Returning to the conversation at hand, it was surprising to find that you had a taste for such a style, no wonder you showed no interest when I introduced Judy to you.

Red Ghost glanced at Ah Xiu, who was sitting beside him with her head bowed.

"She's my neighbor, remember? You're the one who gave me the keys to her place."

"The apartment on Su Temple Street," Red Ghost recalled with sudden clarity.

Li Yan picked up the kitten that was circling under the table and placed it on Ah Xiu's lap. "When do you get off work? I'll take you home and apply some safflower oil. You'll be fine by the next day."

Ah Xiu bit her lip and nodded.

"By the way, Ah Yan," Red Ghost said as he pulled out an Ericsson from his pocket and slid it across the table.

Li Yan looked at it and exclaimed dramatically.

"Wow, Brother Red Ghost, you're so good to me, giving me both a house and a mobile phone. Just to be clear, I'm not into guys."

Red Ghost gave Li Yan a dismissive look and said:

"You don't have to go to the Boxing Ring tomorrow. Get yourself a nice suit and wait for my call to meet Judy. If you try to disappear on me, I'll throw you into the sea."

"I'll definitely remember that," Li Yan said with a playful laugh, accepting the phone.

The two continued to dine until late into the night before Li Yan finally escorted Ah Xiu back to her apartment on Su Temple Street.

"It's late; your mother must be worried. Go inside, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Li Yan looked at the door of room 412 next to Ah Xiu and spoke kindly to the girl.

Ah Xiu looked up at Li Yan for a moment and said crisply, "Thank you, Brother Yan."

Li Yan scratched his head, gave the girl a smile, and walked into his own apartment.

"Bang."

The door closed, and the hallway lights dimmed, casting half-light, half-shadow on the girl's face.

...

"Sss."

The moment Li Yan closed his apartment door, he was drenched in cold sweat from the pain. He stuffed his mouth with sugar cubes in a vain attempt to ease the agony, but it was futile. The pain that penetrated his bones made Li Yan's face look somewhat frenzied.

Ever since he stepped off the ring, Li Yan had been experiencing bouts of bone pain. This was the very reason he initially refused Red Ghost's offer. The liquor during the meal had temporarily subdued it, but once back at the apartment, the pain returned with a vengeance.

After a while, as the bone pain gradually subsided, Li Yan, soaked in cold sweat, began to relax his body bit by bit.

After catching his breath, he pulled out some banknotes from his shirt pocket and counted them.

Judy, indeed a high roller valued by Red Ghost, had casually thrown enough money for Li Yan to buy a new suit—over thirty thousand. Together with the fifty thousand that Red Ghost would give him for winning tomorrow's fight, his Yan Fu Points would reach a total of thirteen.

For safety's sake, as soon as the money comes through tomorrow, I'll get my hands on the ES cell enhancer right away.

If I were to fall ill in the boxing ring, that would be quite the spectacle. Besides, I still have no leads on that Ancient Novel Sinker Records.

Li Yan lay in bed pondering these thoughts, gradually drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Li Yan rented a suit from a photo studio in Shallow Water Bay. He took a long bus ride around, taking in the sights of a 1986 Hong Kong that would be hard to come by in later times.

If Li Yan were more at ease, he could have gone to see a movie starring Anita Mui or Leslie Cheung, or even asked for their autographs. The cherished photo from his family’s music store of Alan Tam's Space Journey Concert was from these days, and the band Beyond, having been established for three years, had just released their first album "Goodbye Ideals". The Hong Kong of 1986 was filled with many fleeting moments that would never return...

Unfortunately, Li Yan was too preoccupied with his own survival to indulge in these thoughts, which could only remain on paper.

By the time Li Yan returned to Su Temple Street, it was already around two in the afternoon. The nine Dragon City slums were as cramped and gloomy as ever. Along the way, one could often see the pale faces of addicts, exhaling clouds and spewing fog, a stark contrast to the prosperous scenes of Shallow Water Bay.

As he entered the corridor of his apartment building and turned the corner to go upstairs, a hurried figure bumped into Li Yan with full force.

Li Yan instinctively caught the person's wrist, surprised to find that the other's reaction was as swift as his own. Moreover, the way the person grabbed Li Yan's wrist hinted at a military-style Capturing Enemy Fist technique.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Li Yan looked at the other person in surprise.

The man, in his thirties, wore a plaid suit and had thick eyebrows and big eyes, exuding a certain British air, but his eyes were bloodshot, as if he had not had a good night's sleep in a long time.

"Sorry about that."

The man let go and smiled apologetically at Li Yan.

"No problem."

Li Yan took a step forward, then turned back as if he had just thought of something.

"Brother, where are you from?"

The man was taken aback for a moment before he replied.

"My hometown is in Hebei, a small place, Anwen County."

Li Yan laughed out loud and patted the man's shoulder heartily: "My hometown is Between the Rivers, not far from there. I've even peed behind the Broken Kiln Temple in Anwen County!"

Of course, Li Yan had been to Anwen County, which happened to be the hometown of Dong Haichuan, the ancestral grandmaster of Bagua Palm.

"Oh, a fellow townsman?" The man's eyes lit up at the sound of this.

"My name is Li Yan. What's your name, brother?"

The man grasped Li Yan's hand, smiling heartily.

"He Andong. Everyone calls me Ah Dong."

...

An hour earlier, at Fuk Yee Mansion.

"North of Dragon Ferry Road lies Taisui's territory. Though I'm in charge of the security in Nine Dragon City, seeking someone out on Taisui's turf is better left to your people, Ah Hong."

Si Lizheng pushed his nanmu glasses up his nose, his weathered face expressing a hint of indifference.

