Chapter 39: The Price of a Slap

“Oh, look here~ And who might this wild pheasant be? The wild pheasant’s brother? No, wait… their sister? Pfft…” Xiang Ling scoffed, her eyes raking over me with undisguised contempt.

“Su Shunhua, little girl, are you certain you wish to intervene?” Xiang Renhe drawled, a mocking smirk playing on his lips as he raised an eyebrow. His robust, 1.85-meter (TL Note: Approximately 6 feet 1 inch) frame cast a formidable shadow, a veritable mountain blocking my path. “If you two sisters prefer to avoid injury, then I suggest we put an end to this matter right now…”

Xiang Renhe towered over me by an entire head; I barely scraped 1.7 meters (TL Note: Approximately 5 feet 7 inches). It wasn’t for lack of trying, but simply a matter of genetics…

‘Wait, hold on. What did he just call me?’

‘Little girl?’

Shaking my head, I scanned my surroundings, finally confirming that the man’s gaze was fixed solely on Su Yingning and me.

‘Which meant… that “little girl” was a deliberate taunt aimed squarely at me?!’

Since transmigrating into this body, my relatively short stature, fair skin, and delicate features had often led people to mistakenly call me Su Yingning’s elder sister—a constant source of teasing.

In truth, it was a malicious jab.

With no patience to waste words on these individuals, I gently patted Su Yingning’s back. “The lot of you,” I commanded, “apologize.”

“Pfft hahahaha… Apologize? You, of all people?”

Xiang Ling’s laughter was a theatrical, grating sound, practically begging for a punch.

‘Well, then, she couldn’t blame me for obliging…’

“SMACK!”

The sharp, resounding crack of a slap reverberated through the narrow alley, lingering in the air for what felt like an eternity.

Not a single soul present had anticipated my sudden, unhesitating strike—a brazen slap delivered with utter disregard for consequence to the school board director’s daughter!

“Hiss… Ow, your face is practically made of stone… Ahhh, my hand hurts so much!” I cried, theatrically shaking my hand. Yet, this overly dramatic display, to Xiang Ling and Xiang Renhe, was infinitely more infuriating than Xiang Ling’s earlier mocking laughter.

“Unacceptable! Your face injured my hand! You owe me compensation!”

At my words, Xiang Ling’s eyes widened in utter disbelief, tears already glistening in the eyes of a girl who had known nothing but privilege since birth.

‘She slapped someone, then claimed injury? And demanded compensation from the victim?’

‘I’d encountered shamelessness before, but never anything quite this audacious!’

“Brother…” Su Yingning sniffled, tugging at my sleeve, her voice a faint, tearful whisper. “Please don’t hit them… you’ll be punished.”

“Su Shunhua, you’ve got guts!” Simultaneously, Xiang Renhe, having recovered from his shock, turned ashen, his face so dark it looked as if it might drip with malice. With his sister having been struck by me, he, as her elder brother, would never stand idly by; this was a matter of a man’s dignity!

With a snarl, he swung a palm directly at my face.

“CRACK!”

Clutching Su Yingning tightly, I leaped back a step. Xiang Renhe, unable to check his momentum, lost his balance, and his wildly swinging hand slammed with tremendous force against the alley wall. His palm made brutal contact with the rough red bricks, emitting a deafening “CRACK!” that echoed like a gunshot. Even the very structure of the alley seemed to shudder from the impact.

Xiang Renhe’s face twisted into an expression as complex and indescribable as an overturned five-flavor bottle (TL Note: A Chinese idiom describing a mix of conflicting emotions, often unpleasant). Yet, every contortion screamed a single, unmistakable message: ‘Holy hell, that stings!’

He was already speechless with pain, clutching his hand and crouching down, hisses of agony escaping his lips as he repeatedly gasped for air. ‘Serves him right,’ I thought. ‘Who told your sister to bully mine?’

“See?” I said, spreading my hands innocently towards Su Yingning. “I didn’t hit anyone. He was just clumsy. You can’t blame me for that…”

“Su Yingning! Su Shunhua! You two wretched commoners! You’re dead! You’re absolutely dead!” Xiang Ling shrieked, her voice spiraling into a frenzy of irrational fury.

For her, the sting on her cheek from my slap was secondary; what truly shattered her composure was the unprecedented assault on her pride!

Never in her life had she endured the slightest slight. A slap from a “wretched commoner” like me felt as though it had struck her very soul, igniting a visceral wave of disgust and rage deep within her being!

