"To be honest, I'm quite worried."
"What are you worried about?" Su Shiyan asked seemingly nonchalantly, "Is it the future path you're about to choose?"
"No, not that." Hao Qi shook his head in denial, "I have the future I chose for myself, and the path I chose myself. I've never been lost because of it, and that's what I dream of. It's just... as you know, reality is reality. It won't change simply because your thoughts are noble or your dreams are carefree. I'm just an ordinary person, after all. If by the time I turn nineteen, my path, my thoughts, and the future I chose for myself turn out to be unworkable, then I will inevitably have to bow my head to this reality and start living with my feet on the ground."
Though Su Shiyan didn't quite catch everything—such as what specific path Hao Qi had chosen for himself—she understood the general gist of it. A faint sense of regret lingered in her heart; after all, seeing such a talent as Hao Qi, she had also harbored thoughts of recruiting him. If he could return with her to the Su Family, she figured the Su Family wouldn't treat him poorly either. Who knows, perhaps much like the Li Family's choice, the Su Family wasn't entirely without unmarried daughters of the direct lineage...
Thinking of something, Su Shiyan's face flushed slightly, and she quickly turned her head away. A moment later, she said, "It's a pity, but I'm afraid I won't be able to attend your birthday. Due to certain circumstances, I will likely need to leave for about a week around your birthday. So, when I get back, you can tell me all about the future you've chosen then."
Hao Qi was slightly surprised, but he also understood. Knowing that Su Shiyan was a daughter of a prominent family, he figured this must be the kind of trouble such scions faced. While they gained a starting line far higher than that of an ordinary person, they simultaneously lost a certain degree of freedom. Therefore, he nodded in understanding and said, "Then go ahead and take care of your business. No matter what choices I make on my birthday, I probably won't be leaving the Capital Circle anytime soon, so you should still be able to find me on campus when you get back."
After that, both of them lost interest in talking further and parted ways right outside their respective dormitories. And so, the days that followed passed without incident. One continued to instruct, the other continued to practice, living out ordinary days on campus.With less than a month remaining until Hao Qi's birthday, Hao Qi went to the fast-food restaurant at his usual time to wait for Lin Xiong to bring him money. Although Su Shiyan had been supplementing his meals, he had recently intensified his training speed, expecting to reach the limit level of Arhat Fist a day or two before his birthday, which caused his consumption of money to increase significantly. Still, there were only the last twenty days or so left; after that, no matter which path he chose, Lin Xiong would be able to share in his glory, and he would finally be able to start giving back to his sworn brother.
Today was very strange, however. He waited for an entire afternoon, several hours past the usual time, yet Lin Xiong still had not arrived. This raised his vigilance and began to worry him, fearing that Lin Xiong might have met with some accident while running with the underworld. Even though Lin Xiong was just a bottom-rung punk, if a real accident happened, no one could say for sure what the outcome would be.
Just as Hao Qi was planning to go and search the chaotic streets where Lin Xiong usually hung out, another punk came to the entrance of the fast-food restaurant, handing Hao Qi an envelope and a few words. The envelope contained about half the money of previous times, and the message was that Lin Xiong was inconvenient at the moment and they should temporarily avoid meeting.
Hao Qi was instantly alarmed and somewhat at a loss. He repeatedly questioned the punk, only to be told that these were Lin Xiong's own words and no other information was available. This only made Hao Qi's heart even more worried and puzzled.
What kind of bond did he share with Lin Xiong? How could he possibly be brushed off with such simple words?
Besides, Lin Xiong had provided for him all these years. If Lin Xiong had resented him for eating for free and dragging him down, he would have resented him long ago; it was utterly impossible for him to turn hostile just twenty days or so before Hao Qi's explicitly stated nineteenth-century choice of his future. That made no sense!
Hao Qi had a simple dinner inside the fast-food restaurant, his doubts growing larger and larger. Could it be that Lin Xiong had gotten himself into some big trouble and was afraid of implicating him, so he simply pretended their relationship was bad in order to protect him?
No matter what, Hao Qi could not set his mind at ease. Therefore, instead of returning to school, he took a ride to those chaotic streets and searched for Lin Xiong's tracks. After all, he had come here to look for Lin Xiong before and knew a few of Lin Xiong's subordinates. After searching for several hours, he finally found one of Lin Xiong's subordinates, and by tailing him, he managed to find another of Lin Xiong's subordinates...In any case, Hao Qi was delayed for the entire night. It was not until dawn that he finally located Lin Xiong’s whereabouts. It was an ordinary residence, though situated in a chaotic district, its exterior walls covered in strange graffiti. The surrounding area was populated by addicts, thieves, and prostitutes.
