The Way of Restraint

Chapter 45: Ruthless to the Point of No Return

“This is a jar of internal-strength wine. Take it with you and drink a sip every day to help regulate your body. Also, here is a jar of specially-made oil ointment. Don’t use it carelessly, only apply it to your joints if you experience pain after intense training,” Uncle Mang handed Su Jue two items. “Don’t refuse. This is a gift from Nie Shuang and me. Talented individuals are rare, and we hope you can go further.”

“Thank you, both teachers.” Su Jue understood their intentions. As teachers, they must have seen great potential in him and wanted to invest everything they could to help him grow.

“To be honest, we’ve gained quite a bit from you as well, so you don’t need to feel overly grateful. I used to think you should study at Minglun Martial Arts Academy and become a professional fighter, but now I see that this life plan is too limiting for you. You have your own ideas, and even the small Minglun Martial Arts Academy can’t accommodate you. Even if you stay here to train, it won’t be of much help to your growth. If you get the chance, I truly recommend you train at the Typhon Training Camp,” Uncle Mang waved his hand. “Alright, take care. Contact us more when you have time.”

Holding the two large jars, Su Jue bowed deeply to Uncle Mang and then left.

He had already bought a ticket for that day, and would return home early the next morning, then report to school the day after. The day after was September 1st, the start of the school year.

Back at the dorm, he decided to say goodbye to Zhang Manman, Josh, Gu Yang, and the others. However, when he entered the dormitory, Josh was nowhere to be seen. Instead, another person was sitting there. This person was dressed in a suit, his gaze sharp, exuding an aura of blood and fire. Somehow, when Su Jue saw him, he felt as though this man could pounce at him at any moment, slitting his throat or killing him with swift and precise movements.

“A dagger.” 

His gaze shifted slightly, and he saw something hidden in the man’s suit sleeve. It was subtle, so much so that an ordinary person wouldn’t notice it unless they were trained in hidden weapons. If it weren’t for his lessons with Odell on dagger fighting, Su Jue wouldn’t have recognized it at all.

At the time, Odell had taught him dagger combat to quickly build his courage, followed by long-range weapon training. One was for close combat, the other for long-range, both of which were the most practical battlefield skills.

Daggers were most commonly used by modern special forces for assassination, capture, reconnaissance, and so on. They were easy to hide, throw, and use quickly.

While long-range weapons like guns were no longer used in modern society, they were once divine weapons on ancient battlefields, used to shape empires.

These two forms of training had greatly benefited Su Jue. In fact, the reason he was so fearless and strong in the ring was due to this training.

However, it also made him extremely sensitive to daggers and highly cautious around anyone carrying one.

“Who are you?” Su Jue asked as he entered the room, subtly moving towards the door, hand on the handle, ready to defend against any sudden attack or dagger throw.

This was the best approach.

“Not bad,” the man said, his face showing a look of satisfaction as he observed Su Jue’s reaction. “Looks like you’re indeed worthy of becoming my boss’s pawn. Come, sign here.”

The man tossed a contract towards Su Jue. “You can call me by my codename, Grey Wolf.”

The “Grey Wolf” was exuding the unmistakable aura of a special forces soldier, but he wasn’t from the domestic military—he was from overseas.

“Who is your boss?” Su Jue asked. Over the past few days, he had been forced to sign contracts twice—once with Zhou Chun, another time with Liu Zihao. Now it seemed there was yet another one to deal with.

“The one who knocked you out with two punches—that’s my boss,” Grey Wolf replied. “By the way, your friend Josh also signed this contract, becoming my boss’s sparring partner—just a pawn. This could really benefit you and help improve your skills quickly.”

“Is that so?” Su Jue looked over the contract. There were many pages, but he skimmed through it rapidly, quickly finding the key points. “Room and board for five years? But I have to be on call 24/7? No salary? This contract is really interesting.”

“Even an ordinary person, just by being my boss’s sparring partner, could quickly become a master. Do you know how many people want to become my boss’s sparring partner?” Grey Wolf sneered. “Your friend Josh made a wise choice. I hope you don’t miss this opportunity.”

“Sorry, I’m not interested. Please find someone else,” Su Jue waved his hand.

“You’re young, and some opportunities shouldn’t be missed.” Grey Wolf stood up. “I’ll give you three more minutes to think about it.”

“No need. Please leave,” Su Jue said firmly. He could already tell that this man was used to being overbearing and forceful, thinking he could do whatever he pleased because he was from abroad, unaware of how things worked domestically.

“Very well. You’ve directly rejected an opportunity that could change your life,” Grey Wolf said, pulling out a lighter and burning the contract in front of him. The flames reflected on his face, making him look menacing.

As the contract burned, he walked toward the door.

Su Jue stepped aside, letting him pass.

But as they crossed paths, Su Jue suddenly felt a chill, his hair standing on end—danger was closing in.

Grey Wolf had somehow produced a jet-black dagger, which was completely matte and extremely sharp. He aimed it straight at Su Jue’s throat, seemingly trying to end his life.

Almost instinctively, Su Jue contracted his body, pulling his head in like a turtle, narrowly avoiding the slash. However, his clothes were torn wide open by the dagger’s edge.

