"Thank you, Teacher! Truly," Reece Fisk said, the relief in his voice palpable. He bowed so deeply it was almost a full kowtow, tears welling up not from fear of the Punisher, but from genuine gratitude for the declaration of protection. "I apologize for bringing this kind of trouble to you and to all of Chinatown."
"Since this is your business, then you can handle Frank," Huang Wen said, his gaze fixed on the bound form of the Punisher. Frank Castle, held motionless and senses-deprived by a touch of esoteric energy, was now merely a piece of cargo.
"My uncle has already dispatched men to retrieve him," Reece Fisk confirmed, nodding firmly. He looked down at Frank with a complex expression—part fear, part vindication. "He tried to strike me; Uncle Wesley certainly won't let him get away with it so easily. Frank Castle will soon learn the true cost of challenging the Kingpin's reach."
He paused, a flicker of cunning crossing his face. "However, that psychopath Jigsaw, Billy Russo, who used the Kingpin's strength to evade Frank's pursuit, and hasn't yet revealed the full truth of his operation… I imagine Uncle Wesley won't let him get away with exploiting us either!"
"Yes, this is Kingpin's business, and I won't interfere with his internal disciplinary measures," Huang Wen replied, his expression utterly neutral. He slowly closed his eyes, and just before the eyelids fully descended, a faint, almost imperceptible silver light flashed in the center of his pupils.
An invisible, piercing spiritual force, the newly activated Shen, invaded Frank's brain. Huang Wen could clearly feel the Punisher's mind—a fortress built of trauma, discipline, and granite-hard resolve. Frank's will was incredibly firm, his resistance intense, but ultimately useless.
Huang Wen mentally categorized the force he was using. While Logan, the immortal wolf who has lived for nearly two hundred years, possesses an even stronger will, even he cannot fully resist the potent mind control of a fully realized psychic like Professor Charles Xavier. The spiritual abilities Huang Wen had integrated from Ah Xing—Object Displacement, Object Control, X-Ray Vision, Perception, and Illusion—were a set of fundamental psychic tools. They were not the focused telepathy of Charles or the overwhelming raw power of the Phoenix Force that amplified Jean Grey, but rather a versatile, nascent form of control over the subtle energies of the universe.
Though his abilities were comprehensive, Huang Wen knew his 1.2 points of Shen made him incomparable to the grandmasters of psychic power. However, Frank's willpower and physical endurance were still far below Logan's. At this stage, Huang Wen's Shen could probably barely influence Logan, but against Frank, it was an overwhelming, silent invasion.
Therefore, the psychic intrusion was swift and decisive. Huang Wen drilled into Frank's memories, subtly altering the critical sequence of the last few hours. In Frank's rewritten memory, he was indeed going to Chinatown to cause trouble for the Kingpin's associate, Reece Fisk, but he was knocked unconscious by a sudden, mysterious man in the shadows as soon as he arrived near the Wing Chun Kwoon. He would wake up believing he had failed, ambushed by an unknown entity who had simply stolen his target. Critically, Frank would not remember the Tuxedo, the old Chinese man, the massive mutant, or the use of esoteric pressure point techniques. His anger would be redirected, his tactical analysis scrambled, and the Chinatown Kwoon would remain a blind spot.
With the psychic surgery complete, Huang Wen opened his eyes, feeling the faint but satisfying drain on his Shen attribute. He had just erased a legendary enemy's memory, securing his home turf, and the internal struggle had sharpened his spiritual edge.
"Hmm?" Logan's ears suddenly twitched, his head snapping toward the window. His voice was a low growl, laced with immediate danger. "Someone is approaching. Fast. And they're not friendly."
As soon as Logan finished speaking, Huang Wen used his special ability to expand his Perception. He confirmed the operational range: his psychic awareness effortlessly covered the entirety of Chinatown, extending slightly beyond the district's immediate perimeter. He could, theoretically, use a special ability similar to the mythical Heavenly Eye to expand his perception further, but for now, the local defense radius was more than adequate.
In the extended view of Huang Wen's heightened Shen perception, he detected an incoming figure—a man dressed in shockingly bright, strange clothes, wearing a grotesque mask with a prominent target symbol painted brazenly on his forehead. The man was moving with impossible stealth and speed, and the only exposed skin—his mouth—bore a wicked, unnerving smile, accentuated by a toothpick he was chewing.
Bullseye.
Kingpin's legendary chief assassin, Lester. The fact that Reece Fisk's retrieval involved such a high-tier asset confirmed that the Kingpin considered Reece's presence—or whatever he was holding—to be exceptionally critical.
"Hmph!" Suddenly, Huang Wen snorted, a sharp, cold sound of pure displeasure. His X-Ray Vision showed Bullseye was not only headed directly for the Kwoon but was aiming to crash through the second-floor window in a silent, violent entry—a complete disregard for private property and the sacred nature of the martial arts school.
"Issue a mission: Teach Bullseye a sharp lesson in courtesy and consequence!" Huang Wen felt a surge of indignation at the audacity of the intrusion.
