Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

“Here, young master, your two roasted chickens!”

The innkeeper handed over two wrapped-up roasted chickens to Sun Sheng.

Sun Sheng tossed the small silver coins he had been holding into the innkeeper’s hand.

The innkeeper weighed them briefly, and with a beaming smile, handed back a few copper coins.

Sun Sheng pocketed the copper coins, grabbed the warm chickens, and quickly ran off.

He sped down the long street toward the Orphanage.

As he ran, Sun Sheng subconsciously glanced toward the southeast.

A thought began to stir in his mind. The hot sun beat down on him from above. The air was thick and oppressive.

He thought about dipping into the river for a while.

It must be so refreshing to soak in the water right now, right?

As soon as this thought came to him, it spread through his mind like a flood breaking through a dam.

Sun Sheng couldn’t help but click his tongue at the idea.

What am I thinking? Eating chicken is more important.

He ran a few more steps.

But then, the thought of getting in the water overwhelmed his desire to eat the roasted chicken.

“No, just a quick dip, this heat is unbearable.”

He turned his steps and headed for the outskirts of the city.

There was a river just outside of Yuhang County.

Soon, Sun Sheng reached the riverbank.

The water was clear, and the sound of the flowing stream was soothing. Just listening to the sound of the water made the oppressive heat around him feel much less intense.

Sun Sheng set the chickens down on the shore, shed his clothes, and dove into the water with a splash.

“Splash…”

As the cool river water touched his skin, Sun Sheng couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh.

"Bliss!"

In the river, Sun Sheng felt like a drought-stricken land suddenly blessed by a refreshing rain.

Moisturizing, soothing…

As he swam a few strokes, Sun Sheng suddenly felt his arms, legs, and body become more agile as he moved through the water.

“Hmm? Why does it feel like my swimming skills have improved?”

Sun Sheng was surprised as he floated in the water.

Since coming to the Orphanage, he hadn’t gone near the river. But as soon as he entered, he felt a change.

He thought for a moment and then realized, "No wonder the brothers from the gang always said, 'If you swallow a couple of mouthfuls of water, you’ll learn to swim!’ So it really works!”

Sun Sheng thought it was due to soaking in the river a few days ago that his swimming skills had improved.

Not thinking too much about it, he dived deeper into the water and swam freely. After a few minutes, the oppressive heat seemed to vanish.

Sun Sheng felt that strange thoughts in his mind had disappeared.

The desire to eat the chicken once again took the forefront.

He took a deep breath, submerged, and quickly swam toward the shore.

“Splash!”

Sun Sheng emerged from the water, wiping his face.

But then, he froze in surprise.

“Hmm? Strange, why has the river water become warm?”

As soon as he said this, Sun Sheng stiffened, realizing something was wrong.

He pushed himself off the water with force, and his body shot backward, several meters.

Submerged in the water, Sun Sheng quickly rubbed his face and emerged, his face contorted with anger.

On the shore stood a filthy, patched-up old beggar, looking at him with squinted eyes, a strand of snot dangling from his nose and oil stains all over his mouth.

With one hand holding up his trousers, the other clutching a chicken leg, the beggar casually tossed the remnants into the river.

"Whoosh..."

A stream of yellow liquid arced through the air, splashing into the river.

Ripples spread across the water, much like a rainstorm.

The water quickly turned yellow where it landed.

Sun Sheng immediately understood what had caused the warm water.

He trembled with anger.

“Old thief! Are you asking for death?!”

Sun Sheng roared, furious.

The old beggar snorted, glanced sideways at Sun Sheng, and with a grunt, shook his trousers, as if adjusting himself.

He chewed on the chicken, spitting out a bone into the river and giving Sun Sheng a provocative look.

At that moment, a sense of unease rose in Sun Sheng.

He looked over at the oil-paper wrap containing the chicken on the shore.

One of the wraps had been torn open, and the golden chicken meat was now exposed, emitting a faint aroma.

“Old thief! You ********!”

“***, you ******!”

“…”

Sun Sheng spat out a torrent of vulgarities, his words sharp and cutting, resounding like the booming of thunder.

Having grown up on the streets, and with both his parents gone for two years, Sun Sheng had been left to fend for himself.

The curse words of ordinary street folk were burned into his memory long ago.

And since Sun Sheng was young, sharp-witted, and quick with his tongue, he was a master when it came to hurling insults.

