Back in the day, Xio Zi was a famous member of the Black Lotus. People on the streets called them a "mafia gang," but in reality, they were a secret family of seven heroes who fought for justice. They lived like a real family, enjoying life together, but they were always ready to protect innocent people who could not defend themselves.
Xio Zi was street-smart, quick-thinking, and extremely skilled in fighting. Her best friend was Chu Junyao. They were always together, protecting each other whenever danger appeared. Junyao was the son of Xio Zi's master, Chu Xuwei.
Their master was a martial arts teacher who lived in their village, and the other four members of the gang were also his students.
But keeping peace was never easy.
One day, Xio Zi went to the village market to buy vegetables. Suddenly, a group of men dressed in black rushed toward her. They wore masks and had snake tattoos on their necks. They tried to rip off her mask to reveal her real face.
Xio Zi fought back bravely, her movements fast and sharp, but she failed to notice someone sneaking up behind her.
THUD!
A man struck her hard from behind.
The men burst into laughter.
"Oh, look! The little mafia girl is injured now," one of them mocked cruelly.
Another stepped forward and smirked. "Take off her mask."
Just as his hand was about to touch her face-
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER?!"
Chu Junyao suddenly appeared out of nowhere. His eyes burned with rage as he kicked the man away from Xio Zi.
The other four members arrived right after him, and chaos instantly broke out. Punches, kicks, and flying debris filled the street as the Black Lotus fought fiercely against the attackers.
Within minutes, the men in black were defeated.
Chu Junyao grabbed one of them by the collar and shouted angrily,
"Tell me! Who sent you?! Who is your boss?!"
But instead of answering, the men suddenly bit down on hidden poison capsules.
One after another, they collapsed to the ground.
Everyone froze in shock.
"What the-?!" one member whispered fearfully.
After a few moments, they quickly carried Xio Zi back to their hideout because she had suffered a slight injury to her head.
Their master was a martial arts teacher, so he only had basic medical knowledge, but he knew well how to treat cuts and bruises from training.
After half an hour of treating her wounds, the master entered the room with a worried expression.
"My dear... who were those men?" he asked softly.
Xio Zi sat up slowly and replied,
"I don't know, Master. It's the first time I've seen them. But... they all had snake tattoos on their necks."
The master suddenly fell silent.
His face darkened with fear.
He knew exactly who those men were.
After a long pause, he said seriously,
"From now on, if you go anywhere, go with Chu Junyao. And if you ever see those people again... fight very carefully. Those men do not fear killing anyone."
Xio Zi frowned slightly.
"Master... do you know them?"
He looked away and answered quietly,
"Yes. I do. But you are still too young to get involved in their world. Stay away from them, no matter what happens."
Xio Zi lowered her gaze, deep in thought.
Who are those people? Why is Master so afraid of them? Are they really that dangerous?
---
The Final Mission
One day, the Black Lotus received a secret mission from a mysterious client. Their task was to retrieve a powerful artifact that had been stolen by the client's enemies. Rumors said that whoever possessed the artifact would become unbelievably rich.
Xio Zi gathered her trusted crew, and together they carefully planned everything. They studied the heavily guarded mansion where the artifact was hidden and prepared for the mission under the cover of darkness.
As they infiltrated the mansion, guards appeared one after another, but with perfect teamwork and smart tactics, the Black Lotus defeated them all without killing anyone.
They moved silently like shadows, leaving no trace behind.
Finally, they reached the vault.
Xio Zi cracked the difficult security code with her sharp skills.
BEEP.
The heavy door slowly opened.
Inside rested the precious artifact.
They carefully placed it into a special case and escaped safely back to their hideout.
Everyone was overwhelmed with excitement.
They had completed the mission successfully, outsmarted their enemies, and earned a huge reward. They donated half of the money to an orphanage.
To celebrate, they bought their master's favorite food-spicy fish meat-and drinks.
Xio Zi happily ran inside the hideout.
"MASTER! We completed the mission again! And look what we brough-"
Her voice suddenly stopped.
Her smile disappeared instantly.
She stood frozen at the entrance.
The crew members behind her became confused.
"Hey, Xio Zi, why are you just standing ther-"
But the moment they looked inside...
Their happiness turned into horror.
Their master had been brutally murdered.
It looked like someone had first shot him and then stabbed him over fifteen times.
Blood covered the entire floor.
Xio Zi collapsed to her knees, tears streaming endlessly down her face.
"MASTER!!"
Chu Junyao stared at his father's lifeless body in complete shock before breaking down in tears.
"Dad... Dad, wake up... please..."
The entire room filled with grief.
Even though Xio Zi herself was shattered, she forced herself to stay strong and hugged Junyao tightly to comfort him.
Soon, the ambulance arrived and took Master Chu Xuwei's body away. Chu Junyao and the other members followed.
