Do You Submit?

Translator: Cinder Translations

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After finishing his words, Jiang Cheng took the initiative to walk toward the stone door. After taking two steps, he turned around and stared at Chen Ran, saying, "Brother Chen, aren't you coming to take a look?"

Chen Ran licked his lips and replied with a smile, "If Brother Hao is willing to take his hand out of his pocket, I wouldn't mind going with you to take a look."

Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, smacked his lips, and reluctantly agreed, "Alright then."

He slowly took his hand out of his pocket, revealing a wooden dagger hidden beneath his well-toned forearm.

Chen Ran couldn't help but laugh.

Jiang Cheng laughed too.

The two handsome young men shared a smile in a room dimly lit by the flickering flames. The light from the flames cast their shadows on the wall, which trembled slightly with the breeze coming from nowhere. The scene grew subtly ambiguous for a moment.

"Don't mind it," Jiang Cheng shrugged his shoulders and held the dagger upside down, shaking it as he said, "This dagger was given to me by Su Xiaoxiao. The reason is probably that she's been secretly in love with me and doesn't want anything to happen to me."

Chen Ran's eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment, he asked in a soft voice, "Did you two... know each other before?"

"Not really," Jiang Cheng shook his head, his eyes full of playfulness. "It was just a brief, fleeting relationship, Brother Chen might not understand me."

He leaned in slightly, purposely adopting a mysterious pose and whispered, "I don't like women who are too proactive. I prefer being the one who pursues."

He swallowed, then continued in a teasing tone, "It could be either man or woman."

Chen Ran narrowed his eyes and after a while, nodded slowly. "I see."

Jiang Cheng looked at him with wide eyes in disbelief. "You understand what? Aren't you supposed to..." His mouth formed an 'O' shape as he eyed Chen Ran up and down.

After a long silence, Chen Ran spoke again, "Brother Hao, have you reconsidered my suggestion?"

"I really can't help it," Jiang Cheng spread his hands helplessly. "You know the relationship between the Fatty and me. What do you want me to do to help you negotiate?"

"How about..." Jiang Cheng swallowed nervously and cautiously suggested, "Brother Chen, why don't you accompany me for two more nights? I'll test the goods first?"

Chen Ran took a deep breath, slowly pulled his hands out of his pockets, and smiled. "No need to trouble Brother Hao," he said with a smile, "It seems it's easier to deal with both of you together."

"Mmm."

When Chen Ran slowly opened his hands, Jiang Cheng's face turned awkward. He saw that Chen Ran held a dagger in each hand, and both were of noticeably better craftsmanship and longer than the one Jiang Cheng held.

Comparing them, his own dagger seemed like something sold at a street stall.

"Wait!" 

Just as Chen Ran was about to strike, Jiang Cheng suddenly backed down.

"I have a suggestion," he said with a righteous tone. "I think both of us are truly unique young men in this world, so I suggest we throw away our weapons."

"How about hand-to-hand combat?" Jiang Cheng shouted loudly. "Let's resolve our differences in the most manly way."

Chen Ran ignored him and attacked directly.

He had learned from a master who specialized in the Assassination techniques, so he was very precise with the power and timing of close-range thrusts.

He still remembered the duel on the day he left his master. In that duel, he had blinded his master's eyes.

He could still recall his teacher's last words as he knelt on the bloodstained floor, saying that only death was the ultimate fate of an assassin, and thanking his student for merely taking away his sight.

"Goodbye."

As he closed the door to his master's private room, Chen Ran had bowed.

Dealing with Jiang Cheng, he was confident, but he preferred watching people like friends or family turn against each other. He enjoyed seeing their hesitant eyes after hearing his proposal.

Like pitiful prey.

They needed to learn respect, to learn that in the face of life, everything must yield.

His understanding of education was simple and practical. He never tried to use words to persuade them. He had neither the time nor the patience for that. Instead, he preferred directly destroying their bodies, will, and spirit.

Only through destruction could one be reborn.

That's why he never expected this man in front of him to betray the fatty outside. He had said that simply to test what kind of surprise this man could offer him.

From him, he could sense a special scent.

Chen Ran grinned. It was a deep crimson scent.

He was qualified to become a disciple.

In the battle, this man who called himself Hao Shuai kept surprising him. He was strong, but his understanding of daggers was clearly lacking.

His moves couldn't keep up with his thoughts.

From the very beginning, the outcome of the battle was decided, but he wasn't satisfied. He simply left wounds on Jiang Cheng's arms and legs. The final strike was aimed at his face.

It wasn't deep, but still caused blood to ooze out of the wound.

With the swish of his trench coat, Chen Ran elegantly sheathed his daggers, each placed on either side of his waist.

"Brother Hao," Chen Ran tilted his head, his eyes half-smiling. "Now you have a chance. You can reconsider the suggestion I made earlier."

He smiled gently, "Our agreement still stands."

Jiang Cheng leaned against the wall. His injuries weren't too severe, but that was only because Chen Ran hadn't used his full strength. His right hand, still clutching the dagger, trembled slightly. The wound on his right arm had precisely cut the muscles he used to swing the blade.

"Haah..." He exhaled deeply.

Chen Ran tilted his head, his beautiful eyes almost speaking.

"Wait for me a moment," Jiang Cheng coughed forcefully a couple of times, as though his throat was blocked by phlegm. "Just ten minutes."

Chen Ran shook his head slightly. "No."

"Then... five minutes?"

"Not even one minute," Chen Ran looked at him, exhaling. "Brother Hao, you have to make a choice now. Will you be the little guinea pig, or will it be the fat brother outside?"

"Oh," he smiled. "Don't think that the Fatty will come to save you. He's probably got enough trouble of his own."

"You mean the painting on the ground outside?" Jiang Cheng leaned against the wall, gasping for air as he said, "You can forget about that. I ruined the painting."

"Because you used the fuel inside, he might fall into an illusion for a while, but not for long." Since stretching his arm hurt too much, Jiang Cheng raised his chin and gestured for Chen Ran to look at the flames in the center.

"It should be about time," the next moment, Jiang Cheng suddenly straightened his back, lifted his head, and loudly declared to Chen Ran with great confidence, "Chen Ran, you've lost, do you submit or not?"

TL/N: I didn't quite understand what happened... If you do, tell me in the comments...

(End of the Chapter)

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Translated 4 Series, 1.65K+ Chapters and 2.01M+ Words.