Chapter 1

Su Chen is a sparring partner.

Not a singing, drinking, or dancing companion, but the nature of the job is similar, as it is still part of the service industry.

Because he is a "full-defense sparring partner" in the Hai Cheng branch of the Tianwu Boxing Gym, his job is to serve the boxers.

"An army without a general is not a good army!"

Similarly, a sparring partner who doesn't want to be a boxer is not a good sparring partner.

In this sense, Su Chen is not a good sparring partner.

Compared to singing, chatting, and dancing companions, being a sparring partner is much more arduous.

Getting beaten, getting beaten, and still getting beaten.

Since his family's savings were depleted in his first year of high school, Su Chen had to drop out of school and take on the responsibility of taking care of his younger sister. Working as a sparring partner was a last resort.

The boxing manual says: "Before learning to hit, one must learn to take a hit."

This saying is practical in many ways, as taking a hit has many uses.

First, it can strengthen one's willpower.

Everyone knows this; being beaten is painful, and sometimes it hurts so much that you want to cry.

Expecting the boxer to hold back is impossible.

If you can't take it and don't want to do it, you can go to the HR department on the third floor, where the door faces south.

Nowadays, finding a job is difficult, and boxers are hard to come by, so sparring partners are always in high demand.

Pain can certainly enhance one's willpower. When you can treat pain as a trivial matter, you can face the gushing blood or endure the boxer's punches.

The second benefit, of course, is technique, a technique for taking a hit, which is the most helpless skill.

When Su Chen was young, he watched TV with Aunt Gu. Whenever the heroine slapped the hero, Aunt Gu would stand up involuntarily, saying "Ouch," as if she were the one being hit, worrying a lot.

But later, Su Chen realized that this was actually a "fake hit" in acting.

The heroine swings her small, white fist, and the hero turns his head to deflect the force. How to let the soft, tender hand brush past the face without causing harm is a profound skill.

Su Chen learned this skill during his two years as a sparring partner.

When sparring, he uses the force to deflect it, never bracing himself.

Those who brace themselves end up either unable to afford the high medical bills or, after multiple injuries, become crippled, unable to lift or carry anything.

So, this is also very important.

Besides willpower and technique, "taking a hit" as the first lesson in martial arts is most important because it can make the body stronger and more resilient.

Taking too many medicines will make them ineffective, and taking too many hits will make the same attacks ineffective, making it harder to get hurt.

This is progress.

But it is this most important benefit that Su Chen cannot enjoy.

"Poor in literature, rich in martial arts" is not just an empty phrase.

Unable to afford various bathing medicines and internal supplements, wanting the body to evolve through constant training can only be a dream.

His sister's illness is a problem. As a poor person, how could Su Chen afford those expensive Chinese herbs, even if he wanted to?

"An army may change, but the camp remains."

Over the past two years, many boxers and sparring partners at the Tianwu Boxing Gym have died or been injured. Familiar and unfamiliar faces have come and gone, but Su Chen has always been strong, seemingly living a comfortable life.

To others, this is a miracle.

"Strength is lacking, but technique can make up for it."

Although Su Chen's strength is still only about 300 pounds, far from the 400 pounds required for a boxer, he has become the most popular "gold sparring partner" at the Tianwu Boxing Gym.

There is a reason for this.

Su Chen has a secret that he has never told anyone, not even his closest Aunt Gu and his younger sister, Su Ling.

From a young age, Su Chen's studies never worried anyone; his biggest concern was that others might discover he was a genius.

Just by seeing something, he could learn it, which is a very strange ability in any era. So, he sometimes suspects that his brain is a computer.

When Su Chen dropped out of school, the principal and teachers of Hai Cheng No. 1 High School tried to persuade him for three days, just because he was the biggest scholar in the school's history.

Perfect scores, perfect scores, and more perfect scores.

Aunt Gu was always proud and boasted about her precious son, even though he was adopted.

This behavior caused many teachers and classmates to envy and hate him, and it was easy to imagine that Su Chen would have a bright future.

But life is unpredictable. After Aunt Gu's death, without the family's mainstay, Su Chen and his sister, Su Ling, had to rely on each other and consider their livelihood.

No matter how high the scores, they could not overcome the helplessness of reality. Even the best scholar might not find a good job.

Because he was too young.

"You have an advanced English level? Go away, little brat, go play somewhere else, don't cause trouble."

"You are a computer programming expert? Honesty is a virtue, but lying is not a good habit. You must first learn to be a good person before you can do a good job."

So, at the age of sixteen, Su Chen worked as a mover, a construction worker, and a dishwasher in a restaurant before finally finding the "promising" job as a sparring partner at the Tianwu Boxing Gym.

As a "gold sparring partner," Su Chen has a unique perspective on his job.