"Generating Quest: Teach Bullseye a Lesson. Reward: One draw for a Super Item. Accept the quest?"
"Accept!" Huang Wen immediately confirmed the mission. Simultaneously, a realization clicked into place: his theory was sound. As long as he encountered extraordinary figures, he could trigger missions related to them and be rewarded with higher-tier prizes. The Super Item lottery was a clear step up from the character lottery.
This means, he thought, even as Bullseye's shadow passed the window frame, if I can access higher-level characters, issue missions, and complete them successfully, I might be able to unlock the mythical Legendary-level lottery!
These profound thoughts flashed through Huang Wen's mind in a micro-second, leaving no lag in his physical reaction. Just as Bullseye began to shatter the glass, Logan was already poised, his Adamantium claws extended, ready to strike the moment the assassin broke through.
But Huang Wen was faster. Under his direct mental command, the old window latch clicked and the window slid silently open a second before Bullseye struck. Huang Wen's figure, empowered by his full Jing and Qi operating under the perfect command of Shen, turned into an explosive, golden blur. He kicked out with Wing Chun's devastating low straight-kick, connecting perfectly with Bullseye in mid-air.
Bullseye's reaction speed was undeniable—his body was trained to military-grade perfection—but being in mid-air afforded him no leverage. He could only subconsciously raise his arms in a desperate cross-block.
With a heavy, resounding THWACK, Bullseye flew backward with astonishing velocity, clearing the alleyway and landing hard on the pavement outside, skidding several meters. His arms felt instantly numbed, the bones screaming from the sheer, focused impact.
With a Whoosh! sound, Bullseye was not the kind of man to retreat after one failure. The toothpick that had been in his mouth was instantly launched with lethal, calculated force. It became a blur of deadly, spinning steel, shooting straight toward Huang Wen's exposed position at the window.
"Smack!"
Huang Wen gently tapped the projectile with two fingers. His highly refined internal force instantly flowed from his fingertips, meeting the toothpick's momentum, and shattering the steel object into fine, harmless shards that glittered and fell like dust. But the mission notification had not yet chimed. The lesson wasn't complete. Bullseye had to be taught not to retaliate against the Wing Chun Kwoon!
Without hesitation, Huang Wen floated lightly down from the window, his form executing the Treading Snow Without a Trace lightness skill with impossible grace. His gaze was icy cold, fixed on Bullseye, who was scrambling to get to his feet, already reaching for the hidden playing cards in his sleeves.
With a loud BANG! that sounded like a small explosion of air, Bullseye's stomach suffered a severe, debilitating injury. The assassin hadn't even seen the movement. This time, Huang Wen didn't use any internal Qi; the force was purely kinetic, generated by his incredible velocity and Essence. Huang Wen's sudden disappearance and reappearance was the perfect execution of his light body technique, making him effectively teleport into striking range.
"Misunderstanding! Teacher! Please stop!" Reece Fisk shouted, running down the stairs and bursting through the front door, wide-eyed.
Bullseye lay on the ground, temporarily incapacitated, clutching his agonizing abdomen. Reece Fisk was utterly shocked. He realized, in that moment, that his teacher seemed to be far, far more unfathomable than he had ever imagined. The Kingpin's best assassin, defeated in three moves?
"I'm sorry, Teacher, it's all a misunderstanding," Reece Fisk quickly bowed deeply to Huang Wen, his voice now taking on an authoritative tone despite his fear. "This is my uncle's man, and he must have come to collect me. I sincerely apologize for his attempt to break into the Wing Chun Kwoon without permission!" He then turned to the groaning assassin, a hint of his uncle's cold majesty in his eyes.
"Bullseye, apologize to the Teacher—Mr. Huang—immediately!"
"Y-yes…" Bullseye, feeling the familiar, terrifying pressure of the Fisk power hierarchy emanating from the youth, struggled to his knees, swallowing his pain. He had recognized the fighting style—it wasn't just martial arts; it was something ancient and far too fast.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Huang, I was reckless this time," Bullseye muttered, bowing deeply, though his mind was already cataloging every angle of the fight, plotting a glorious, future revenge.
"Ding! Mission: Teach Bullseye a Lesson, Completed. Reward: One Extraordinary Item Lottery Draw."
"This is a one-time exception, and there won't be another," Huang Wen said, his tone utterly indifferent to the assassin's apology. He glanced at Bullseye, then fixed his gaze back on Reece Fisk. "You handle Frank's matter yourself. His pressure points will be released in exactly one hour. Once you're done with your family business, return here quickly. Do not fall behind in your training—we have much work to do."
"Yes, Teacher!" Reece Fisk breathed a profound sigh of relief. With his uncle's top operative now subdued and his enemy Frank Castle incapacitated, the danger had been momentarily stabilized. He retrieved Frank from Logan, helped the humiliated Bullseye to his feet, nodded to Huang Wen, and left the Wing Chun martial arts school, dragging his two 'prizes' behind him.