Chapter 42: Entanglement (2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"My father said he wanted you to take care of the family business. He was always fond of you, even when you were young. As for Lombarth and I, we are not talented enough to manage the business. If you spend too much time in martial arts, you would fall behind in other areas. He would not object it if it was in the past, but now the times are different. Regardless of how skillful you are in martial arts, a couple of guns would be enough to take care of you," Phelia explained in her father’s tone.
"Uncle wants me to take care of the business?" Surprised by the comment, Garen questioned back, "How is that possible?"
"How is that not possible? My dad had already decided on this a long time ago. I don’t care. I’m bad at studying and not talented in martial arts. My teacher said I have no potential. If I can’t feed myself, I’m going to count on you!" Phelia hugged Garen’s arm as she acted pettishly toward him.
"My father said that among the children in the younger generation, only you could succeed his business to ensure that it remains prosperous. In the hands of Lombarth or me, we would ruin the business in a few years."
"My uncle has high expectations of me."
Garen was quite surprised. He had always felt that his uncle cared more for him than an uncle should--almost better than his own children. In his childhood memory, if Lombarth and Garen were ever in a conflict, Lombarth would, for sure, be punished. The favoritism shown was plain to see.
This caused Lombarth to hold a grudge against Garen. He was extremely unsatisfied by the preferential treatment Garen received.
"Let’s go, let’s go." Phelia dragged Garen by the arm.
He could not help but follow Phelia into the door. He had taken a few steps before a grim-looking, towering figure came out of the door along with a couple of strangers.
"Are you Garen?"
The teenage boy wore a tight, white shirt with a pair of black pants. The outfit proudly displayed his muscular appearance.
Garen stopped and glanced at the young boy. "You are?"
"I am Lombarth's cousin. I heard you’ve been bullying Lombarth with your martial arts? Is this true?" The young boy stared at Garen with a frown.
"What do you mean? I’ve been bullying Lombarth? Where have you heard this?" Garen wanted to step in the door, but the young boy intentional stepped in to block him. Garen winced. "That’s enough, I need to go in.""You are also part of the family. It would be inappropriate for a stranger to teach you a lesson. I’m here today to educate you for my cousin." The young boy forcefully blocked the entrance to the door.
Then, there was a conflict of interest. Due to their inability to manage the assets, the returns from his aunt’s family had decreased over the years, and with that, the center of attention shifted onto his uncle’s new business.
When his uncle first ventured out, he received an extensive amount of support from his wife’s family to grow the business. Her family was a critical factor in the success and expansion of the business.
However, his uncle, as the owner, now stated that he would pass the business to his sister’s son, what did this mean?
Garen quickly realized: It implied that his uncle thought all the youths from his wife’s family were incompetent when compared to Garen. Only Garen could ensure his business to thrive in the future.
Since the wife’s family invested a lot into the business when it was still in its initial stages, they already considered the business to be a part of their own. The unexpected statement about his sister’s son inheriting the business would displease her family with the decision.
Garen looked at the young boy in front of him and had an idea.
"It’s Lombarth's idea to come and find me right? Ok, enough of this game, don’t block the way. We can chat when we are inside."
The young boy laughed grimly and twisted his body as he blocked the way again. He put his arms in front of his chest and stared fiercely at Garen.
Garen frowned. "This is not what you guys think it is. We can chat about it when we are inside. Don’t get used by Lombarth. Don’t believe everything he says."
He didn’t want to start a conflict with the young boy and the group of strangers, for the size of his family was not to be underestimated. They were not saints and were intertwined with gang-related business. If he received a bad name from this conflict, it would become problematic later on.
"That’s not what Lombarth said." The young boy with a vicious look slid his body across the door as he obstructed Garen’s way.
"Are you going to get out or not?" Garen was losing his patience. He didn’t want to play fighting games with a young boy.
"What if I don’t get out?" The young boy didn’t back away.
Garen’s eyes turned icy as he extended his right arm out, aiming for the young boy’s neck.
Pa!
The young boy launched a side kick into Garen’s palm, generating a loud sound from the impact. Fine dust fell off where they collided. He immediately retreated his leg and performed a roundhouse kick, forming a circle. His foot targeted Garen’s wrist.
Pa!
His pants created a draft as it viciously skidded through the air from the kick. The young boy’s move was executed elegantly and smoothly. Both of the two kicks landed in the same location on Garen’s body. It was only after taking two steps back that he was able to stabilize himself.
"That’s all?" Garen stared at him, bewildered.
"You!"
