Volume One: High School Days Chapter 71: Already Quite Satisfied

When everyone had arrived in the courtyard, Yagyu landed another kick on Second Brother’s face, then hurried to the center of the yard. He looked at the crowd encircling him and announced, “I’m in high spirits tonight, so I’ll take you all on at once!”

The men surrounding Yagyu gripped iron rods, their fierce eyes locked onto him. At that moment, Second Brother emerged, clutching a towel to his bleeding nose and shouted, “Finish him off for me!”

At his order, the mob raised their rods and began to attack, encircling Yagyu as their focal point. Yagyu struck a dramatic pose, raising his arm above his head and pointing his index finger to the sky. In a flash, he activated the power of his eyes, freezing time.

Cautiously verifying that everyone around him was motionless, Yagyu delivered a solid kick to each attacker. Each man, upon being struck, was lifted off the ground, suspended in mid-air. Smirking mischievously, Yagyu returned to his original position, resuming his flamboyant stance. Then he relaxed his eyes. As time resumed, the assailants, still mid-attack, were all knocked backwards from Yagyu as their center, crashing to the ground in every direction.

Second Brother watched, stunned, as Yagyu merely raised his hand and sent everyone flying, slamming them to the ground. Terrified, he collapsed where he stood, convinced he’d seen a ghost. The fallen attackers scrambled to their feet, exclaiming, “What just happened?” “What’s going on?” “Don’t be scared, must’ve just slipped—finish him off, boys!”

Seeing they were still unwilling to give up, Yagyu glanced at the cowering Second Brother and said, “Truly, those in the thick of things are the most confused. Alright, I’ll play with you a bit longer!” With that, he began to use the power of his ears, tracking the movements of every person.

Just then, one man swung his iron rod from behind, aiming for Yagyu’s back. Without so much as turning his head, Yagyu stepped aside effortlessly. Four more men attacked his blind spot, but he dodged each blow with the same ease, not even bothering to look. This time, not only were the attackers astonished, even Yagyu himself was surprised.

As he fended off the mob, he wondered, “What’s going on? I didn’t see their attacks, yet it’s as if their every move is crystal clear in my mind.”

Suddenly, a voice he knew well sounded in his mind—the River Goddess. “Congratulations, your ears have evolved. Now, from the sounds of your opponents’ movements, you can discern exactly what they’re doing.”

“Well, this just got interesting!” Yagyu blurted out, then beckoned the others to come at him together.

The men, unnerved by Yagyu’s strangeness, hesitated. Meanwhile, atop the roof, the head bodyguard spoke quietly, “That kid’s got something weird going on.”

Yagyu, with his enhanced hearing, caught this as well. “There’s someone above!” he thought. He instantly froze time again, scrambled up to the roof, and saw six bodyguards crouched there. In an instant, he realized they’d been sent by Butler Jin to protect him. Seeing them, Yagyu understood that he’d secured the Hu family’s backing. He hurried back to his previous spot, released the time stop, and dashed toward Second Brother.

Yagyu knew the six bodyguards were there to protect him, but also to assess his effectiveness. Though he hadn’t found the big boss, Second Brother was the head of Xinghai City, and since Bian Ran and Hu Sheng’s incidents had both occurred here, capturing Second Brother gave them an answer.

He grabbed the terrified, limp Second Brother and shouted, “Do you know why I’m here?”

Second Brother was too scared to speak, and Yagyu’s sudden question made him wet himself.

When Second Brother didn’t reply, Yagyu raised his voice, “Because your greatest crime was kidnapping the young master of the Hu family from Huayong Group! I’m here today to take your miserable life on their orders!”

Yagyu deliberately omitted Bian Ran’s name, shouting loudly to ensure the bodyguards on the roof would hear. This way, they’d report his loyalty back to their masters—after all, words from others carry more weight.

Second Brother, terrified by Yagyu’s gaze, stammered, “What young master? I don’t know anything about that!”

“The child in the warehouse—don’t tell me you don’t know!” Yagyu pressed, his voice booming.

“The warehouse? You mean the one in the abandoned factory?”

Seeing Second Brother admit it, Yagyu sneered, “Don’t play dumb with me! You’ve got some nerve, kidnapping just anyone! Now, I’ll take your miserable life!”

Second Brother was bewildered. He genuinely knew nothing about Hu Sheng’s abduction; the old man at the warehouse had done it secretly, never reporting to him. Woefully, he protested, “I really didn’t know—Old Liu never told me!”

Yagyu realized he’d been duped by the old man, but with the bodyguards watching, he had no choice but to play the part. Releasing Second Brother, Yagyu said, “Every household has its rules, just as a nation has its laws. I’m an educated, civilized man; I won’t ask you to release everyone you’ve kidnapped, lest people think I’m trying to look noble.”

He fished the phone from Second Brother’s hand and tossed it back to him. “As I said, every house has its rules, every nation its laws. As a civilized man, I won’t abuse my power. Turn yourself in!”

When Second Brother hesitated, Yagyu motioned to one of the men, then pointed at his iron rod. The man quickly handed it over.

Yagyu brandished the rod at Second Brother. “What’s the matter, can’t use a phone? Scared stiff, have you forgotten? Let me help jog your memory!”

