Chapter 5

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

When Yun Zhonghe heard what the man from the Order of the Black Dragon said, memories swarmed into his mind.

The man was right. The Yun Zhonghe in this world had been an orphan. An orphan who was raised by a beggars’ sect.

Needless to say, the “beggars’ sect” here was merely a common name, not a powerful clan of beggars like the ones that sometimes appear in kung fu novels. It was a cartel made up of a bunch of beggars who were partners in crime. There were three beggars’ sects in this city.

Wanna know where the darkest and ugliest place in this world was? It was in the beggars’ sect.

After Yun Zhonghe was taken in by a beggar, his limbs were supposed to be amputated so he could begin begging on the street. However, he was way too pretty for that. The beggar thought that the boy was a rare commodity and worth hoarding, so Yun Zhonghe escaped the fate of having his hands and legs cut off and his eyes blinded.

On the other hand, the children who were taken in by the beggar along with Yun Zhonghe were extremely miserable. They were disabled and forced to beg on the street.

1After about a decade, only five out of the thirty-three children who were abducted along with Yun Zhonghe survived. All the others had died. Some died of illnesses, some starved to death, and some were beaten to death.

Even though Yun Zhonghe escaped the fate of becoming a cripple, he didn’t have a good life. He had been beaten on a regular basis, and, according to his memory, he seldom had enough food. The deprivation had left him lanky and weak.

When he was fifteen or sixteen years old, those around him noticed that he was extremely handsome. Therefore, as far as the beggars were concerned, he became a goose that laid golden eggs. He started work as a gigolo who catered to rich women.

After that, using his gorgeous appearance, he seduced innocent women and stole from them. Countless virtuous and kind girls had fallen victim to his romance scams.

In a nutshell, the Yun Zhonghe in this world was a total scumbag, an out and out scoundrel.

The officer from the Order of the Black Dragon was right; the Yun Zhonghe in this world was indeed more sordid than the bugs in the sewers.

“Yun Zhonghe, even though you weren’t beheaded today, you will not live for long.” The officer from the order continued, “You are in the black books of many of the city’s most powerful men. You slept with one of your sect leader’s wives, and you have swindled seventeen girls from rich families in the city out of almost 10,000 silver sycees. There are at least a thousand people in this city who want you dead. You would probably be turned into a pile of meat paste as soon as you walked out of this prison.”

His words sent chills up Yun Zhonghe’s spine. How had the owner of this body managed to survive this long after having committed so many crimes? If a scumbag like that had made it to nineteen years old, then there really wasn’t any divine justice in this world.

“Previously, Mister Li had your back, but you got in trouble with someone who was simply too powerful. No one in this city can save you anymore. That’s why you were dragged out of your bed in the middle of the night and sentenced to death by beheading only three days after your arrest.”

Who was Mister Li? And the original Yun Zhonghe had gotten in trouble with some VIP in this city? Who was this VIP?

“The man you angered is awfully powerful. For someone like him, killing you is as easy as crushing an ant.” The officer from the Order of the Black Dragon then said, “Not a single person within a 500-kilometer radius can save you if he wants you dead. No one except the Order of the Black Dragon.”

“Actually, even the order was reluctant to make an enemy out of this man. That is why you have to prove your value to us; only then will we be willing to save you. The Order of the Black Dragon will have to pay a high price for coming in conflict with this man, and you will seize the City of Torn Gust for us as compensation.”

Yun Zhonghe finally got the idea of his current situation. He would be dead if he stepped out of this prison. He would be crushed to pieces even if he ran off to the world’s end. On the other side of the prison gate, he had at least a thousand enemies.

“To be honest,” Yun Zhonghe said, “I’m a douchebag. Other than seducing women, I know nothing. Do you think you can trust me with such an important mission? It isn’t really your style. If the Order of the Black Dragon is such a powerful intelligence agency, you guys should be more meticulous. I can’t believe that the Order of the Black Dragon hasn’t already trained any good-looking secret agents.”

