A New Breathing Technique

"So he’s been standing on another Hollow this whole time. No wonder he wasn’t moving. I thought he’d been scared stupid…" Rukia Kuchiki lowered her head to examine Motokawa Yosuke’s condition and discovered that he had not been transformed from an ordinary soul into a Hollow for very long.

"With that person’s strength, he should have destroyed this Hollow long ago. Since he’s delayed until now, they must know each other."

Rukia Kuchiki formed a guess and immediately turned to Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Hey! You know this Hollow, don’t you?"

"A Hollow?" Ichigo Kurosaki did not understand what Rukia Kuchiki meant. He only saw her pointing at Motokawa Yosuke, so he nodded. "You mean Uncle Yosuke? Yeah, we know him."

Then Ichigo Kurosaki explained everything about Motokawa Yosuke, from the cause of his death and his final wish to how Chu Yang had helped him recover compensation.

Didn’t expect that guy to be so kind-hearted. Rukia Kuchiki secretly thought as she glanced at Chu Yang, who looked like a humanoid monster.

"Is this state called a Hollow?" Ichigo Kurosaki asked anxiously. "Why did Uncle Yosuke become like this? Is there any way to turn him back?"

"The best way is to send him to the afterlife. Since his final wish has been fulfilled, he shouldn’t remain here. Otherwise, he will gradually lose his sanity and become a monster."

Rukia Kuchiki briefly explained the nature of souls and Hollows as she considered how to perform a soul burial for Motokawa Yosuke.

Chu Yang had already severely injured him. No matter how Rukia Kuchiki dealt with him, he had no ability to resist.

However, performing a soul burial on a Hollow was much more complicated than performing one on an ordinary soul and required extensive preparation.

If Rukia Kuchiki wanted to complete Motokawa Yosuke’s soul burial, she had to ensure that the surrounding environment remained stable and free from outside interference.

She had to deal with the Hollow that was about to evolve first.

"Damn it, how can I, a Soul Reaper, just stand here and watch? This should have been my duty!"

Chu Yang’s close-quarters battle with the Hollow was exceptionally fierce. For the moment, Rukia’s Zanpakuto had no opening to strike, and she could only watch them fight.

If this area had not been so sparsely populated and had so few buildings, it would likely have become another massive disaster.

It was already difficult to find a single intact patch of ground nearby. The area was littered with craters and gullies.

If she had not seen it with her own eyes, Rukia would never have believed what was before her.

If someone in Soul Society had told her that a human could suppress a Hollow through physical ability alone without a Zanpakuto, she would have considered them insane.

After grappling for quite a while, Chu Yang leaped high into the air and smashed the Hollow’s mask to pieces with a single punch.

Rumble!!!

The enormous Hollow collapsed. Its shattered mask scattered in the wind, revealing a human face beneath.

"I’ll leave it to you!" Chu Yang rubbed his neck and jumped down from the Hollow with a weary expression.

In terms of pure combat power, Soul Reapers undoubtedly surpassed Hokage and pirates by quite a bit. No matter how exaggerated the latter two became, most of them still remained at the human level.

Of course, the Sage of Six Paths was an exception.

In the Bleach world, where combat power was rather high, even an ordinary Hollow was not easy to deal with. Not to mention that the Hollow Rukia had drawn here had already begun evolving toward the Menos class.

Without using Wood Release or other methods, Chu Yang had truly spent considerable effort defeating this Hollow.

Even so, the result was enough to leave Rukia utterly dumbfounded.

She had been a Soul Reaper for quite some years, yet this was still the first time she had witnessed something like this.

At Chu Yang and Ichigo Kurosaki’s request, Rukia performed a soul burial on Motokawa Yosuke first, though she should have dealt with the more dangerous Hollow before him.

At the final moment of the soul burial, Motokawa Yosuke regained his original consciousness. After hearing that Tozawa had delivered the compensation to his family, he finally released his last lingering attachment to the World of the Living.

Before departing, the honest and dutiful worker sincerely thanked Chu Yang and Ichigo Kurosaki for all they had done for him.

After sending Motokawa Yosuke off, Rukia began purifying the other Hollow, thrusting her Zanpakuto into the hole in its chest.