With that, Yagyu drove the iron rod into Second Brother’s thigh. The man’s screams and the sound of dripping blood followed. The others couldn’t bear the sight, turning away.

Second Brother, gritting his teeth through the pain, gasped, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t abuse your power?”

Yagyu laughed heartily, “Did I say that? Oh, right, I might have, but since I already stabbed you, why not make it even—let’s balance things out!” He raised the rod toward the other leg.

Terrified, Second Brother’s trembling hands finally dialed the authorities. Into the phone, he confessed, “I surrender…”

Once he hung up, the head bodyguard on the roof said to his five men, “Let’s go report back.”

He looked at Yagyu and murmured, “Brave and resourceful, with abilities beyond the ordinary, if a bit mischievous. An extraordinary child. With the Hu family’s protection, you will be even more remarkable.”

With that, the six bodyguards departed swiftly. Yagyu, having heard the man’s words, smiled to himself—he truly had the Hu family’s support now.

Second Brother sat, ashen-faced, muttering, “It’s over, it’s really over…”

Seeing their boss surrender, the others tried to flee. Yagyu quickly used his eye power, darted to the gate, and released the time freeze.

When the men saw Yagyu suddenly appear at the gate, they recoiled in terror, unsure whether he was man or ghost.

Yagyu announced, “You’ve all seen my extraordinary abilities. If anyone dares mention that I was here today, no matter where you are, I’ll find you and kill you myself!”

The men all dropped to their knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Satisfied, Yagyu froze time again and left. Only when he was back in his car did he relax his eyes. Those left in the courtyard, seeing Yagyu suddenly vanish, collapsed in shock, speechless and vacant-eyed.

Sitting in his car, Yagyu chuckled, muttering, “The Hu family’s backing is the very symbol of power. From now on, even Wang Chen will have to bow before me!”

No sooner had he left Chengnong Village than a stream of police cars arrived, passing him in the opposite direction. Yagyu glanced at them, pulled out his phone, connected it to the car’s Bluetooth, and sang along to the music as he drove to Xiaoya’s apartment building.

Xiaoya’s flight was at ten that night, but Yagyu arrived after two in the afternoon. Not wanting to disturb them, he played on his phone in the car, planning to contact Xiaoya later.

The most magnificent and tallest commercial building in the country was Huayong Tower, located in Yunhai City, the nation’s largest metropolis. Yunhai got its name from its coastal location. Before the age of airplanes, international transport relied on ships, and all major economic powers’ vessels docked here. Thus, the city became known as Xunhai—Patrol Sea City—and, as a result, is now the country’s wealthiest city.

At the very top of Huayong Tower, in a grand office, a seventy-year-old man was taking a call from Butler Jin. He wore a traditional Chinese robe, had a hawk-like nose, deep-set eyes, snow-white hair and a long white beard, and leaned on a cane.

After hearing Butler Jin’s report, the old man said into the phone, “Little Jin, I can tell from your excitement that this Yagyu is no ordinary person—daring to walk alone into the tiger’s den. Just for risking his life for my grandson, we must protect him for life. Now that Hu Sheng is safe and your business there is done, you both hurry home.”

This old man was Hu Hong, richest man in the world and Hu Sheng’s grandfather. The Huayong Group controlled half the globe’s business economy; no one in the commercial world dared challenge them. A single word from Old Master Hu could sink entire enterprises or conglomerates.

Old Master Hu had two sons and a daughter; Hu Sheng’s father was the youngest. Shortly after Hu Sheng’s birth, his parents died in an accident. As a result, Old Master Hu doted on his grandson, fostering Hu Sheng’s arrogant, domineering character.

After hanging up, Old Master Hu leaned against his desk, closed his eyes, and murmured, “Yagyu, what a Yagyu—such courage!”

Meanwhile, Yagyu was so absorbed in his phone game in the car that he lost track of time. Xiaoya called, and only then did he realize it was already 8:30.

Shortly afterwards, Xiaoya and her family got into Yagyu’s car. On the way, Yagyu glanced at Xiaoya and her husband in the rearview mirror, exchanging a few words now and then—evidence that their relationship had improved over the past two days.

Throughout the drive, Yagyu talked mostly about the child. He liked the child more and more—perhaps because she was Xiaoya’s daughter, which made him even more fond of her.

Forty minutes later, they arrived at the airport. As Xiaoya’s family was about to get out, Yagyu said, “No matter what, you have to live well. Do it for your child.”

Xiaoya replied, “Yagyu, you seem so much more mature now. Alright, we’ll miss our flight if we don’t go. Come visit us in Chong City if you have time.”

Watching Xiaoya’s family head into the airport, Yagyu sighed, “I wish you happiness.”

He returned home. Seeing the brand-new security door and realizing he didn’t have the key, he rang the bell. Shortly, Ren Xiadong opened the door; loud music boomed inside.

Ren Xiadong led Yagyu into the living room where four young women were dancing to the music. “Let me introduce my brother, Yagyu!” he announced.

The women hurried over, swaying around Yagyu. He understood that Ren Xiadong had brought them to cheer himself up after Lele’s departure.

“Go ahead and have fun, Ren Xiadong! Just keep it down tonight and watch your back—I’m tired, I’m heading to bed,” Yagyu said, then went upstairs to his room.