a debt note for twenty-seven thousand gold in hand, told the child, “The son must pay for the father’s debts. From today on, your life belongs to the gang!”

Time flew, and after several years, the miners had almost forgotten their own names, yet suddenly, change arrived.

The mighty power was destroyed overnight, and a mysterious force took over the mine. They gathered the numb miners together and, in front of everyone, dismembered the foremen and the mine owner piece by piece. The stench of blood lingered for days.

Yet to all the miners, it was the most fragrant scent; it was the scent of vengeance!noveldrama

The mysterious force became the miners’ savior, offering them a new choice.

“Pledge loyalty to Blood Tower, and Blood Tower will grant you the power to slay your enemies!”

From that day on, the miners became assassins; their hoes turned into arm blades. They no longer needed to recognize which ores contained gold; they only had to learn where the lethal points on a human body were and how to strike for a sure kill.

Their opponents were no longer the ever-collapsible mine tunnels, but living targets, lurking in the dark to spy on others’ secrets, and when necessary, using sleeve swords to slit their targets’ throats.

As blood sprayed out, these miners-turned-assassins felt like they were still alive.

Number Fifty-eight, a prodigal son who had forgotten his own name, received a new one from the organization and was sent to Lian Pass. He was instructed to secretly gather intelligence on the Li Family of Lian Pass, compile it into reports, and submit them to Beimang every three months.

In the blink of an eye, over a decade had passed, and Number Fifty-eight returned to his hometown. Yet, he dared not visit Lotus Village, for there was no longer a home there for him.

As an informant, he dared not delve into the past of over a decade ago. He simply drank himself into oblivion every day in the taverns, indulging in dissolute behavior, and even the tasks arranged by the organization were cast aside from his mind.

After several months passed in this manner, the entire Lian Pass knew of the amnesiac wandering warrior, yet anyone who pondered taking advantage of him was found the next day in the lotus pond outside the city, by Lotus Village. In this fashion, Number Fifty-eight integrated into the city life of Lian Pass.

Later on, Number Fifty-eight consciously began to recruit a group of desperate outlaws. These men were all childless, parentless, and dissolute, with no prospects from one day to the next. With this group of mud, Number Fifty-eight seized control of several streets in Lian Pass, even dominated a tavern, and became a well-known gang, calling themselves the Great Protectors, and taking the Li Family housekeeper as his godfather.

He thought that this would be his life, continuing on this way, until he saw a reckless young madcap whose eyes and brows resembled those of a woman whose name he could no longer remember.

After driving off the group with punches and kicks, Number Fifty-eight pulled up the bloodied young man and praised him, “You’ve got guts, kid, are you interested in joining the Protectors? I can teach you kung fu!”

The youth, not even from Mortal Realm, became the thirteenth Protector of Righteous Gang, and under Number Fifty-eight’s questioning, everyone came to know the youth’s background.

A boy raised in a brothel, with a gambling-addicted father who had disappeared and a mother who was an unfortunate prostitute, passing away when he was six years old.

The cold-blooded and merciless Number Fifty-eight teared up after hearing the young man’s history, seriously placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder and said, “Who would have thought, little brother thirteen, that you had such a tragic life. But now that you’ve joined the Righteous Gang, we will share fortunes and face difficulties together. Your business is our brotherhood’s business!”

“Let’s go! Big brother Wu will help you find the dignity you’ve lost in these last dozen years. From today on, you are Thirteenth Master of Lian Pass!”

Your gambling-addicted father can’t protect you anymore, it’s all on you from now on!

Pale-faced Number Fifty-eight gave the young man in the corner one last lingering look, only to realize that at some point the young man had opened his eyes, features twisted in pain and fear, not knowing whether it was because of the pain or the fright.

He tried to muster a smile, opening his mouth when suddenly all went dark. Number Fifty-eight lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground, as thick blood flowed from his neck, forming a pattern resembling lotus leaves.