Red Ghost gave a shy smile and said, "Uncle Zheng, there's no need for such formalities. We Arena Stablemen hardly have the resources to assist the police in finding people. You're free to investigate wherever you please, as long as you don't turn our place upside down."

Red Ghost's easygoing response somewhat discomfited Si Lizheng.

"Perhaps you should ask Taisui first. I'm not in a hurry."

Among the five members of the Dragon City Executive Committee, Chairman Wu Haoxi dealt in drugs, being the largest drug dealer in all of Hong Kong. The other two were involved in human trafficking and the flesh trade, respectively. Si Lizheng ran a gambling stall, while Taisui, who simply maintained a boxing ring, commanded the smallest territory among them.

Yet even Wu Haoxi, with his bluster and bravado, had to show due respect to Taisui, for Taisui was mad enough to be feared.

In the end, it was but a trifling matter, and Si Lizheng had no desire to sour relations with Taisui over it.

"Wouldn't I be asking for trouble if I bothered Taisui with such trivial matters? I might as well have my legs broken. Strive for whatever pleases you, Uncle Zheng."

Red Ghost spoke with a casual tone. After all, the business of an Arena Stableman was peaceful compared to the likes of Wu Haoxi, who dealt in narcotics and was constantly at odds with the various Associations.

"That settles it then."

Si Lizheng nodded in agreement, just as a man with the look of a bodyguard hurried in.

"Boss, we've found them!"

Si Lizheng put down his cigar and smiled at Red Ghost.

"It seems we indeed don't need to trouble Taisui after all." He then turned and asked, "What's the situation?"

"They found a familiar traditional Chinese medicine clinic, where the doctor quietly called the police. Now the cops have entered Dragon City!"

"Where is this clinic?"

Si Lizheng inquired, while Red Ghost, seemingly indifferent, took out a cigarette to light for himself.

"Inside Apartment No.22 on Su Temple Street."

The lighter nearly burned Red Ghost's eyebrows. He leapt to his feet, exclaiming to the man, "What the devil are you talking about?"

...

"It's not easy to run into a fellow townsman here. What brings you to Hong Kong?"

Li Yan offered a cigarette with keen interest.

Although Li Yan had only been in 1986 Hong Kong for a few days, the intense unfamiliarity and the sense of distance still made him feel somewhat desolate. Yet with his steadfast resolve, he wouldn't easily show it.

Now, hearing He Andong speak in the familiar accent of their hometown, Li Yan felt an overwhelming sense of kinship.

He Andong's expression darkened upon hearing the question.

"I originally came with a few fellow townsmen to try our luck in Hong Kong for a shot at wealth, but things didn't turn out as expected..."

"Are there other townsmen here as well?"

"Oh, they're not staying here." He Andong's gaze shifted evasively as he said, "Enough about me, what are you doing in Hong Kong?"

Li Yan shook his head at him, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, let's just drop it."

Ah Dong revealed a row of white teeth and said, "What's there not to believe? What, did you rob a bank and now the whole Hong Kong police force is after you?"

Li Yan gave him a look, "It's more thrilling and extraordinary than that. But let's not talk about it. It's still early, and I know a great dog meat hotpot place. My treat."

He Andong quickly waved his hands, "Forget about it, forget about it..."

A series of urgent vibrations interrupted the heated atmosphere between the two.

"I'll take a call," Li Yan said.

He Andong nodded, signaling him to go ahead.

"Hello, Brother Red Ghost, it's only two o'clock, what's the rush?"

"Where are you now?"

Red Ghost's tone was particularly urgent.

"I'm inside the apartment."

Li Yan frowned; he could hear the urgency in Red Ghost's voice.

"You fool! Stay put in your room. That apartment is hiding a gang of Big Circle Boys, and the Flying Tigers Squadron is already on their way. Be careful not to get caught in the crossfire!"

"What are you talking about?"

Li Yan hadn't caught on yet.

"There's a gang of murderous Big Circle Boys hiding in your apartment, led by a guy named Ah Dong! Inhumane, they kill without batting an eye!"

"Well, now that you put it that way, I understand," Li Yan exhaled, "But Brother Red Ghost, can I give you a small piece of advice?"

"Now's the time you're giving me advice? Go ahead."

"When you're on the phone, try to keep your voice down. You're so loud that everyone around me can hear everything, it's quite embarrassing."

"What did you say?"

"Beep."

Li Yan hung up the phone and quietly looked at Ah Dong in front of him.

"Fellow townsmen, tell your friend not to speak recklessly. Throwing around accusations of inhumanity is not something to be taken lightly; it's unpleasant to hear."

Ah Dong said with a smile.

"Meow~"

A little cat, seemingly out of nowhere, latched onto Li Yan's trouser leg and clumsily scrambled up.

"Ah Mi, you're being naughty again."

The girl ran downstairs, picked up her orange kitten, and looked up at Li Yan with a rare smile on her face.

"Brother Yan."

"Humanity isn't something to be talked about lightly."

Interestingly, Li Yan had been conversing with Ah Dong in a Hebei dialect close to Mandarin, but now he switched to Cantonese, tinged with an accent.

"Be good, Ah Xiu. Do you have any change on you?"

Li Yan stroked the girl's head.

"Yes." Ah Xiu nodded.

"Do your brother a favor, will you? Go out to the street and buy a pack of candy for me, will you?"

The girl obediently nodded, turned around, and then turned back again.

"Then you'll wait here for me."

"No problem."

Li Yan smiled and nodded, watching the girl leave with the kitten in her arms.

Then he slowly turned his head.

In front of him was the dark barrel of a gun and an intense red light that was blinding...

**********

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