From the sweat running down her temples, Chu Yang could tell that this was no easy task, at least much more troublesome than dealing with Motokawa Yosuke.

"You’re really amazing!"

Ichigo Kurosaki silently walked over to Chu Yang’s side and said with feeling, "You actually managed to go toe-to-toe with that kind of monster."

"What do you mean, go toe-to-toe?" Chu Yang said unhappily. "Didn’t you see how badly I beat it? I didn’t even get my clothes dirty."

Ichigo Kurosaki turned to look at Chu Yang.

He found that Chu Yang’s school uniform was indeed spotless, let alone damaged.

Of course, Chu Yang’s uniform was fine. Haki covered his entire body. To break through his Haki, one would at least need the strength of a Menos-class Hollow.

Ichigo Kurosaki scratched his head. "That girl said she was a Soul Reaper. Are you a Soul Reaper too?"

Chu Yang rolled his eyes at him. "I’m King Yama!"

Japan’s Buddhist culture originated from China, so there was naturally also the concept of King Yama, though it was not as widely known as Ksitigarbha.

Upon hearing Chu Yang’s answer, Ichigo Kurosaki froze for a moment before immediately realizing that the other man was teasing him. He scratched his head and gave an awkward chuckle.

"Unfortunately, there is no King Yama in Hell. There are only souls that committed grave sins, like this Hollow!"

As Rukia spoke, an eerie and terrifying gate slowly appeared in the air.

Ancient incantations were carved into the gate. At its center was a pair of vicious white bones, their fingertips tightly gripping the crack between the doors as though they were desperately trying to pry them open.

The moment they saw the Hell Gate, both Chu Yang and Ichigo Kurosaki felt a chill crawl up their spines.

"A Zanpakuto can purify a Hollow’s sins, but the crimes it committed in life will still be settled one by one in Hell. Motokawa Yosuke was not dragged into Hell because he had only recently become a Hollow, and he himself had committed no sins."

Rukia explained calmly.

She had seen this scene many times. There was nothing surprising about it.

The Hell Gate opened completely and slowly dragged the Hollow inside. Everything beyond it was chaos, and even Chu Yang could not see the world within.

However.

He could sense that something inside was watching him.

This put Chu Yang on guard.

A moment later, the Hell Gate closed again, gradually turned transparent, and vanished. The entire process was like an illusion, as though it had never existed.

After sending the Hollow to Hell, Rukia had completed her task. Instead of leaving, she walked straight up to Chu Yang and asked, "Are you a Fullbringer?"

Rukia could find no other explanation for an ordinary person possessing such exaggerated abilities besides him being a Fullbringer.

Fullbringers could draw out the souls within matter and strengthen them with their own spiritual power. Besides enhancing their mobility in this way, they could also alter the shape of objects they commonly used.

There were many kinds of Fullbringers, including those who strengthened themselves, such as Ichigo Kurosaki’s friend, Yasutora Sado.

"What does Fullbringer mean?" Ichigo Kurosaki once again wore a face full of question marks. Too many words he could not understand had appeared today.

Rukia sighed, then began explaining.

"So that’s what it means!"

After understanding, Ichigo Kurosaki turned and stared curiously at Chu Yang, seemingly hoping to hear a definite answer from him.

To avoid making things more troublesome, Chu Yang did not answer Rukia’s question and instead tacitly admitted it.

Rukia gave Chu Yang a deep look.

She had originally planned to use the Memory Changer to alter the two men’s memories of tonight, but she was somewhat wary of Chu Yang’s strength. If she tried to force the issue, it might not go smoothly.

Moreover, Soul Reapers could not casually harm ordinary humans. If the Seireitei found out, she would also face severe punishment.

So, Rukia secretly left special marks on Chu Yang and Ichigo Kurosaki so she could find them later. After warning them both, she left directly.

"I hope I never see that girl again…"

With his hands behind his head, Ichigo Kurosaki sighed. "Tonight was the most exciting night of my fifteen years of life."

Chu Yang smiled. "Maybe it’ll get even more exciting later."

Ichigo Kurosaki hurriedly waved his hands. "Please don’t. I just want to live peacefully, study like an ordinary person, get into college, graduate, and work."

"Then good luck. I’m going home to sleep first." Chu Yang yawned and set off home beneath the moonlight.

