Chapter Sixty-Seven: Turning Point

Ximen Xiaokun was thus reduced to a pool of blood and mud before Du Gu Ming’s astonished eyes.

“Well, your enemy is dead now. Let’s settle our own business properly. Let me see what kind of power a man chosen by fate possesses,” said Zan Gang with a smile. To him, Du Gu Ming was like a fish on a chopping block, awaiting slaughter. He was certain Du Gu Ming could not escape his grasp.

“Brother, why don’t you give up your futile struggle and come over here? Let me lavish you with affection, hehe.” Duan Xiu laughed, covering his lips with slender, feminine hands. Despite the masculine shell, he radiated a charm no weaker than any woman’s.

What’s happening? Du Gu Ming shook his head, nearly succumbing to Duan Xiu’s allure. He hadn’t expected this man’s seductive arts to surpass those of the most enchanting women he had ever seen.

While Du Gu Ming was still pondering, Zan Gang’s iron fist, sharp as the wind, shot toward him at a speed ten times faster than before—so swift it happened in the blink of an eye. Du Gu Ming could not react in time. Was this the power of a higher realm? It was monstrous.

Zan Gang’s lips curled slightly. That had only been a warm-up; now it was time to get serious. After exchanging a few blows, he had gauged Du Gu Ming’s strength and was confident this punch would end his life.

Du Gu Ming had no chance to respond. The punch was so fast, he could feel Zan Gang’s fist locking onto him; no matter how he tried to escape, it would inevitably strike him. Worse yet, he was immobilized, the overwhelming pressure making even breathing difficult.

What should he do? There was no way to dodge the blow. Was this how it would end? No, Du Gu Ming could not die yet—there was still so much left undone.

He gradually slipped into memories. It is said that those on the brink of death often recall their past.

Du Gu Ming remembered his childhood vividly. From birth, he was profoundly lonely.

He had relatives, but no mother; a father, but rarely saw him. Throughout his early years, Du Gu Ming was fostered with different relatives.

As a child, Du Gu Ming was unruly, mischievous, and difficult to care for. He cried often and couldn’t stay at any relative’s house for more than a month before being sent back. Thus, his childhood was spent lodging with various families. He had no friends, companions, or mother—and could scarcely claim to have a father.

His father was always an inadequate figure in his eyes. Aside from the rare meetings each year, his so-called father was barely present. The family was poor; they couldn’t afford a nanny, which only exposed them further to the disdain of kin and acquaintances.

Du Gu Ming’s grandfather had died when his father was nine, and his grandmother passed away soon after Du Gu Ming’s birth. From the moment he entered this world, he was a child without affection or love.

Du Gu Ming didn’t know why; he felt abandoned, discarded. Because of this childhood, he matured early, understanding much at a young age. He often asked himself, What is the meaning of my existence?

He yearned to confront his father: “If you never intended to raise me, why did you have me in the first place?”

But during their rare meetings, he could see the depth of his father’s love clearly in his eyes, so he dismissed the thought.

Later, his father suddenly became rich overnight, took him to America, and found the best nanny for him. No one knew how his father had acquired such wealth, and Du Gu Ming never asked.

In America, his father remained as absent as ever. Throughout the year, his only companion was a kind, elderly nanny.

As Du Gu Ming grew older, despite his achievements, he still had no friends or family. He never knew what love was. The loneliness deep within never left him, always shaping his life.

He wanted to ask the heavens, “Since you have forsaken me, why did you let me be born? Why not let me die and be done with it?” He felt like a misfit in the world.

It was the second winter after arriving in America that Du Gu Ming began planning his death. He resolved to leave this world, to depart from this place of agony—to end it once and for all.

Du Gu Ming remembered clearly—it was a night of swirling snow. Darkness… cold… in a pitch-black world where not even a hand could be seen, in a chill as biting as Antarctica. His heart bled, his flesh felt as if torn by knives.

The air was thick and unmoving, time and space seeming to halt. An oppressive silence reigned—deathlike and suffocating. Who knew how long it lasted—perhaps a moment, perhaps an eternity. In that instant, his heart ceased to beat; a painful suffocation enveloped him. He struggled, fought, resisted. Du Gu Ming still clung to hope of changing the gears of fate, but it was all in vain.

His life trickled away, slipping through his fingers until nothing remained. Crimson blood seeped from his lips and skin, trickling through his hair—more and more, faster and faster, becoming uncontrollable. The sheets turned bright red, like a gaping maw swallowing his body.

His limbs felt heavy as lead; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move. The wounds kept expanding, and the pain, strangely sweet, eclipsed his tears. Yet the deathly silence of his soul accelerated his body’s demise. At that moment, Du Gu Ming seemed to hear the sound of water dripping—“drip, drip”—his mind plunged into chaos, thoughts spiraling out of control, slowly… slowly… and finally, Du Gu Ming was on the verge of death…

The feeling then was much like now. Du Gu Ming felt breathless, his mind growing hazy. Was he truly about to die?

…

In the depths of Du Gu Ming’s soul, a young man with snow-white hair, handsome features, and a resemblance to Du Gu Ming suddenly opened his eyes. His blood-red eyes were so suffused with crimson, one could barely distinguish the pupils—they seemed drenched in blood.

The youth twisted his mouth into a bitter smile and murmured, “Will I be able to unlock the first layer of restrictions this time? A few years ago, I nearly did it. I wonder if I’ll succeed now. Ah, why did I set up such a troublesome unlocking method back then?” With that, the youth closed his eyes once more.