Chapter Thirty-Two: Violent Insects

“No rush. Right now, we’re in the open while our opponent hides in the shadows. If we want to find out who it is, we’ll have to wait for them to slip up.”
Fang Yuan wished he could figure out who was plotting against him. He had only just arrived here and hadn’t offended anyone.
“I can’t wait to see you in action, master,” Chonchon said, inexplicably eager for Fang Yuan to get into a fight.
“Actually, I’m not much of a fighter. When I was young, my body developed later than other kids’, so I was often bullied.”
From the bottom of his heart, Fang Yuan didn’t want to get into any real conflict. If he could avoid a fight, he would. If something could be resolved peacefully, he would never resort to violence.
“That’s impossible, master. With your current body, you could handle not just one grown man, but three or five strongmen at once.” Chonchon’s purpose for saying this was unclear—whether to comfort or to incite Fang Yuan into a brawl.
“Chonchon, with talk like that, you’ll give me the impression you want to egg me on to fight.”
The more time Fang Yuan spent with Chonchon, the more he realized this was not only a mischievous troublemaker, but also a naive, violence-loving creature.
This won’t do. I must change that…
“Master, you’re not mistaken. That’s exactly what I want.”
Chonchon was nothing if not honest.
“Do you actually have a way to make me really formidable?”
Fang Yuan recalled how the protagonists of many books he’d read were always extraordinary fighters. Perhaps Chonchon could make him just as powerful.
“You’re overthinking it, master. I’ve said it before: my genes changed in your body. Now, even I don’t know what limits your body can reach. The reason I want you to fight is simply to test your abilities, to see what you’re capable of now,” Chonchon explained patiently.
“So you want to use my body as an experiment. Why bother making it sound so nice?”
Hearing Chonchon’s explanation, Fang Yuan couldn’t help feeling like a lab rat. If he performed well, he’d be used again; if not, he’d be discarded.
“You’re so clever, master, that’s exactly it. So, shall we find a few people to test your strength?” Chonchon was nearly bursting with impatience to see Fang Yuan’s true capabilities.
The walk from the small restaurant to where he lived was not far, but Fang Yuan wanted to stroll a bit more, so he meandered through several small alleys.

It was working hours, so the alleys were deserted.
Fang Yuan wasn’t yet familiar with the area. After passing through a few alleys, he realized he’d lost his way. On the way here, he’d been chatting with Chonchon and hadn’t paid attention to which roads he took. If he hadn’t wandered into a dead end, he might never have stopped.
“Master, are we... lost?” Chonchon’s voice carried a trace of glee, as if getting lost was something worth celebrating.
“I know what you’re thinking, Chonchon, but right now, you’d better pray we find our way back.”
Of course Fang Yuan could guess what was on Chonchon’s mind, but no sooner had he finished speaking than he heard faint footsteps behind him.
“Wow, master, here’s your chance! Go beat them up! I swear, these must be the ones who drugged your food.”
Seeing the five or six men in black standing across from them, Chonchon was positively gleeful.
“Chonchon, I told you, fighting is not the answer.”
Fang Yuan remained calm, his gaze cold as he looked at the burly men before him.
Chonchon’s prediction had come true—these were, indeed, hulking brutes.
“What are you waiting for, master? Go get them! If you don’t, I will!” Chonchon was itching to leap into action.
“Chonchon, I’m warning you, if you dare pull any tricks with my body today, I’ll make sure to give you a good thrashing when we get home.”
After rebuking Chonchon, Fang Yuan turned his attention to the men opposite him.
“Who are you people?”
It was a classic opening line, though Fang Yuan himself felt it sounded rather lame at a time like this.
But the men had no intention of answering. Before he’d even finished speaking, they lunged at him.
Fine, since it’s come to this, don’t blame me for being rough.
As five or six burly men charged, Fang Yuan stood his ground, unmoving. When a fist swung toward his face, he felt a cold wind brush past his cheek.

It was as if Fang Yuan could anticipate the assailant’s move. Just as the fist was about to land, he spun aside, and before his opponent could react, swept his legs out in a powerful arc, sending the man tumbling to the ground.
As the man fell, Fang Yuan quickly shoved him hard, spinning his body around. The others, barreling forward at full speed and not expecting this seemingly mild-mannered young man to pull such a move, failed to stop in time and crashed straight into their fallen comrade.
That man was clearly the biggest and strongest of the lot. With him down, the others didn’t even need Fang Yuan’s intervention—one after another, they toppled like dominoes.
“Thanks, mate,” Fang Yuan said to the unlucky fellow, not forgetting his manners.
They were no amateurs. In just a few seconds, the men in black were back on their feet.
Fang Yuan, meanwhile, had swapped places with them while they were down. Now the way out was right behind him; if he could outrun them, escape would be easy.
But Fang Yuan didn’t want to leave just yet—he wanted to know who they were.
“Who sent you? Was it Old Master Pei?”
As far as Fang Yuan could tell, the only person he might have offended since arriving here was that old gentleman.
“Enough talk. Boys, get him!”
The biggest brute, still smarting from Fang Yuan’s earlier blow, cracked his knuckles ominously. Given half the chance, he’d love to take Fang Yuan’s head off with one punch.
Good grief… these men meant business. Clearly, getting away wouldn’t be easy today.
Since escape was out of the question, he’d face them head-on.
“Wow, master, you look amazing! I love seeing you so gallant. Go on, master—give them the thrashing of their lives!” Chonchon cheered loudly, like a team’s enthusiastic captain.