Sun Sheng kept up his verbal assault, the filth coming from his mouth without repetition.

The old beggar, standing on the shore and eating his chicken leg, stared in stunned silence, taking quite a while to process.

The old beggar’s face turned beet red, steam practically rising from his forehead.

“You little bastard!”

“Filthy words! How dare you speak like that!”

He retorted, but it was clear he was running out of material, and his insults were limited to “little bastard” and “little brat”.

Losing in the verbal exchange, the old beggar, in a fit of anger, kicked the two roasted chickens into the river.

Sun Sheng’s flood of insults immediately stopped.

He stared at the empty shore, his once pale, handsome face now turning ghostly white.

“Damn it!”

Sun Sheng gritted his teeth and spat out a venomous curse.

Taking a deep breath, he dove into the water with a splash, his legs propelling him forward like an arrow.

Sun Sheng was close to the shore, and with a powerful push, he shot forward almost instantly.

Just as the old beggar was about to bask in his victory and unleash another taunt, he felt a strong grip on his ankle.

Looking down, he barely had time to see what was happening before everything spun around.

“Splash!”

The sound of the beggar falling into the water echoed.

Sun Sheng had grabbed the old beggar's ankle and pulled him into the river.

A powerful slap struck the beggar’s face.

Sun Sheng floated in the water, his body agile, his black hair spread out like a fan in the river.

He puffed his cheeks, his eyes wide, his pale face under the water looking almost ghostly white.

Like a drowned corpse.

The beggar, pulled into the water, received a solid slap to the face.

He was dazed, completely stunned. The next moment, the old beggar panicked.

He quickly extended his arms and legs, revealing surprisingly good swimming skills.

The old beggar's head broke through the water’s surface as he shouted, "Kid, do you know who I am?!"

“Gurgle…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Sun Sheng dragged him back underwater, and bubbles spilled from his mouth.

“Bam!”

Two heavy punches landed on the old beggar’s eye sockets.

His vision went black, and golden stars appeared before his eyes. He gritted his teeth, about to unleash his ultimate move, when suddenly, he remembered the rule he had set...

The old beggar suppressed his internal energy and trembled with rage.

"Damn it, when a tiger falls in the plains, it gets bullied by dogs!"

Sun Sheng landed two solid punches on the beggar’s face, showing no mercy.

After delivering the blows, Sun Sheng yanked the old beggar’s collar and pulled him back to the surface to let him breathe.

"Kid, I’m the Monster Hero from the South Sea! You... you... you dare hit me?"

The old beggar barely managed to get those words out before Sun Sheng dragged him back underwater.

Two more punches.

Sun Sheng puffed his cheeks, his face as pale as death, his eyes burning with fury.

The beggar’s earlier actions had thoroughly enraged him.

Having been a street urchin for two years, Sun Sheng had developed the habit of being frugal. He couldn’t stand wasting food.

But more importantly, those chickens were bought with the money that Da Ming had given him!

And that silver was given to Da Ming by his adoptive father!

The money spent on those two chickens had come from Chen Ye’s hard-earned cash!

The old beggar’s actions made Sun Sheng feel like he had betrayed Chen Ye and Da Ming’s trust.

He’d bought two chickens, only to have them kicked into the river!

The thought alone made Sun Sheng feel like he was suffocating.

He absolutely had to teach this old beggar a lesson!

After a few more punches, Sun Sheng hauled the beggar up to the surface again.

"Kid, you’re not done, are you?! I’ll teach you a lesson and show you that the Monster Hero of the South Sea isn’t some useless..."

"Glub glub..."

The old beggar still looked full of swagger, but before he could finish his words, Sun Sheng dragged him under again.

Under the water.

The old beggar started to fight back, but Sun Sheng was like a fish in the water, dodging every blow. The beggar’s strikes missed him entirely.

Instead, Sun Sheng landed a few punches on the old beggar’s body.

The beggar grimaced in pain.

By the time Sun Sheng brought the beggar back up to the surface, his rage had mostly subsided.

The old beggar was still defiant, cursing, “Little bastard, let me tell you, the leader of the Haijing Gang is my disciple! If you keep hitting me…”

When Sun Sheng heard the first half of that sentence, his anger flared up once more.

Without a second thought, he yanked the old beggar down into the water again.

Sun Sheng was so angry his teeth were grinding.

How could someone as legendary as the leader of the Haijing Gang be this filthy old man’s disciple?