“Of course we have,” said the man from the Order of the Black Dragon. “The City of Torn Gust and the castellan, Jing Zhongyue, were under the close scrutiny of countless parties from all over the world. Batches of elite agents of the Order of the Black Dragon have been dispatched to the City of Torn Gust to execute missions, but all have failed. All the agents have all died.”

Yun Zhonghe said, “They were professionals, and they have failed. Such a mission would be suicide for me, wouldn’t it?”

The officer replied, “You aren’t professional; you are a scumbag, a bug in the sewer. But all of this is to your advantage, isn’t it? You don’t have the vibe of the Order of the Black Dragon. We believe in leaving the specialized work for the specialists, and you are like the founder of the art of seduction.”

“The baroness of the City of Torn Gust, what is she like?” Yun Zhonghe asked.

“Very powerful, very malicious, and very beautiful,” the officer answered. “She has murdered hundreds of secret agents in recent years, some from our empire, and some from our enemies. They were all tasked to approach her. Some were cut apart piece by piece, some were boiled to death, and some were fed to the dogs. Every single one of them died a tragic death.”

“Were they all handsome men?” Yun Zhonghe asked.

The officer answered, “Not all. There were also women, and a child who was seemingly eight or nine years old, but they were all killed.”

She was indeed immensely ruthless.

Yun Zhonghe then said, “You’re saying that all these years, she was almost constantly approached and seduced by people with hidden agendas? She remains the target of the intelligence agencies from several countries, all of which plan to gain control of the City of Torn Gust by subjugating her?”

“Yes!” said the officer of the Order of the Black Dragon. “That means she has seen all sorts of tricks and experienced all sorts of techniques. She has a pair of gimlet eyes.”

Yun Zhonghe asked, “So the mission you’re assigning to me will be difficult as hell? There is a high probability of me being fed to the dogs?”

“Exactly,” the officer said. “According to your previous work, you are very skilled at picking up women, but you would be as childish and clumsy as a three-year-old to her.”

Yun Zhonghe raised his voice, “Then why would you send me? I am just a pickup artist and a scumbag!”

“I’m just recycling,” the officer explained. “I would still give it a try even if the probability of success was in the ten thousandths.”

“Then I’ll give it a try.” Yun Zhonghe sighed.

The agent of the order said, “If you succeed, you will officially become a member of the Order of the Black Dragon. You may not know what this means, but one day you will understand. Those who looked down upon you, walked over you, and wanted to tear you into pieces will all seek your favor. You will make their hair curl, and they will fear that you might take revenge on them.”

All of a sudden, a person entered quickly and whispered something into the officer’s ear.

“Noted.” The man nodded. “You may leave now.”

The man ran out of the cell without making any noise.

“The man who wants you dead has learned that you weren’t beheaded, and he sent someone to ask about it,” the officer explained. “I’m under pressure already. Now, I could either hand your head over to him, or I could refuse his demand. But once I refuse, there will be a high price to pay, and it will not be something I can pay with money.”

Yun Zhonghe repeated, “I could give it a go.”

The Black Dragon officer clapped his hands, and two men entered the cell. Surprisingly, both of them were also incredibly handsome men. However, their styles were entirely different from that of Yun Zhonghe; one was pretty masculine, while the other one was more scholar-like.

The officer said, “All three of you are good-looking, good at picking up women, and have made poor choices that have put you in a dangerous situation. Only one of you can take the mission in the City of Torn Gust, and that means only one of you here can live. The other two men’s heads will be chopped off and sent out.”

When Yun Zhonghe heard that, his heart skipped a beat. For some strange reason, excitement rushed through him. This was a competition, and the losers would die. How exhilarating!

This reaction wasn’t like Yun Zhonghe at all! He used to fear death very much, and he cherished his life. Although he still feared death, his excitement grew along with the danger he faced. Wasn’t that rather odd?

The agent of the Order of the Black Dragon said, “I will ask three questions to test your intelligence and capabilities. If you answer all of them correctly, you may live and execute the mission in the City of Torn Gust. On the other hand, if you answer even one of the questions wrongly, you die.”