"This guy always sounds so strange." Ichigo Kurosaki muttered as he stroked his chin. Then his expression suddenly changed, and he took off running.

"Oh no, it’s so late. Dad and the others must be worried!"

Demon Slayer world.

Kanae and the others were eating ramen in a ramen shop. The owners of the shop were Obanai Iguro and Mitsuri Kanroji.

"Yang is still training. Kibutsuji Muzan is already dead, so why is he still so obsessed with surpassing the limits of Sun Breathing?"

Chu Yang had originally promised Kanae and the others that he would come eat here today, but he had canceled at the last minute. This left Shinobu Kocho dissatisfied, and she was now complaining about Chu Yang to everyone from the Butterfly Mansion.

Makomo and Kanao exchanged glances, then lowered their heads to eat their noodles, not daring to badmouth Chu Yang together with Shinobu Kocho.

To every member of the Demon Slayer Corps, Chu Yang was a hero beyond reproach. He was the one who had ended this thousand-year war.

Kanae stroked Shinobu Kocho’s hair and gently comforted her. "It is precisely because he is so persistent that he could defeat Kibutsuji Muzan at his age and allow us to live like ordinary people."

"I know!" Shinobu Kocho pouted. "He’s suffered all the hardship he needed to suffer and endured all the exhaustion he needed to endure. Why does he still have to be so harsh on himself? Can’t he stop, enjoy himself a little, and reward himself?"

Kanae soothed her younger sister’s emotions, smiling as she stuffed delicious food into her mouth.

In truth, Shinobu Kocho was not the only one who did not understand. Kanae also could not understand Chu Yang’s current state of mind.

Kibutsuji Muzan was already dead. He was already the strongest human in the world. What was the point of continuing to grow stronger?

Butterfly Mansion.

Golden flames surrounded Chu Yang as he completed another round of breathing, but the improvement was not obvious.

Chu Yang could clearly feel that Sun Breathing had reached a bottleneck.

"How can I break through?"

He had already mastered the Demon Slayer Mark and the Transparent World. Whether he refined the details or strengthened his physique day after day, it seemed difficult for the Breathing Technique to produce anything new.

This left Chu Yang feeling dejected, so he decided to go out for a walk and end this secluded lifestyle.

When Kanae and the others returned to the Butterfly Mansion from the ramen shop and discovered that Chu Yang was gone, normally mild-tempered Kanae flew into a rage at the entrance.

"If he comes again next time, shut the door on him! That bastard!"

Unfortunately, Chu Yang had already gone far away and could not hear Kanae’s furious roar.

For the first stop of his journey, Chu Yang had not decided where to go. After thinking for a long time, he ultimately decided to wander wherever his mood took him.

If he encountered mountains, he crossed mountains. If he encountered water, he crossed water.

The chirping of insects and birds in the mountains and forests, along with the sound of waves by rivers and lakes, became medicine that soothed the restlessness in Chu Yang’s heart.

Throughout this process, Chu Yang gradually relaxed, and Sun Breathing appeared in his mind less and less often.

In the end, he even released the Total Concentration Constant state that he had deliberately maintained every day.

Chu Yang continued his journey like an ordinary person.

Unknowingly, he arrived at a remote town. Everything in the town felt familiar to him.

This was the town where he had first met Tanjuro.

Come to think of it, Chu Yang had not seen that father and son, as warm as the sun, in a long time.

He wondered whether Tanjuro’s health had improved.

Chu Yang prepared to head up the mountain to visit Tanjuro, but on a cliff halfway there, he spotted someone gathering herbs.

"Such a steep cliff… if he slips even once…"

Just as he thought this, a violent gust suddenly swept through the area. Chu Yang looked into the distance and saw a vast, dark mass.

A typhoon.

The herb gatherer on the cliff also sensed the approaching typhoon. He stopped in an awkward position, neither able to climb up nor down, and hesitated.

It was already too late to call out a warning. Chu Yang could only rush toward the cliff where the man was.

The herb gatherer swayed like willow fluff in the violent wind.

Crack~

The rock beneath his feet suddenly shattered. His entire body tilted backward, and the instant his hand slipped, he plummeted straight down.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

Just as the herb gatherer thought he was about to be smashed into pulp, his body suddenly stopped, as though something had caught him.