He believes that sparring with boxers is like herding cattle; forcing a cow to drink when it doesn't want to is useless; only guidance works.

Others play with strength, but he plays with technique.

As long as a boxer can see that sparring with Su Chen can improve their skills, even the most foolish boxer will know how to fight.

Thus, Su Chen's sparring ring often turns into a boxing skills exchange, which is why he can keep going.

Although his reputation is growing, and he is not too underestimated, as a sparring partner serving boxers, it is still a helpless situation.

...

In September, the weather in Hai Cheng is already somewhat cool. The afternoon sun shines on Su Chen, casting a faint shadow, due to his incredible speed.

His hair is cut short, his eyes are very bright, and a faint smile plays on his lips, as if he is enjoying the feeling of running at high speed.

In front of him is a small alley, with a high wall at the end. Su Chen, however, seems not to notice and has no intention of stopping.

His body moves forward with deep breaths, like a leopard darting through the jungle, smooth and natural.

Suddenly, his running body tilts slightly, and he steps onto the side of the high wall.

With a few muffled thuds, his body is almost parallel to the ground, running four or five steps on the wall, and then he leaps over the three-meter-high wall, continuing to run forward.

His movements are extremely smooth and natural, like flowing water, without any pause.

"I'm going to be late in ten minutes. The sparring partner job at the Tianwu Boxing Gym is a high-paying job, and I can't afford to lose it. I need to speed up."

Su Chen thinks to himself, but his feet do not stop. He runs through the city to take a shortcut because he wants to save money.

"Help, save me..."

While running, Su Chen hears a woman's cry for help. His figure, which was moving like the wind, suddenly stops.

From running at high speed to stopping suddenly, he doesn't even take a deep breath, indicating that the previous exercise was just a warm-up.

In front of him is an unfinished building. Turning to the side, he sees two young men with dyed hair harassing a woman.

The woman is sitting on the ground, frightened, trying to push them away with her legs and swinging her handbag.

But it is ineffective; her strength is not great, and she is quickly pinned down by the two men.

"Stop..."

Su Chen's first thought is that it is absurd; it is still broad daylight, and these two men are too bold.

Aunt Gu once said, "Be a good person."

Therefore, Su Chen decides to intervene.

"Kid, don't meddle in other people's affairs!"

The young man with half-yellow, half-red hair turns around, pulls out a small knife from his pocket, and shouts at Su Chen menacingly.

The other young man just glances at Su Chen, sees his slightly childish appearance, and laughs, "Hehe," continuing his actions without a care.

"Rip..."

As the woman's clothes are torn, she screams in panic.

Su Chen's eyes turn cold, and he doesn't say anything more. He speeds up and rushes forward like the wind.

He dodges the small knife thrust at him and kicks the two young men to the ground, sending them flying a few meters away.

"Crack!"

The ribs of the two young men are broken, and they lie on the ground moaning in pain.

Su Chen reaches out to help the frightened woman up, smiling and comforting her:

"Big sister, remember to take the main road next time. This alley is not safe."

"Thank you, thank you, big brother. If it weren't for you, I would have..."

The woman has a delicate face and messy hair. She clings to Su Chen's arm, as if she is a drowning person grabbing a lifeline, with a look of fear.

She seems unsteady and leans toward Su Chen, not noticing that her chest is exposed.

Su Chen quickly supports her, but the white expanse before his eyes and the strong scent of perfume from her body make him blush. He awkwardly turns his gaze away: "Big sister, your clothes..."

As he speaks, Su Chen notices the two young men on the ground, who are moaning in pain, have a strange look in their eyes, a mix of hatred and excitement.

"Hatred is understandable; I broke their ribs, so they should hate me. But what is this excitement about?"

"Bad, perfume..."

This woman is strange. A woman who was crying so pitifully just now shouldn't have no tears in her eyes. The perfume on her body is too strong.

Moreover, she grabs a stranger and doesn't care about her exposed chest, which is not like a woman being harassed by thugs.

In a flash, Su Chen realizes something is wrong. He feels a sharp wind piercing toward his waist, sending a chill through his body...

"Ah!"

Without turning to look, Su Chen tries to pull his arm free but finds it tightly held by the woman, knowing he can't break free in a short time.

He uses his waist and abdomen, and his bones make a crisp sound. His body bends like a snake, narrowly avoiding the blade that is about to pierce his skin.

His captured arm whips up like a whip.

The woman's eyes are now cruel, with no trace of her previous pitiful look.

She pulls out a sharp dagger from her sleeve and strikes Su Chen's waist and kidneys with a ruthless and precise move.

But her hand finds nothing, and the knife misses. Su Chen's body is slippery.

She feels something is wrong and realizes the scene has changed. She feels as if she is flying, then her chest and abdomen hurt, and she falls to the ground, spitting out two mouthfuls of blood, and collapses.