It was akin to a deity being defiled by mere mortals!

“Both of you, get them! Beat them to death! I want them beaten within an inch of their lives! If they actually die, I’ll take responsibility!”

The alley also held two of Xiang Ling’s henchmen, who had remained silent throughout the altercation. These familiar faces were known as Xiang Ling’s incessant hangers-on, delinquent students who perpetually stirred up trouble.

‘You guys are truly…’

I exhaled a helpless sigh.

‘I genuinely didn’t want to kill anyone in this lifetime!’

I cast a glance at Su Yingning, nestled securely in my embrace. ‘In this life, I am not alone. I absolutely cannot allow Su Yingning to wander the world as an outcast by my side.’

If I were to kill, I could escape, but what of Su Yingning? She possessed no means of self-preservation!

Yet, as two figures lunged forward, brandishing watermelon knives and grinning savagely, I found myself reluctantly clenching my fists.

Perhaps Xiang Ling didn’t genuinely intend for us to die; her words might have been mere outbursts of anger. After all, the act of killing and the act of crippling carried entirely distinct implications and repercussions. Nevertheless, there were always those who would take a chicken feather for a commander’s arrow (TL Note: An idiom meaning to assume great authority based on a trivial mandate), emboldened by the recklessness of their patrons and equally heedless themselves, daring to commit any atrocity without understanding the true gravity of their actions.

Tragic fatalities stemming from street brawls among delinquent youths invariably begin this way: a simple failure to grasp the gravity of their actions, an ignorance of life’s inherent fragility and preciousness!

These two individuals, I realized, truly intended to leave us either dead or permanently crippled!

To resort to lethal force without a single word… This was truly going too far!

My middle finger subtly protruded, forming a sharpened point within my clenched fist. With these two strikes, these unfortunate souls would spend at least a week convalescing in a hospital bed.

A week later, they would rise as if nothing had happened, only to suffer a ruptured and bleeding Shanzhong acupoint (TL Note: The Shanzhong acupoint, also known as Ren-17, is located on the sternum between the nipples. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is a significant point for regulating qi and blood, often associated with the heart and lungs) two months later, resulting in a sudden, violent death.

For those who wield such ruthless malice, I would show no quarter!

‘Who cares if you claim ignorance?’

“No! Don’t fight!” Su Yingning cried out, her voice filled with panic. She suddenly broke free from my grasp, seized my arm, and began to run. “Brother! Hurry! Run! They wouldn’t dare lay a hand on us inside the school!”

“Hey, hey, hey, but I *can* fight them off, you know?”

The little girl, clearly unconvinced, exerted every ounce of her strength, dragging me into a full-blown sprint. Given my own reluctance to kill and invite further trouble at that moment, I allowed Su Yingning to pull me along, briefly becoming a reluctant fugitive.

While my methods were discreet, they might not elude the discerning eyes of those within the know. Thus, it was far better to avoid taking a life if at all possible.

Yet, I was someone who held a grudge! This matter, between us, was far from over!

“Cowards! Run, why don’t you! I’m telling you, this isn’t over!” To my surprise, a woman proved to hold a grudge even more fiercely than I did. Xiang Ling’s hysterical, furious screams echoed from behind us. “Our entire clan has already migrated into [Pursuit II] (TL Note: A virtual reality game), dedicating all our efforts to developing our enterprise within it! Your pathetic [Gunfire Roses] guild dares to establish itself even once, and we will crush it! The world of [Pursuit II] is destined to become the entirety of human existence! And in that world, there will never be a place for you! You’re finished! You’re utterly finished! You’re dead! Rot in your pathetic real-world lives! Trash!”

At the mention of [Pursuit II], Su Yingning’s body visibly stiffened, and she nearly stumbled, saved only by my swift hand catching her.

I gently squeezed the little girl’s hand. “Alright,” I murmured, “don’t pay any mind to those fools who are just randomly setting up flags (TL Note: Refers to a narrative trope where characters make statements that foreshadow their own downfall or the opposite outcome). Did you receive the gift I sent you? What do you think? Do you like it?”

Watching the sparkle return to the little girl’s eyes, I finally allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief.

‘This matter isn’t over? Precisely! This matter, between us, is far from finished!’

‘Games? Matters concerning the game can wait until we’re actually in it. As for what’s happening in reality, today, I will resolve it right here, in the real world!’

‘I have no time to play your silly games!’