The social standard of this world was roughly equivalent to that of the early 20th century on Earth. It was a time when social welfare was exceptionally poor. One only had to think of the old streets of London or the chaos of the Shanghai Bund to understand what this place was like. Indeed, along the way, Hao Qi had already encountered several robberies and assaults. Of course, the perpetrators were all ordinary people, so they posed no threat to him. He simply evaded them whenever he could to avoid causing a major scene.
Hao Qi looked around from beneath the house where Lin Xiong lived. It was the crack of dawn, and there were few people about. He decided to scale the wall. His forearms and legs, tempered by the Arhat Fist, proved their worth, making his climb smooth and effortless. Without alerting anyone, he reached the window of the room where Lin Xiong was staying and began to listen carefully.
Voices of a man and a woman drifted from the room, accompanied by the sounds of intimacy. Hao Qi felt incredibly awkward, but because his mind was filled with doubts, he did not make a sound. He remained silent at his post. After listening for quite a while, the sounds inside finally ceased, followed by the striking of a match, the sound of smoking, and the tender whispers of the couple. Judging by the voice, it was undoubtedly Lin Xiong.
Hao Qi had no interest in their lovers' talk. He just waited quietly by the window. After a long while, sounds of washing up and making the bed reached him, and finally, he heard what he had come for.
"Master, is everything all right?" the woman asked suddenly. "You didn't go to see your brother today. Didn't you say he has a bright future? If you neglect him like this, what if your relationship turns sour?"
Lin Xiong’s voice replied, "Heh, a bright future? If he had followed the Big Sister to the military and joined the Li Family, that would be a truly bright future. But otherwise? Does he really think he can become a Quasi-Inner Force Expert by relying on that second-rate, trash martial art? If that were the case, then being a Quasi-Inner Force Expert wouldn't be worth much, would it? You don't know this, but not long ago, the eldest young master of the Li Family personally invited him and even offered to teach him a top-tier martial art. And you know what? He actually refused! Can you believe there’s such a fool?"
"Ah? A top-tier martial art? An advanced one at that?" the woman exclaimed. "If it were me, I’d sell my soul just to accept it."
"Hahaha, as if you haven't sold your soul plenty of times," Lin Xiong teased.
The woman pouted and muttered a few complaints before asking, "So what happened next? Did you not go to see him because he refused?"
Lin Xiong’s voice continued, "It’s not quite that. I thought he had a bright future, so I’ve been supporting him all these years, treating him like a master. But if he refused this time, he’s effectively cut off his own path. If I keep supporting him, I’d truly be an idiot."
The woman asked curiously, "But Master, didn't you say before that you and he shared a bond of life and death? That you were brothers?"
"Hahaha, what is a brother? A brother is someone you sell out when the time comes, isn't that right? Is this your first day on the streets? Have you ever seen anyone around here who lives long by being 'loyal'? Perhaps I did treat him as a brother once, but after all these years of support, no matter how deep the bond, it has faded; no matter how great the favor, it has been repaid. Human hearts, they all change. I’ve been in this game long enough to understand that truth."
The woman agreed repeatedly but then asked, "But Master, what if he decides to accept the Li Family’s offer on his nineteenth birthday? If you treat him like this, aren't you afraid you'll end up with nothing?"
Lin Xiong laughed heartily. "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. I know him too well. I’ve been tainted by this dye vat of a world, but he remains a sheltered martial arts fanatic who has never stepped into society. I know him perfectly well. When the time comes, I’ll just find some excuse to smooth things over; he won't suspect a thing. If he does accept, I’ll likely be able to soar to success, hahaha..."
Hao Qi left silently. On the way back to the campus, he remained quiet. He couldn't quite name the feeling in his heart; it was neither anger, nor sadness, nor despair. If he had to describe it, perhaps it was a sense of bleakness—a bleakness born from seeing reality erode ideals.
"It is easy for a heart to change, and yet we sigh at how easily the heart changes..."Hao Qi silently recited the poem he had once read on Earth. In his heart, he developed a certain understanding of Lin Xiong's reasoning. After all, years of unrequited patronage—with no end in sight, no hope, and only the so-called talent of having mastered a set of worthless, uninspired martial arts to perfection—were enough to make any investor abandon him, even a sworn brother...
