Chapter 23: The Despair of the Zheng Family’s Deathsworn

The scar-faced man suddenly let out a sly laugh, but the deep gash on his forehead twisted his features into a grotesque mask whenever he smiled.
“Kid, I have to admit, you’ve got guts. Honestly, I admire you—a young man with remarkable courage. Alas, you were simply born at the wrong time,” he sighed, a trace of regret in his tone.
“You talk too much! Hurry up and tell me—who sent you to follow me? What’s your purpose?” Du Chengfeng’s patience was wearing thin, irritation seething beneath his calm exterior.
Without knowing their true intentions or who commanded them, Du Chengfeng didn’t want to resort to violence just yet.
The scar-faced man shrugged, a mocking glint in his eyes. “Heh! Since I don’t entirely dislike you, I’ll be honest. Kid, you’ve crossed someone. Someone paid a hefty price for the two of us to take your life. There, now you know—are you satisfied?”
Du Chengfeng merely smirked, his contempt clear. “You think the two of you are enough? Isn’t that a bit naive?”
With his skill, these two lackeys were hardly worth his attention. If he weren’t trying to uncover their employer, he would have knocked them out and tossed them aside long ago.
His repeated mockery finally infuriated the two retainers of the Zheng family. Their faces twisted with rage. Scar-face whipped out a gleaming dagger from his belt and barked, “Ignorant brat! You’re arrogant beyond measure! Since you refuse to cooperate, don’t blame us for being ruthless. Go to hell and regret your choices!”
With that, he charged at Du Chengfeng like an arrow loosed from its bow, dagger clenched tightly. The other retainer sprang to Du Chengfeng’s right, brandishing his blade at an awkward angle to strike.
Du Chengfeng watched their attack with disdain, ignoring the threat from his right. He pivoted and shot forward, meeting the scar-faced man head-on.
Scar-face scoffed inwardly—so reckless! With the two so close, this kid didn’t even try to evade, but rushed straight into a frontal confrontation. Truly, he must have a death wish.
But Du Chengfeng’s hand shot out suddenly, seizing Scar-face’s wrist and twisting it with brutal force. In a flash, he wrenched the dagger free and drove it hard into Scar-face’s chest.
A sickening sound accompanied the blade sinking deep into his heart, the hilt protruding from his chest.
“You… you…” Scar-face stammered, stunned by Du Chengfeng’s terrifying strength. The pain overwhelmed him—he couldn’t utter another coherent word.
Years of training, and he couldn’t withstand a single move from Du Chengfeng. The bitterness was unbearable.
But bitterness meant nothing now. It was broad daylight and Du Chengfeng had no intention of wasting time on complications. He twisted the dagger sharply at Scar-face’s heart, ending him with ruthless efficiency.
Scar-face collapsed, lifeless.

“Don’t they know villains die from talking too much?” Du Chengfeng muttered as Scar-face fell in despair.
The other retainer hadn’t yet reached Du Chengfeng, but witnessing his comrade dispatched so swiftly sent chills down his spine. He broke off his charge, sweat pouring from his pale face.
Even a fool would realize they’d run into a formidable adversary.
Scar-face was the better fighter, yet he’d been defeated in a single move. The other knew he was even less skilled.
A miscalculation—such a grave miscalculation! In a split second, he made the only sensible choice: escape.
Picking a random direction, he erupted with all his strength, bolting away. Survival first, details later.
Du Chengfeng watched him flee and sneered, “Heh! Trying to escape? It’s not that easy. If you come to kill me, you’d better be ready to die.”
No matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t outrun Du Chengfeng, whose body had been enhanced by potent serums.
Within a few breaths, Du Chengfeng caught up, swinging his right leg and kicking the retainer mercilessly to the ground.
He’d used a fraction of his power, but even that was devastating. The retainer took the blow to his waist, staggered forward, spat a mouthful of blood, and collapsed, drained of all strength.
Du Chengfeng flipped him over with another kick, pressing his foot onto the retainer’s head. “Run, why don’t you? Arrogant fool.”
Terrified, the retainer stared up at Du Chengfeng, recalling the ruthless slaying of Scar-face. Gritting his teeth, he declared, “I admit I underestimated you. Give me a swift end!”
As a retainer trained since childhood, he knew that once captured, he must either kill himself or provoke his enemy into finishing him quickly—to protect the secrets entrusted to him.
It was their fate, ingrained by the family: no matter how brutal the torture, never confess.
“Oh? Not afraid of death, are you?” Du Chengfeng sneered. “Think dying means you’ll never talk?”
“Hah, don’t expect to get a single useful word from me,” the retainer replied stubbornly.

“Stubborn, are you? No matter. Let’s play a guessing game,” Du Chengfeng smiled confidently.
So far, he’d only offended one person: Noble Consort Zheng in the palace. The main members of the Zheng family in Chang’an had all been eliminated, except for a few clueless maids and servants.
He was certain he’d left no evidence behind; the maids who’d seen him were silenced. Most likely, Noble Consort Zheng had gleaned a clue from the survivors and, following the principle of “better to kill by mistake than let one escape,” sent these retainers to exact revenge.
Du Chengfeng had deduced the truth.
Looking at the retainer, who faced death bravely, Du Chengfeng smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t speak. If I’m not mistaken, you were sent by Noble Consort Zheng from the palace, weren’t you?”
“How did you know? Who told you?” The retainer blurted out instinctively, then his face turned ashen. Without realizing it, he’d revealed the mastermind.
A dreadful thought struck him. “So, you’re the one who wiped out Zheng’s family in Chang’an?” he asked, horror-stricken.
“Hahaha! Correct, but there’s no reward. Frankly, they brought it on themselves—abusing their power, stirring trouble, and meddling with the wrong people. Keeping them alive would only waste food,” Du Chengfeng laughed.
“You…” The retainer closed his eyes in despair, realizing the truth and knowing his fate was sealed.
“Alright, go join your comrade,” Du Chengfeng said, pressing his foot down and snapping the retainer’s neck.
After disposing of the two Zheng family retainers, Du Chengfeng gathered dry branches and burned their bodies, then resumed his journey toward Du Village.
As for Noble Consort Zheng in the palace, Du Chengfeng had no intention of dealing with her for now. He didn’t know her, nor was he familiar with the palace’s layout.
To him, Noble Consort Zheng was nothing more than a grasshopper incapable of jumping far—not worth worrying about.