When he opened his eyes again, he discovered that he was already standing safely on the ground.

Ahead of him stood a powerfully built young man, smiling at him.

To thank him for saving his life, the herb gatherer insisted on bringing him home and treating him properly.

The storm was growing increasingly fierce, and the man’s hospitality was difficult to refuse.

Chu Yang could only agree and follow the herb gatherer deep into the mountains.

When they arrived, Chu Yang saw two houses. One of them was incredibly familiar.

Tanjuro’s home.

The house beside Tanjuro’s home was the herb gatherer’s home.

So they were neighbors!

The last time Chu Yang had come, only Tanjuro’s family had lived here.

Tanjuro was chopping firewood outside. Hearing the movement, he guessed that the neighbor had returned home and looked up to greet him.

"Mr. Tokito, you’re back. Today’s harvest…"

Tanjuro’s voice came to an abrupt halt because he saw a familiar figure. Tears immediately welled up in his eyes.

Firewood crackled in the flames. Chu Yang, Tanjuro, and several of his children sat around the fire.

Tanjuro’s wife was busy preparing dinner. Their guest was the great benefactor who had saved her husband and son, so she could not neglect him.

Some days ago, Tanjuro, whose condition had been fairly good, had hunted a plump wild boar. She had cured all several hundred pounds of pork, and now it was perfect to bring out for a meal.

The aroma of food filled the air, making the children cheer excitedly.

Aside from Tanjiro, the other children chased and played around the fire.

Tanjiro leaned against his father, staring at Chu Yang with wide, round eyes full of delight.

He remembered that ever since Big Brother had visited their home last time, his father’s health had improved greatly.

"Mr. Yang, things outside seem to have gotten much better. Recently, I haven’t heard of any demons hurting people anymore." Tanjuro poked at the fire and said with a smile, "The children should be able to live peacefully from now on."

Chu Yang nodded. Tanjuro knew some of the details, so he did not avoid the subject too much when speaking of such matters.

"How is your health?" Chu Yang asked as he looked at Tanjuro’s still somewhat sallow face.

"Much better." Tanjuro immediately replied. The terminal illness was still slowly eroding his life. Though Chu Yang had given him a great deal of vitality, it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

Chu Yang glanced at Tanjuro and saw panic in his eyes. Knowing that he was lying, he said, "In a few days, I’ll ask a friend to come examine you."

"No, no, there’s no need. My illness can’t be cured." Tanjuro hurriedly waved his hands. He did not want to trouble Chu Yang, much less make Chu Yang owe someone a favor because of him.

"I’m informing you, not asking for your approval." Chu Yang frowned. "If you really feel bad about it, then perform the Kagura Dance for me one more time."

Tanjuro nodded in agreement.

Knock, knock, knock~~~

A knock sounded at the door.

"It must be Mr. Tokito." Tanjuro got up to answer the door, and the children immediately followed behind him, seeming to think their father was heading out again.

"Mr. Tokito?" Chu Yang had thought that surname sounded somewhat familiar.

The door opened, and cold wind poured into the house, making the temperature suddenly drop. Tanjuro hurriedly welcomed the Tokito family inside and shut the door tightly behind them.

The Tokito family had come to thank Chu Yang for saving their lives earlier.

"Hello, sir. My name is Ichiro Tokito. These are my two children, Yuichiro Tokito and Muichiro Tokito."

Ichiro Tokito placed his hands on his children’s shoulders and gave them a gentle press. The two boys immediately understood.

They bent at the waist with their father and bowed in thanks.

Muichiro Tokito?

Chu Yang’s gaze rested on the youngest child. He had never expected that this trip, taken on a whim after too long spent in seclusion, would bring him face-to-face with Muichiro Tokito, who should have become the Mist Pillar.

What a pity… now that the Demon Slayer Corps had disbanded, this child’s terrifying talent would likely remain unknown for the rest of his life.

Then again, perhaps that was for the best. Compared with becoming an unparalleled genius of the Demon Slayer Corps, Muichiro probably wanted more than anything to live peacefully with his family.

When Chu Yang remained silent for a long time, the Tokito family began to feel uneasy.

Tanjuro found it strange as well. With a puzzled expression, he broke the awkward silence with a smile. "Mr. Yang, aren’t the Tokito family’s names interesting? The father is named Ichiro, while the two children are named Yuichiro and Muichiro."