The young boy’s face turned pale as a bead of sweat emerged from his forehead. It was clear that the last couple of moves were not easy to perform; however, when he saw that the opponent wasn’t even forced to budge, he already knew the difference between them.
Garen glanced at him impassively without even budging. He patted the dust off his palm and entered the wide, open entrance. His palm and wrist didn’t even turn red from colliding with the kicks.
"Don’t you dare to leave before you explain yourself today!" The young boy burst out hysterically. He dashed as he kicked straight at Garen's chin.
Garen’s face turned grim. He pushed his right hand forward as he redirected the young boy’s right leg. After that, he turned around instantly and kicked out behind him.
Peng!
Kacha.
The adult male behind Garen took a side kick to his body and collided with the wall behind the door. He was the young boy’s bodyguard. He had intended to attack from behind, but he didn’t expect Garen to turn around and perform a side kick. A couple of bystanders gasped at the forceful side kick that had directly slammed into the bodyguard.
The bodyguard’s entire body collided with the doorframe like a sandbag. The sound of bone fracturing was audibly clear. Just imagining the sound was painful. Everyone felt goosebumps shivering down their arms.
The bodyguard’s arm couldn’t feel a thing as the bones were shattered on collision. He couldn’t even stand up straight. The opponent’s power far exceeded his expectations! He leaned heavily against the door, trying to stand up without being able to do so. The way he looked at Garen changed drastically.
Garen, who stood across from him, glanced at him with an icy stare, his eyes displaying a boundless sea of emotionless cruelty.
The bodyguard suddenly felt frightened. He had seen a similar stare coming from his team leader before. He knew that if he made any movement...
"He will kill me." He froze in place and dared not to move.
The sudden change not only stunned the young boy motionlessly but also shocked Phelia, causing her to gape with her mouth wide open. No one moved.
Garen sneered. He knew that the conflict could not be resolved with just this. He walked in front of the young boy and pressed his finger against his forehead.
"Even your bodyguard is weak. No wonder uncle is passing the business to me. What’s the purpose of your existence if you are so useless? Go die in a ditch."
Pa.
His finger lightly pushed forward. The young boy’s head swayed backward as Garen left a red mark on his forehead.
In front of Garen’s killing intent, his pupils immediately contracted. At the very moment when Garen touched him, he felt as he was about to die.
"Don’t kill me!" He frighteningly burst out in a cry. He rolled and crawled backward to hide behind a large vase. His eyes were full of fear. Garen smiled and stood straight up; he knew that he had broke the young boy mentally. He would be the boy’s worst nightmare. Even if someone provoked the young boy, he would not dare to bother Garen anymore.
That was also his intention. The boy had yet to develop a mature metal state of mind. This situation was solved by simply scaring him.
Since the conflict couldn’t be resolved during the moment when the bodyguard tried launching a sneak attack, Garen was resolute and decisive in his actions; he went with the simplest solution that will solve it once and for all: destroying them mentally.
"Let’s go, Phelia." He turned his head to look at the girl beside the door. The girl’s lips trembled as she gazed at him. A glimpse of fear could be seen in her eyes.
When Garen pointed at the young boy’s forehead, she thought he would be killed.
She had only seen such viciousness coming from her father’s bodyguards.
When she heard Garen’s voice, she opened her mouth with a slightly hesitant voice.
"Brother Garen, his name is Delai Xima. He is a professional martial arts practitioner who had passed the amateur stage. His…"
"Don’t tell me that he is a godlike combat grandmaster?" Garen responded speechlessly.
"He is part of the gang?" Garen frowned.
Phelia nodded.
"He is the leader of the outer province gang."
"You know pretty well."
"I heard it from my elders during the holiday season. You have to be careful. This is not just a conflict between the younger generations," Phelia said worriedly.
"Don’t worry."
Garen nodded. With the Black Jade Disk in his possession now, he is growing stronger by the minute. Even now, standard pistols at a far distance would not be able to damage him; it is only with accurate shooting at close range that pistols would be able to threaten him.
"The conflict within the family has rules as well. Don’t worry too much, let’s go up and see uncle."
Garen moved his neck around as it made a crisp sound. The internal conflict within the family permits neither the usage of gang forces nor dishonorable tactics. Most of the competition is based on timing in an honorable fashion. Otherwise, it would not receive the support from the elders of the family.
He was not interested in his uncle’s business -- with his unique ability, he could easily develop his own business and it would only take time and energy; however, this was not his goal.
Only with his power would he be able to achieve what he desired.
"As long as they don’t cross the line, anything is negotiable." Garen licked his lips.