502: Luo Daonan's suspicion

Luo Daonan didn't have this thought pop up for no reason.

Ever since he failed to capture and kill Hei Da Luan, he had taken the stories of children of destiny to heart.

He spent some transaction points to buy relevant research materials from the Hundred Mechanisms Pavilion, learning about children of destiny recorded in ancient texts and legends.

Although they were all "suspected," there were indeed many commonalities.

Most children of destiny started from humble beginnings and would even find themselves imprisoned before stepping onto the path of cultivation, with various enemies forcing them onto that path.

In almost desperate situations, a child of destiny would often find their Golden Finger, then proceed to cheat their way through, slaughtering all their enemies and creating their own legend.

A typical story of rising from adversity.

Like the previous Yan Xiao; he fell from being a Genius to a waste, suffered a broken engagement, and then suddenly found a soul body Old Grandpa, practicing some mysterious Cultivation Technique to embark on the path of becoming stronger.

All the bystanders who once looked down on him were slapped in the face, and those who opposed him were left in impotent rage.

At this moment, seeing Luo Zheng being mocked by Luo Haoran, Luo Daonan suddenly felt it was truly similar.

Falling from the position of a young master to become the lowliest Live Target, being constantly insulted, and even the Medicinal Pills that should have belonged to him being consumed by others.

What difference was there between this and Yan Xiao falling from his position as a Genius to become a waste mocked by everyone, with even his fiancée coming to break the engagement?

How could they be so alike?

Luo Daonan pondered as he maintained order in the Martial Arts Hall, constantly delivering water and medicine to the Luo Family Disciples while preventing some desperate Live Targets from escaping, all while carefully observing Luo Zheng's situation.

He saw a Luo Family Disciple find Luo Zheng; it was the one who had been flattering Luo Haoran earlier.

This man was burly, and the sound of his bones cracking when he clenched his fists made the surrounding Live Targets shiver.

Once it was confirmed that his chosen target was Luo Zheng, the others looked on with pity.

At that moment, the Luo Family Disciple roared and lunged straight at Luo Zheng.

He wasn't throwing punches randomly but used a Thrusting Punch—fierce, overbearing, and extremely powerful, capable of even contending with a Wild Bull.

Such a punch landed on Luo Zheng's chest, making the leather armor on him almost useless, instantly sending him crashing backward.

With a thud, Luo Zheng landed on the floor. His chest swelled for a moment and then deflated; it seemed there was some kind of force-dissipating technique, but it was useless against such sheer power.

Luo Daonan saw him looking dazed, as if he had been beaten silly, and couldn't help but frown.

In this state, was he really a child of destiny?

But just as he was doubting, he suddenly noticed that Luo Zheng's expression hadn't changed—it was still calm—though his body was indeed twitching. Then, he shakily and with great effort stood up, his face beginning to tremble as if in fear.

Was he faking it?

Luo Daonan was now something of an actor himself and could immediately see the abnormality in Luo Zheng.

His trembling and fear were clearly faked, and even the swaying of his body was an act.

He wasn't injured at all.

But how was that possible?

According to the people around him, although Luo Zheng was once a Genius, his cultivation had stagnated after becoming a Live Target.

Although he was still at the Skin Refinement Peak, day after day of battering should have long since caused his ability to take a hit to drop significantly.

That Luo Family Disciple was also in the Skin Refinement Realm and had used a fierce boxing technique to hit him square in the chest. Even if it didn't kill him in one hit, it should have at least left him prone on the ground for a while.

But Luo Zheng could actually stand up on his own and then deliberately fake it?

'Something is fishy...'

Luo Daonan became increasingly curious and began to observe closely.

He noticed that the corners of Luo Zheng's mouth seemed to be suppressed, trying not to smile.

This was strange. Why would someone be smiling while being beaten? Did he have some kind of quirk?

Or was he naturally optimistic and liked to find joy in suffering?

Luo Daonan was puzzled as he watched Luo Zheng being continuously beaten.

Until the Luo Family Disciple was panting for breath, Luo Zheng could still stand up, which immediately stunned the Luo Family Disciples.

Normally, when a Live Target was beaten, they would lie on the ground. Without a Servant like Luo Daonan checking and forcing them up, they would absolutely not rise, for fear of being hit further.

But Luo Zheng seemed not to know these unspoken rules; every time he was knocked down, he would dust himself off and stand back up.

He looked frail, yet he remained unharmed after being hit with over a hundred consecutive punches, until the Luo Family Disciple beating him ran out of strength.

After the entire training session ended, the other Live Targets were all collapsed on the ground, leaving only Luo Zheng still standing.

The Steward in charge of distributing Trauma Powder gave it to the other Live Targets in turn. When he reached Luo Zheng, he suddenly spat, mocked him a few times, and actually didn't give him any medicine.

The other Live Targets immediately looked at him with mockery.

At first, Luo Daonan didn't understand the Live Targets' thoughts, wondering why they didn't stand together.

But he soon figured it out:

Luo Zheng was once a young master, and now that he was a Live Target, the others saw his status differently. They took pleasure in his misfortune, even fantasizing through Luo Zheng that the Luo Family Disciples currently exploiting them would one day fall to such a state.

Therefore, when the Steward openly targeted Luo Zheng, not a single person stood up for him. Instead, they gloated, and some even made private bets on exactly when Luo Zheng would die here.

Because of this, although he was also a Live Target, Luo Zheng was not familiar with the others, nor did he deign to associate with them, returning to the Prison alone.

'These people... no wonder the Luo Family isn't afraid of the Live Targets rebelling...'

Filled with emotion, Luo Daonan quietly went to Luo Zheng's Prison cell and gave him some Trauma Powder.

Luo Zheng was very surprised by this and couldn't help asking, "Why are you helping me?"

Naturally, Luo Daonan wanted a return from a potential child of destiny and wanted to invest early.

But when asked by Luo Zheng, and seeing the cold floor and moldy straw in the cell, and thinking of the Live Targets' plight, he was actually somewhat moved.

When the words reached his lips, they became: "I am someone who simply cannot stand to see others suffer."

Luo Zheng accepted the Trauma Powder and asked, "May I know your name, brother? I, Luo Zheng, will surely repay you handsomely in the future."

Luo Daonan originally wanted to say his name immediately, but then he thought of how not long ago he was plotting against a child of destiny to ambush Hei Da Luan, and now he was hiding here just to get close to one.

He suddenly felt an indescribable shame and only shook his head, saying, "There's no need for names. I am but a lowly Household retainer."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "If you truly manage to escape this sea of bitterness and make something of yourself in the future, I only hope you don't forget today's humiliation and dismantle this inhumane Live Target system of the Luo Family."

Luo Zheng nodded solemnly. "Luo Zheng has noted it."

Luo Daonan left the Prison, returned to his quarters, and lay on his wooden bed, unable to sleep for a long time.