Moreover, the underworld was truly a muddy swamp. Even if Lin Xiong had genuinely treated him as a brother before entering the underworld, after witnessing the darkness, filth, and deceit of this world, the fact that Lin Xiong had still supported him for so many years—if only for the sake of his potential future achievements—was already quite commendable. At the very least, Lin Xiong had never harmed him in the end; he simply could not see any hope for a prosperous future and made a very pragmatic decision to let him go.
"Gratitude is gratitude. Let the financial support of these past years become your future wealth..." With this resolution forming in his mind, Hao Qi gradually grew calm. Bearing that cold, bleak sorrow toward reality, he returned to the university campus...
On the other side, long after Hao Qi left the street, Lin Xiong in his room received word from his underling that Hao Qi had departed. Only then did he stop the banter with the woman on the bed and begin smoking, cigarette after cigarette.
Watching Lin Xiong's expression, the woman sighed inwardly, wrapped her arms around him from behind, and said, "I truly don't know what has gotten into you, staging such a scene. Can't you even tell me?"
Lin Xiong forced a smile, but said nothing. He simply reached under the bed and pulled out an envelope containing a stack of cash. Handing the envelope to the woman, he said, "You aren't my woman, and I'm not your man. We... are both just struggling to survive. Still, you and I have shared some affection. Take this money. Don't come to see me these next few days, and don't tell anyone about the act we just put on. Remember, no matter what happens, do not come to see me. It would be best if you spent these days at your friend's place badmouthing me, making up stories about other patrons... Go now, and don't come back."
Having experienced many things in her life, the woman instantly turned pale. Stammering, she asked, "Is—is something major going to happen? Tell me, have you offended some big shot? Answer me!"
"Get lost!"
Without answering, Lin Xiong struck her fiercely across the face with a slap. The blow left her cheek swollen and red, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, leaving her utterly stunned. A twitch crossed the corner of Lin Xiong's eye. Finally, he pulled her into a brief embrace and whispered in her ear, "Remember what I told you. And... I probably won't be able to take you away from here. Forget me. Find a good man in the countryside and marry him. This world is not suited for a dreamer like you. In the city, in the Capital Circle, there is no upper-class dream for you to hope for. That is not something people at the bottom like us should ever wish for... Farewell, Xiao Qian."
As his voice trailed off, he gritted his teeth and delivered another vicious slap to her other cheek, shouting loudly at the same time, "You fucking dare to keep a kept boy?! Do you think I won't ruin you? Don't you know who Lin Xiong is around here? You actually dare to keep a fucking gigolo?! Damn it, even I am just fucking around, and yet someone dares to take advantage of me?!"
With that, the commotion and shouting were so loud that Lin Xiong's underlings outside the room all rushed over. However, since the woman was also a girl working for a higher-ranking boss, they could only stand there and try to mediate. With great difficulty, they managed to calm Lin Xiong down, and then the woman left, weeping and cursing as she went. Yet none of them noticed that her tears were not the noisy sound of a fake crying fit, but the genuine tears of a broken heart...
Lin Xiong was smart, and Lin Xiong was perceptive. Hao Qi had once described him as a rat on an ocean liner—before a ship sinks, such a creature is inevitably the first to know and the first to abandon ship. That was why he had served several bosses and felt entirely at home here. But... what if it wasn't merely a sinking ship, but a tsunami that enraged the very ocean itself...?
What would happen to a rat that had nowhere left to run...?
What would happen...
Just like this...
Lin Xiong sat on the edge of the bed, chain-smoking cigarette after cigarette, while tears dripped one by one from the corners of his eyes...
Chapter 9: The News of Death
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"Are these the gangs?"
In a large courtyard within the Capital Circle of the Lanying Republic, a handsome young man was sipping tea and speaking softly.
Kneeling on one knee before the youth were three tall men. The leader among them lowered his head and said, "Young Master, these are the gangs. After tracing the origin of the Blue Dream on the market, it all leads back to these groups. However, due to a lack of time, we haven't yet discovered which specific gang released it, or if they purchased it from some other organization. Please forgive your subordinates for our incompetence."
The young man shook his head and said, "This is not your fault. Tracking it all the way here from the border seizure point took less than four months, passing through eight cities, and covering nearly half of Lanying. Because we dared not mobilize the main family's resources on a large scale—with few people, limited funds, and the need for secrecy—it is already remarkable that you managed to reach this point. You are not to blame; you have done even better than I expected."
