The Lesson in Blood

In the garage, two men in black were punching and kicking Mo Jiaxing as he lay curled up on the floor.

"That's for letting your son run off with our young lady! That's for letting your son run off with our young lady!"

They cursed as they kicked him, each blow vicious.

Pinned to the floor by two other men in black, Mo Fan struggled desperately. Seeing Mo Jiaxing beaten, he roared, "Bastards! Let me go! Let me go!"

But the men were too strong. His resistance did nothing.

"What are you doing?"

An angry shout rang out from the garage entrance.

Mo Xie rushed in and shoved aside the two men beating Mo Jiaxing.

"Dad, are you all right?"

Mo Xie helped him up, his face tight with worry.

Mo Jiaxing coughed and reassured him. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

"What do you want? Let my younger brother go!" Mo Xie stepped forward and roared.

"Hmph! What do I want? I was just wondering where to find you, and here you are, you little brat!"

Mu Zhuoyun walked in from outside and fixed Mo Xie with a cold stare.

"Looking for me?"

Mo Xie was bewildered, but Mu Zhuoyun soon told him why.

"You ran off with my daughter. What do you think I want with you?" Mu Zhuoyun said, pointing at his face.

Mo Xie stared at him in shock. "That's impossible. I never took Ningxue away!"

"You didn't?" Mu Zhuoyun nearly laughed. "Ningxue told me herself, and you still dare deny it!"

Mo Xie staggered back and looked toward Mu Ningxue in the back seat of the car. He could hardly believe she would say such a thing.

No... That can't be true. Can it?

"Xiaoxue, it isn't true, is it?" Mo Xie shouted in disbelief. "Tell them! I never took you away!"

Silence. No one answered.

"Ningxue... Mu Ningxue, tell me if it's true!"

Seeing Mu Ningxue like that, Mo Xie felt as though lightning had struck him and he had plunged into an icy abyss. His whole body stiffened, and his eyes slowly lost focus.

Why did it turn out like this? Being betrayed really hurts.

"He's rotten at such a young age. Looks like he's asking for it. Beat him!" Mu Zhuoyun ordered with a wave of his hand.

"Don't hit my brother!"

Hearing that they meant to beat Mo Xie, Mo Fan fought desperately to break free of the two men holding him.

"Settle down!"

Feeling Mo Fan struggling beneath his hands, one of the men punched him.

Mo Fan grunted and collapsed to the floor, with no strength left to resist.

"Xiao Fan!"

Mo Xie snapped back to himself and charged the man who had struck his younger brother.

He moved fast, reaching the man in an instant. He grabbed his collar, and the two grappled.

But how could a twelve-year-old boy overpower a full-grown man?

The man drove a fist into Mo Xie's stomach. With a dull thud, Mo Xie slammed into the leg of a nearby table.

"Brother!" Mo Fan cried.

Mo Xie clutched his stomach with both hands. Pain burned through his abdomen and back.

"Mo Xie!... Brother Zhuoyun, there must be some misunderstanding. My eldest son would never run off with your daughter. Please, just don't hurt my boys. I'm begging you!"

Mo Jiaxing pleaded with Mu Zhuoyun. As their father, he couldn't bear to see his sons hurt.

"My Ningxue said it herself. Are you calling her a liar?" Mu Zhuoyun snorted. "For the sake of our friendship, I can forgive him if he gives me a proper apology."

"I told you, it wasn't me. I did nothing wrong, and my conscience is clear!"

Mo Xie forced out the words through the pain.

Mu Zhuoyun nearly laughed. "I gave you a chance, boy. If you won't take the easy way, don't blame me for what comes next!"

Anger surged through Mo Xie, slowly consuming what little reason he had left.

Why... Why did you betray me? Yes... If they all die, this will all be over! You forced me to do this!

Mo Xie's gaze sharpened as blood-red color spread across his eyes. His breathing grew heavy, and he stared fixedly at the man in black.

Unnoticed by Mo Xie, the red diamond-shaped Necklace around his neck began to glow a faint crimson.

Gritting his teeth, Mo Xie shakily pushed himself back to his feet and felt around on the table.

The man in black straightened his rumpled suit and gave Mo Xie a contemptuous smile.

"Think you can fight, kid? What good will that do you? Try as many times as you like. It'll end the same way."

Mo Xie lowered his head in silence, then charged him again.

The man threw a punch, his fist whistling through the air. Just before it struck Mo Xie's face, Mo Xie drove the Dagger hidden in his sleeve into the man's arm and slashed hard.

"Ah!" The man cried out and stumbled back, clutching his arm. Blood poured out, and he couldn't stop it.

"What?!"

Everyone froze in shock. None of them had expected the boy to lash out so fiercely.

Mo Xie didn't stop. He turned and charged another man in black.

This man was on his guard and didn't dare step forward to block him.

Mo Xie gave him no time to react. He lunged, aiming the Dagger at the man's abdomen—more precisely, his spleen.

The man hadn't expected the boy to be so ruthless. He knew that if the blade struck his spleen, it could kill him.

As Mo Xie rushed at him, the man backed away several steps, trembling.

But Mo Xie's reach was too short. He missed the spleen and left only a bloody cut across the skin.

The man stood frozen, barely noticing the pain. All he could think was how lucky he was that the boy's arm hadn't been longer, or he would have been dead.

Even Mu Zhuoyun was shaken. He had never imagined a twelve-year-old could be so ruthless, yet he had seen it with his own eyes.

"Come on, then!" Mo Xie's eyes were blood-red, his low voice like a demon's whisper. "Send as many as you want. I'll kill them all!"

For a moment, Mu Zhuoyun felt fear—an emotion he might not have believed he was capable of feeling.

"Hmph. I suggest you stay away from my daughter from now on. Let's go!" Mu Zhuoyun gave Mo Xie one last warning before leaving.

The group filed out of the garage, got into their cars, and drove away.

Mo Xie ran out of the garage. As he watched the cars recede into the distance, anger kept rising inside him.

"Old Mu, Mu Ningxue... the Mu Family. So that's the Mu Family!" Mo Xie's face twisted as he threw back his head and roared, "Fortunes change! Don't look down on me just because I'm young and poor!"

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. Bright red blood seeped between his fingers and dripped onto the ground.

Grief, anger, humiliation, and resentment churned together inside him.

The crimson glow at his neck grew brighter. An evil aura flickered into being, then vanished, leaving everything still again.

"Never again... I'll never let this happen again!"

Mo Xie's voice caught, and tears clouded his eyes.

"Ah—!"

In the end, all Mo Xie could do was shed bitter tears and vent his anguish with a scream.

At that moment, Mo Xie finally understood: whether in his previous life or this one, his own strength had to come first.

If I'd been strong enough, would I have suffered this humiliation? No!

If I'd had the power to command respect, would I have ended up like this? No!

Life could not simply be left to drift along with time. Sometimes he had to make a change and become someone better.

[Abnormal brainwaves detected... Initiating autonomous implantation... Loading... Loading complete... Hello, Master. You can call me Zero!]

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This was a turning point for the protagonist, and his relationship with Mu Ningxue had changed too.