Meanwhile, Xio Zi searched the hideout desperately for clues.
When she entered her master's room, she noticed a letter resting quietly on the table.
Her trembling hands slowly opened it.
> My dear child, Xio Zi...
If you are reading this, then I am no longer in this world.
There is something I must finally tell you.
Your parents did not die in an accident. They were murdered.
For now, stop doing mafia work and focus on your studies. Become stronger and smarter first. After you finish your studies, then search for the killers and bring them to justice.
You are still too young to fight this battle alone.
Please... live for yourself, for your parents, and for me.
Goodbye, my dear child.
Xio Zi cried uncontrollably as she read the letter.
She had lost her parents when she was only three years old and grew up in an orphanage. But her master, who had been her father's best friend, took her in, raised her, and taught her martial arts.
To her, he was more than a master.
He was family.
When she turned fifteen, she secretly started helping innocent people and became known as the "Little Mafia." She never failed a mission, and nobody had ever seen her real face because she always wore a mask.
As she wandered through the empty hideout, drowning in grief, she suddenly noticed something shining on the floor.
A ring.
She picked it up carefully.
There was a strange design engraved on it.
Her eyes widened slightly.
Hope.
Finally, she had a clue.
She decided to follow her master's advice and focus on her studies to become stronger and wiser... but deep inside, she swore she would never stop searching for the killers.
That night, something inside Xio Zi changed forever.
She no longer wanted peace.
She wanted justice.
She wanted revenge.
To protect the remaining crew members, Xio Zi made a painful decision.
She gathered everyone together and quietly said goodbye.
"You all deserve peaceful lives. I don't want any more of you to die because of me."
And just like that...
The Black Lotus came to an end.
---
BACK IN THE PRESENT
"My dear friend..."
Ying Ying sobbed heavily as she listened to Xio Zi's painful past.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tightly embraced her.
"You suffered so much all alone..." Ying Ying whispered with a trembling voice. "I had no idea you were carrying such a heavy burden inside your heart."
She held Xio Zi's hands tightly.
"But listen to me carefully. I will never leave your side. Never. One day, you will catch those bastards. And when that day comes... if you ever need my help, I'll stand beside you no matter what."
Xio Zi smiled weakly through her tears.
"Thank you... truly," she whispered softly. "Your words mean more to me than you know."
---
IN THE UNIVERSITY
The next day, during art class, Jeo-on became bored and secretly sneaked up to the university rooftop.
There, he found Xio Zi sitting alone at a table, smoking a cigarette quietly to calm her mind.
Jeo-on was surprised at first.
Then, a wicked smile slowly appeared on his face.
A perfect chance to mess with her.
He secretly recorded her.
Later, during computer class, the principal, Mr. Meng, suddenly walked into the classroom.
The entire room fell silent.
He walked straight toward Xio Zi and said sternly,
"Hand over your cigarette box. Right now."
Xio Zi remained completely calm.
Without fear, she slowly took out the cigarette pack, handed it to him, and replied lazily,
"Here you go, Professor."
Jeo-on was stunned by how fearless she looked.
Mr. Meng glared at her angrily.
"Come to my office immediately!"
After severely scolding her, he punished Xio Zi by making her write a 2,000-word self-criticism letter.
"And if I ever catch you smoking again," he warned sharply, "I'll suspend you for ten days!"
Xio Zi returned to class in a terrible mood.
The moment she entered, her eyes landed directly on Jeo-on.
"You told the professor?" she asked coldly.
Jeo-on leaned back in his chair and laughed loudly.
"So? How was the principal's lecture? Nice music for your ears?" he mocked proudly.
Then he smirked.
"If you had apologized to me earlier, none of this would've happened. But I'll give you one last chance."
He leaned closer.
"Apologize now... and maybe I'll forgive you."
The classroom became silent.
Xio Zi didn't say a single word.
Instead, she slowly walked toward him.
Jeo-on's smirk grew wider.
He thought she was finally about to surrender.
But suddenly-
CRASH!!
Xio Zi grabbed his expensive laptop and smashed it violently onto the floor.
The screen shattered into pieces instantly.
Yuze gasped in shock and quickly covered his mouth.
"Oh my god..."
Xio Zi looked down at Jeo-on with cold eyes and said calmly,
"So... do you still want an apology from me?"
Jeo-on shot up from his seat, trembling with rage.
"You crazy-!"
He tried to grab her, but Yuze quickly held him back.
"Jeo-on, stop!"
Without another word, Xio Zi picked up her bag and walked out of the classroom calmly.
After she left, Jeo-on clenched his fists so tightly his hands shook.
His eyes burned with fury.
This time...
He wanted revenge.
And he decided to go after Xio Zi alone because he knew Yuze would try to stop him.
☆Some people don't enter your life to change it.
They enter your life to remind you that you don't have to face everything alone.✨️
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