Chu Yang smiled. "They really are interesting."

Seeing Chu Yang smile, Ichiro Tokito finally relaxed. He then said, "My wife originally wanted to come and thank you in person as well, but she is currently bedridden…"

"It’s all right. A sick person should rest properly." Chu Yang suddenly remembered that Muichiro’s mother had a severe lung disease. Like Tanjuro, she did not have long to live.

Since they still had a sick person at home to care for, the Tokito family only exchanged a few pleasantries before leaving.

They had brought gifts of thanks with them, mostly wild game they had saved up in their daily lives. Chu Yang accepted only a small portion. Life in the mountains was not easy, and he did not want to consume what little food they had.

After they left, Chu Yang gave the wild game to Tanjuro’s wife, Kie, to prepare. With the game sent by the Tokito family, dinner became far more plentiful.

After dinner, Tanjuro began preparing the clothing and props for the Kagura Dance. During that time, Ichiro Tokito came again, bringing back the gifts he had taken home earlier.

"My wife said I absolutely had to place these things in Mr. Yang’s hands, so…" Ichiro Tokito scratched his head. His cheeks had turned red from the cold weather.

Afraid that Ichiro would fall ill from running back and forth in the freezing weather, Chu Yang finally accepted the gifts. "A friend of mine will come here in a few days to treat Tanjuro. When the time comes, you can bring your wife here to receive treatment as well."

Ichiro Tokito’s lips trembled with excitement. He looked at Chu Yang with a bellyful of gratitude, yet he did not know how to express it.

At that moment, the fully prepared Tanjuro began performing the Kagura Dance in the courtyard.

The torch in his hand flickered brightly and dimly, like stars blinking in the night sky. Together with his graceful dance, it was mesmerizing.

Even watching it a second time, Chu Yang was still easily drawn into it.

Everyone else was the same.

It was Ichiro Tokito’s first time seeing the Kagura Dance, yet the dance before his eyes gave him a familiar feeling.

Ichiro Tokito had never told anyone that he was a swordsman.

Ever since his wife had contracted severe lung disease, he had spent every day traveling in search of medicine for her. He had never held a blade again.

The Kagura Dance awakened his memories as a swordsman.

Among the incomplete sword techniques passed down by his ancestors, some movements were extremely similar to the Kagura Dance before him.

As he watched, he compared them against each other, and a sudden sense of enlightenment came over him.

By the time Tanjuro finished the Kagura Dance, everyone was left wanting more.

After hesitating for a moment, Ichiro Tokito voiced the doubts in his heart to Chu Yang and Tanjuro.

"Your family name was not originally Tokito. It was Tsugikuni." Chu Yang told Ichiro Tokito the story of Yoriichi Tsugikuni and Yorichi Tsugikuni, as well as the origins of the Breathing Technique.

He omitted only the parts concerning demons.

Now that Kibutsuji Muzan was dead, there was no need to cause unnecessary panic.

"The sword technique passed down through your family should be called Moon Breathing. It was the first Breathing Technique derived from Sun Breathing, and its significance is extraordinary."

The two Tsugikuni brothers had each been uniquely significant to the other.

Because the mark on his forehead was regarded as an ill omen, Yoriichi Tsugikuni’s childhood had been unhappy. His father had shown him no affection whatsoever, at least until he displayed his extraordinary talent.

Other than his mother, only his elder brother, Yorichi Tsugikuni, had given him the little warmth and light he possessed.

Even at the moment of his death, he still carried the flute Yorichi Tsugikuni had given him.

Even after Yorichi Tsugikuni had become an evil demon, he still called him "Elder Brother."

With feelings so profound, Chu Yang believed with certainty that the Moon Breathing Yoriichi Tsugikuni had tailored for Yorichi Tsugikuni possessed something special that no other Breathing Technique could match.

"Mr. Tokito, could you demonstrate your sword technique for me?"

Chu Yang had always been deeply interested in Moon Breathing.

His battle with Kokushibo had ended in an instant. Chu Yang had crushed him with absolute strength and had not witnessed the essence of Moon Breathing. After the battle, he had felt some regret over it.