Grey Wolf’s expression shifted. He hadn’t expected Su Jue to dodge his strike.

His arm moved again, and the dagger twisted, angling toward Su Jue’s wrist tendons.

He was aiming to sever Su Jue’s tendons and disable him completely.

Su Jie’s body swayed again, seemingly fleeing outside the door, but instead, he directly dove into the room. Almost ninety-nine percent of people in this situation would run toward the exit and never walk straight into a trap, diving into a room where they could be easily captured.

However, Su Jie did the opposite. He dove into the room, reached the corner, and grabbed a weapon without hesitation.

It was a hoe.

Yes, it was the same hoe Su Jie used to practice his martial arts.

Every morning at three a.m., he would grab the hoe and head out to the wild fields outside the school to practice. His signature move, the “Hoe Strike,” had been perfected to the point where he could do it effortlessly.

The moment the hoe was in his hand, it seemed to have gained a life of its own, full of vitality. Without even needing to aim, he raised and swung it slightly, aiming at the “Gray Wolf’s” head, delivering a deadly strike.

The Gray Wolf furrowed his brows, swiftly dodging the swing. His body twisted like a snake, attempting to close in on Su Jie.

The hoe was long, and in the cramped room, it couldn’t be fully extended, making it clumsy and unwieldy. If the enemy got too close, it would be over.

But at this moment, Su Jie crouched, rotating from the corner. It was as if he had grasped the trajectory of the “Gray Wolf’s” dagger, knowing exactly what the next move would be.

Seizing the opportunity, he swept the hoe across the ground, disrupting the Gray Wolf’s movement, and before long, he was at the door, holding the hoe and standing firm.

Now, the “Gray Wolf” found himself trapped, a sitting duck.

Swish!

Suddenly, a flash of cold light.

The Gray Wolf had thrown his dagger.

Su Jie raised the hoe, and the dagger stabbed directly into it.

If it hadn’t been for his special training with Odell on dagger combat, he would’ve been in serious trouble today.

Moreover, the Gray Wolf’s dagger techniques were exactly like those Odell had taught him—simple, practical, and lethal, striking in a way that ensured death with a single move. This was the mark of a true soldier, one who carried out special missions, ruthless and deadly, with every dagger technique honed to perfection.

However, even though the Gray Wolf had thrown the dagger, his body lunged forward. Somehow, another dagger had appeared in his hand, and he attacked Su Jie once again.

In close combat, the series of dagger strikes were seamless, as if each one was linked to the next, killing without a sound.

Trrrrrrt!

Su Jie’s clothes were torn once more.

Luckily, he wasn’t injured, but at this point, the Gray Wolf had retrieved his dagger and had backed out of the room, forcing Su Jie back inside.

Su Jie stood in full alert, but the Gray Wolf made no further moves.

“You’re lucky,” the Gray Wolf said dismissively. “I gave you a light punishment, just slashing your clothes. If it had been more serious, I might’ve severed your tendons so you’d never be able to lift anything again.” He sneered. “You’ve got a little talent, but you don’t know your limits. One day, you won’t even know how you died.”

With that, the Gray Wolf turned and left.

“D*mn…” Su Jie looked at the slashes in his clothes, relieved that his skin wasn’t harmed. He immediately considered calling the police but then thought better of it. Given that the Gray Wolf had clearly come prepared, calling the police would likely yield no evidence and could lead to an unfavorable situation.

The man was probably a mercenary-type special forces soldier from abroad, with various counter-surveillance skills. In terms of experience handling such matters, Su Jie knew he was no match.

“Not good.”

He suddenly remembered something.

‘My sister is still working on artificial intelligence at the Feng family’s lab, and she’s been harassed by Feng Yuxuan multiple times. If it weren’t for Feng Yuxuan being a second-generation heir, I wouldn’t have come here to learn martial arts.’ Su Jie thought quickly. ‘But while Feng Yuxuan is insidious, he still follows some rules. On the other hand, Feng Hengyi is unscrupulous. I can’t let my sister stay at Haoyu Group any longer; she needs to leave.’

Initially, he had planned to say goodbye to Zhang Manman and the others, but with this new realization, he couldn’t sit still.

“Josh actually signed a contract with Feng Hengyi to become his sparring partner. I need to find a chance to talk some sense into him.” After checking over his belongings, Su Jie quickly packed and made his way home.

He took a cab straight to D City’s airport, where he bought a ticket on the spot. He had originally planned to take the train, but now there was no need for it. He didn’t even bother to cancel the train ticket; instead, he focused on getting home as quickly as possible.

With a couple hundred thousand in his pocket, he didn’t need to worry about saving money.

With almost two hundred thousand in his wallet, he felt incredibly secure.

“I wonder what it will feel like when I have two million or even twenty million,” Su Jie thought as he boarded the plane, opting for first class.

This wasn’t to show off, but the last flight had sold out in economy class, and only first class tickets were available. In order to save time, he had no choice but to spend the extra money.

Soon, he arrived at his city.

His city was truly an international metropolis, S City—extremely bustling, with flights coming and going, connecting to all corners of the country and the world.

When Su Jie got off the plane, he checked his watch and realized only two hours had passed.

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