All three men immediately wore touched expressions and said in unison, "Thank you, Young Master, for your understanding!"
The young man shook his head again before continuing, "Still, we cannot let our guard down yet. Now that we have located the source of the goods, we must follow the vine to find the melon. This batch of goods is extremely important to the main family. It was only by invoking my father's prestige that I managed to obtain this assignment from the family. Making a mistake on my very first try has already caused me to lose standing within the family. If I cannot resolve this properly, despite being the legitimate heir, securing a decent future within the family will be doubtful at best. Right now, I must display thunderous methods."
The three men immediately shouted in unison, "Please give your orders, Young Master!"
The young man stood up, paced back and forth a few times, and then said with a solemn expression, "Indeed, I must show thunderous methods. These goods were sold within the Capital Circle, and the informants you captured also confessed that the goods began selling about three months ago. In other words, shortly after we lost the cargo at the border, the goods had already arrived in the Capital Circle. There are very few factions in the whole of Lanying with the means and capability to do this—all of them are major families. I already have some suspicions about which rival family would do such a thing. Therefore, not only must we strike ruthlessly, but I must also take action myself. Otherwise, having not made a move in five years, the outside world really might start taking me lightly. And I fear it's not just outsiders who underestimate me; my good 'brothers' probably look down on me as well..."
As he spoke, the young man casually flicked the teacup in his hand downward. There was still tea inside, but as it tumbled through the air and landed on the table, the teacup came to rest as gently as if it had been set down by hand, without spilling a single drop of tea.
"I recently heard that Li Pancheng of the Li Family is already a Quasi-Inner Force Expert—the best fighter of our generation, and the one with the highest hope of reaching the level of an Inner Force Expert. I thoroughly detest that fellow's rigid personality, but I have always admired his talent. A Quasi-Inner Force Expert, what a grand reputation... But I am only a single step away from being a Quasi-Inner Force Expert myself..."
"Let us move."
A ruthless expression crossed the young man's face as he waved a hand and said, "Gather the Wind, Thunder, and Fire squads to assemble, led by myself. In three days, we will launch a thunderous strike to capture every single member of these gangs! Start gathering dossiers on these gangs from top to bottom right now, down to the lowest-level thugs. I want not only their information, but also that of their families, lovers, and friends. I prefer to kill the innocent rather than let a single one escape! Perhaps there are some hard-headed fools who would rather die than talk, but I refuse to believe they won't open their mouths under the threat to their families, lovers, and friends!"
"Kill! Have no fear of anything; I will take full responsibility for everything, along with my father and our family. A hundred people, a thousand people, ten thousand people—here in the Capital Circle, there is no matter that the Xu Family cannot smooth over!"
The three men immediately lowered their heads and roared, "Understood!"
Compared to those true aristocratic elites and powerful clans, the so-called gangs and criminal syndicates of the Capital Circle were truly less than dirt. Within three days, everyone in these gangs, from top to bottom, had been thoroughly investigated. Moreover, around ten days earlier, when certain individuals within those gangs abruptly vanished, Lin Xiong had already keenly sensed that something was amiss. Consequently, he not only decisively cut ties with Hao Qi, but went about broadcasting to anyone who would listen how he had suffered a losing business deal and how glad he was that he no longer had to pay tribute to a useless freeloader. As a result, when investigators looked into Lin Xiong, they completely omitted Hao Qi—who had already broken off relations with him—from their target list. Treated the same way was Xiao Qian.
Afterward came a night of blood and carnage. Society cared little about what happened to such bottom-feeder scum, especially with a powerful faction like the Xu Family involved. The great families possessed their own internal methods for handling such matters, leaving no room for the government to intervene. Thus, although hundreds of people died, it was simply written off as a major fire. The newspapers merely mentioned a few brief sentences concerning the relocation and reconstruction of the old district and the slums, and then the matter was finished. No one cared, and no one knew...
Hao Qi knew nothing of this at first. His daily routine was far too disciplined—or rather, he paid far too little attention to the outside world. Meanwhile, Xue Na actually maintained only an ordinary relationship with Lin Xiong, looking down somewhat on her underworld-connected brother. She hadn't visited Lin Xiong recently, nor did she connect the fire in the black-market district to him, and so no one ever notified Hao Qi of anything.