"Of course, Mr. Yang!" Ichiro Tokito beamed and hurried home to fetch a rust-covered katana.

Generally speaking, even if a swordsman did not use his blade, he would still maintain it regularly to prevent the edge from corroding.

Seeing the katana’s condition, Chu Yang understood that Ichiro Tokito had truly devoted himself entirely to his wife’s illness these past years, with no time to spare for anything else.

"The blade is not in very good condition, Mr. Yang. Please forgive me."

When Ichiro Tokito took out his beloved katana, his expression was somewhat embarrassed. But he quickly composed himself and began to swing it slowly.

His movements were somewhat rusty at first, but as he became more focused, that stiffness was gradually worn away, becoming smooth and rounded.

Ichiro Tokito’s sword technique did indeed share similarities with Tanjuro’s Kagura Dance, but the former carried a far more chilling aura of slaughter.

Chu Yang watched intently, attempting to piece together a complete Moon Breathing in his mind through his understanding of Sun Breathing.

He vaguely felt that this might become the key to his breakthrough.

Chu Yang did not tell him to stop, so Ichiro Tokito continued practicing the forms over and over. The beginning connected to the end, as though forming a complete circle.

Exactly like the Kagura Dance.

Chu Yang’s mind jolted!

The two Breathing Techniques in his mind continued to merge. There was moon within the sun, and with the addition of Moon Breathing, Sun Breathing moved toward perfection.

Chu Yang took a deep breath. A brand-new Breathing Technique circulated through his body, giving him an entirely new experience.

When white breath flowed from his nose and mouth, it no longer resembled blazing golden flames. Instead, it became a radiant band of light, like the Milky Way.

"This is a new Sun Breathing…" Chu Yang paused, feeling that name was inappropriate. He immediately shook his head. "No, this is no longer Sun Breathing. It is… Source Breathing."

"It can break through restraints and improve without end, allowing me to step into an entirely new level of life."

At the same time, Chu Yang in other worlds all sensed the power of Source Breathing.

Ever since Kibutsuji Muzan’s death, Demon Slayer Chu Yang’s connection to the Soul Palace had grown increasingly close. Chu Yang in other worlds could now share his changes in real time.

Marvel World.

New York City, Brooklyn.

As the village’s only hope, Chu Yang left his rural town and came to New York, the great metropolis most people dreamed of.

He had come here to attend school.

At first, Chu Yang thought it would be a very good public school. Only after arriving did he learn that the school was actually located in Brooklyn, the poorest and most chaotic part of New York.

As a former gathering place for minority ethnic groups led by Black people, Brooklyn had always been vulnerable to regional discrimination. People from here found it difficult to get jobs elsewhere.

It was the most unwelcome district in New York, packed with people and plagued by persistently high crime rates.

The moment people heard you came from Brooklyn, they would all cover their mouths in unspoken agreement and put on a look of surprise.

As if you had been born a criminal.

In an environment like this, Brooklyn’s schools were practically for show. Rather than saying Chu Yang had come here to study, it would be more accurate to say he had come here to kill time.

Even so, his neighbors back home had happily thrown him a farewell party.

Living in a big city, even in its worst district, was the lifelong dream of someone among them.

The high school Chu Yang attended was not large. At the very least, it was far more run-down than any high school that appeared in movies.

"Studying here would be a complete waste of time!"

Chu Yang stood at the school gate, hesitating for a long while.

In the end, he turned around and left without looking back.

With less than a hundred dollars on him, Chu Yang could not find anywhere to stay outside Brooklyn.

So he spent fifty dollars to rent a room at a nearby motel.

"The problem now is how to make some money. I can’t just slink back home like this, can I?"

Chu Yang suddenly realized…

He had so many counterparts, yet not a single one had an ability related to making money.

"Being law-abiding and making money, I can only choose one…"

"Fuck, I’m not even American. Why the hell should I obey American law?"

"I’ll go pull a job tonight!"

Drawing on the example of Magic Chu Yang collecting tuition fees from punks on the streets of London, Chu Yang felt that he should ask those bad guys for some living expenses too, while also improving the security around here.

After waiting in the motel until dark, Chu Yang put on a black trench coat and headed out.

Although Brooklyn’s economy could not compare to other places, its nightlife was no less lively.

Dazzling lights and lavish excess.

Not long after leaving, Chu Yang ran into several addicts getting high wildly in the street. Laughter, curses, and shouting filled the air everywhere.

After walking a few more blocks, the bars became more numerous. From time to time, drunken people stumbled past while supporting one another, swearing before vomiting all over the place.

Chu Yang waved a hand in disgust and sneered. "Tsk, tsk. The smell of freedom is everywhere…"

The drunks were both men and women. Usually, when male drunks collapsed on the street, no one cared, and thieves lurking in the shadows would even rifle through their belongings.

Female drunks were treated differently. A group of "upstanding young men" would gather around them with concern. The moment they could no longer walk, those men would bend down, hoist them up, and run off.

If there happened to be a wealthy gentleman with a car, he would toss them straight inside before driving away in a constantly rocking vehicle.

Seeing this, Chu Yang could not help sighing. "America really has so many good people…"

Just as he was about to cross this depraved street, a shout suddenly rang out beside his ear. A group of tall, burly Black men blocked his path.

"Hey, yellow-skinned monkey. Haven’t seen you before. New here? Do you know the rules around here?"

As he spoke, five or six Black men surrounded Chu Yang. Two men with dirty braids stood behind him, pressing folding knives against his lower back.

Chu Yang smiled. "What rules? Let’s hear them."

The Black man leading them froze. Chu Yang’s reaction was completely outside his expectations. Under normal circumstances, people of any race would already be begging for mercy.

This was the first time someone had seriously questioned him in return.

The Black man sneered. "Behave yourself and hand over everything valuable you have."

"I still have fifty dollars on me. You can take it if you want." Chu Yang shrugged and raised both hands. "If you don’t believe me, search me yourself."

The Black man skeptically ordered his companions to frisk him.

After checking several of Chu Yang’s pockets, they really found only a scattered fifty dollars.

Many passersby chose to turn a blind eye to the scene.

They lowered their heads and hurried past the group.

The Black man in charge cursed furiously. "Damn poor bastard, that’s all you’ve got? It’s not even as much as I make at work!"

Chu Yang looked at him sincerely and asked, "What work? Picking cotton?"

"Fuck!!!"

The Black men flew into a rage and immediately swarmed him!

Crack~~~

That was the sound of steel snapping.

The two Black men with dirty braids lowered their heads to look at the broken folding knives in their hands and fell into deep thought.

How could a knife break when stabbing someone?

When they looked up, they saw Chu Yang’s friendly smile and two fists the size of sandbags.

Thud! Thud!

The two Black men were sent flying and crashed onto the cold concrete, producing dull impacts that sounded painful just to hear.

Chu Yang knocked them down one punch at a time.

In an instant, only the Black man in charge remained standing there, holding a tiny switchblade.

A cold wind swept past, and he shuddered. He looked so helpless and pitiful.

"Are you planning to use that knife to trim my nails?" Chu Yang said with a cheerful smile. "I’ll pay you fifty dollars. Trim them nice and clean for me, how about it?"

The Black man decisively threw away the knife, clasped his hands over his head, and squatted on the ground.

"Tsk, tsk. New here? Do you know the rules?"

Chu Yang repeated the man’s words. The Black man reacted quickly, immediately taking every valuable item out of his pockets and placing them on the ground.

"Get lost!"

As if granted a pardon, the Black man dragged several of his underlings away in a flash.

Chu Yang picked up the money and counted it. There was a little over nine hundred dollars.

There were also some powdery substances on the ground. Chu Yang ground them beneath his foot a few times.

The moment he turned around, a man blocked his way. The other man was extremely muscular and wore a well-fitted black suit.

"Not bad, kid. Have you received professional boxer training?"

Chu Yang had originally thought this was another person looking for trouble. He had not expected the man’s first reaction to be praise.

He did not seem like a bad person.

Chu Yang grinned. "Sir, I haven’t received any training. Those guys were just too useless."

"No training?" The man in the suit was surprised. He then held out his hand to Chu Yang. "Hello, my name is Happy Hogan. Are you interested in becoming a professional boxer? I can train you!"

Happy?

Iron Man Tony Stark’s bodyguard?

The more Chu Yang looked, the more it seemed right. No wonder this guy looked so tough.

Before meeting Tony Stark, Happy had indeed been a boxer. Even after retiring from professional competition, he still kept an eye on the boxing world.

He still had dreams of the boxing ring in his heart. If he could not achieve them himself, he hoped the boxer he trained could.

"Mr. Happy, thank you for the offer, but I’m not interested in boxing."

Chu Yang rejected Happy’s proposal.

Just kidding—if he stepped into a boxing ring, how many people would he beat to death?

"What a shame." Happy shook his head in disappointment. In his eyes, Chu Yang was a one-in-ten-thousand talent. It would be such a waste for him not to step into the ring.

Chu Yang reminded him, "Shouldn’t you be looking for Mr. Stark right now? Isn’t he still missing?"

Happy asked in surprise, "You know who I am?"

"I saw you in the newspaper." Chu Yang gestured. "You’re often standing beside Mr. Stark…"

"Ah~~~" Happy suddenly understood. He exclaimed, "Your observation skills and memory are impressive. You’d be well suited to being a bodyguard."

As he spoke, Happy suddenly asked, "Do you have a job? If not, you can come work as a bodyguard at Stark Industries."

Happy felt that he could first find a way to keep Chu Yang close. Once they became better acquainted, he could persuade him to become a boxer.

"I can make over nine hundred bucks a day here." Chu Yang waved the money he had taken from the Black man.

"Haha, don’t worry, young man. You’ll make no less than that—only more!" Happy winked at him smugly.

Just kidding!

Was there anywhere in the world with better benefits than Stark Industries?

"Then I agree!"

"I knew you would! But hold on, I came here to handle something important."

"That’s fine. I’m free, so I can go with you."

"I like your attitude, young man. If Tony comes back, he’ll like you too."

The two chatted and laughed as they disappeared together around the street corner.

After talking for a while, Chu Yang learned that Happy had come to the Black Market to seek information about Tony Stark.

The military had been searching for Tony Stark’s whereabouts.

The two people closest to him—his assistant Pepper and bodyguard Happy—had yet to receive any definite news.

The two decided to stop relying on military channels and try their luck on the Black Market.

"Watch my signals later. Don’t do anything reckless. You have no idea how dangerous the Black Market is!" Happy repeatedly warned him before leading Chu Yang to a bar.

The guard at the entrance looked down his nose at them and said coldly, "Please present your invitation."

Happy looked caught off guard. "They didn’t ask for an invitation the last time I came!"

"The rules have changed, sir." The guard said impatiently, "Either show an invitation or leave!"

"You rude bastard!"

Happy stormed forward, intending to argue with him, only to have something black pressed against his forehead.

Looking at the Desert Eagle pressed to his brow, Happy swallowed. "Okay, I was only joking. Don’t get nervous. If that thing goes off, we’ll have a big problem!"

The guard stared at him with a half-smile, showing no intention of lowering the gun.

For a moment, the situation froze.

"Hey, do we really have to go in?"

Chu Yang’s carefree voice sounded from behind him. Afraid of causing a misunderstanding, Happy hurriedly explained, "Gustav has the best underground intelligence network in New York. This is the only place where we might be able to get news about Tony."

"Got it." Chu Yang nodded and slowly walked up to the guard, who immediately aimed the gun at him.

Suddenly.

Chu Yang’s hand flashed before him like an afterimage. The guard reflexively pulled the trigger, only to discover that the Desert Eagle in his hand had turned into a pile of parts.

"Whoa!!!" Happy let out a shocked cry, feeling as though he were watching a movie.

Realizing he had been played, the guard threw a punch straight at Chu Yang’s face.

Chu Yang caught his fist with one hand.

His fingers clamped down hard on the joints between the guard’s knuckles.

Thud!

The guard obediently dropped to his knees before Chu Yang, his face twisted in pain as though Chu Yang were about to crush his fist.

Chu Yang viciously kicked him in the chest. The flying guard smashed open the bar’s doors and skidded all the way to the center of the dance floor.

The wildly writhing figures suddenly froze, and even the noisy music came to an abrupt stop.

Clatter!

The music was replaced by synchronized footsteps as countless figures in suits rushed out of the bar.

Happy wanted to run, but Chu Yang grabbed him by the tie.

"It’s time to show off our real skills, Happy!"

"Huh?"