Li Yan clamped his gaze onto the bundle of golden-red flames on the sand table, pursuing it relentlessly. After weaving through seven or eight alleys, a low and husky male voice reached his ears.
“End of report, the duration of this report was one minute.”
Li Yan abruptly halted, letting out a sigh tinged with disappointment. Of course, it wasn't all for naught; at the very least, he knew that within the Fortress Village of Kowloon, two more fragments of the manuscript indeed existed, and the entirety of Fortress Village didn't extend beyond a five-mile radius. It wouldn't take much time to find those two manuscript fragments.
Li Yan scrutinized every face in front of him. As the sensation faded, he was just about fourteen or fifteen meters away from the golden-red flames. Perhaps all it would take was a turn or stepping into a certain shop, and he might find the person possessing the fragmented manuscripts.
“Hey, buddy, we're not open for business today, so be smart and scram.”
A few thugs, who might as well have had 'Four Nine Lads' emblazoned on their foreheads, addressed Li Yan.
They stood guard in front of a tent, its curtain drawn, concealing the interior.
This must be an opium den operated by some association. There were many such tents and shanty dwellings in Kowloon's Fortress Village, enter one and you would find addicts collapsed in a haze of 'cloud swallowing and fog spewing.' Li Yan wasn't certain if the person he was looking for was inside, but that didn't deter his desire to check.
Li Yan sniffed, feigning to swallow saliva convincingly, and approached, indistinguishable from an old addict in the throes of withdrawal.
“Pal, I know the rules. The entrance fee is seven fifty, right? I'll give you ten.”
The thug waved his hand impatiently, “We're out of stock, brother. Try somewhere else.”
Li Yan couldn't help but chuckle. To think his disguise as an old addict would coincide with an opium shortage—now that was a rarity.
“What's all this noise about? Brother Nine is getting annoyed.”
A man with short hair poked his head out of the tent to look, catching sight of Li Yan.
“It's you?”
Li Yan, equally surprised, greeted him.
“Hello there, Master Zhou.”
…
“Wow, look who it is. Isn't this the high-flying Brother Yama of Fortress Village? What brings you to my place so late? Didn't get enough to eat from Taisui's bowl and now you're looking to join the Sect's Mountain Gate for a title?”
The tent was spacious, and Floral Shirt Nine greeted Li Yan with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes as he entered.
Floral Shirt Nine was Li Yan's first benefactor after arriving in Hong Kong. Without his fifty thousand, Li Yan wouldn't even have been able to muster enough points for 'A Fleeting Glance' during his fight with He Andong. Although Floral Shirt Nine's tone was unfriendly, Li Yan didn't take it to heart and replied, “Brother Nine, I can't afford your joke. To call myself Yama in Kowloon's Fortress Village? I don't have enough lives for that. A damn thief stole my wallet, and I've chased him all the way here, wanting to see if he's hiding inside. I didn't expect to run into Brother Nine.”
"With your skills, which damn thief could have stolen your wallet?"
Little Zhou was somewhat incredulous.
"It's not as simple as that, specialization in a particular technique," Li Yan muttered vaguely before proposing, "How about it, Master Zhou, since we've bumped into each other by chance, why not have a little spar and fulfill your long-cherished wish?"
"There's no need for that. In a few days, we'll naturally meet in the boxing ring."
Little Zhou's tone was cool.
"My boy Little Zhou entered the boxing ring just a few days ago and has already achieved four consecutive victories, making those Vietnamese monkeys jump around with his Chinese Kung Fu. It's not certain who will win or lose when you encounter him in the ring."
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Floral Shirt Nine interjected, his love for boxing evident. He had lost face that day at Red Ghost's and was initially unable to step down gracefully. But having seen his brothers dominate the boxing ring in the following days, his displeasure had been cast beyond the ninth heaven.
Despite his streak of consecutive victories, Floral Shirt Nine was approachable and lacked pretense. However, a quick inquiry in Kowloon's Chengzhai would reveal the formidable reputation of Floral Shirt Nine, who once, armed with nothing but a hollow metal spinning stick, dared to plant his flag in Yau Ma Tei with less than a hundred scoundrels backing him. No one would hesitate to acknowledge his sharpness.
Li Yan paid little attention to Floral Shirt Nine's remarks. He couldn't gauge Little Zhou's depth during their brief encounter, but Li Yan didn't think he would lose. In a fleeting glance, he was even more confident, with over ninety percent certainty of defeating Little Zhou. The idea of being defeated by Little Zhou in the boxing ring, thus ending his 1986 Hong Kong trip, had never crossed Li Yan's mind.
"But why is Brother Nine so free tonight? Not even half a fly in the powder stall."
Li Yan's comment was offhand, but Floral Shirt Nine's face darkened instantly, and with a cold laugh, he retorted, "Old Ghost Wu wants to sweep my place clean? It won't be that easy. Damn his old mother, in a few days, he'll be sleeping with the fishes."
Li Yan didn't respond, but it seemed to him that such tough talk from Floral Shirt Nine probably meant that Wu Haoxi was pressing him hard.
As he cursed, Floral Shirt Nine's gaze returned to Li Yan.
"What about it, Taisui, are you interested in getting involved? How long can she hold out defending Dragon City's Boxing Ring? Old Ghost Wu's tyranny isn't new. Haven't you experienced it working together in the Committee?"
Li Yan hastily waved his hands, jesting, “Brother Nine, I’ve only been in Hong Kong for a few days. I haven’t even caught a glimpse of Taisui, so don’t scare me like that.”
Floral Shirt Nine let out a hearty laugh, not taking it to heart. In reality, neither Wu Haoxi nor Consecutive Victories wanted any complications at this time. It was the last thing they wanted to drag other Dragon City Executive Members into the mix, let alone Taisui, the famously madcap figure. Floral Shirt Nine was merely cracking a joke, and besides, he didn’t believe that Li Yan, this newcomer to Hong Kong, could influence the current situation in Kowloon Fortress Village. Not even his manager, Red Ghost, had that kind of clout.
“By the way, Brother Nine, I’m new here and clueless. Is there a sizable pawn shop in Kowloon Fortress Village?”
“What do you need it for?”
“I brought a family heirloom with me from the mainland, and I’d like to see how much it could fetch.”
Such a lie came as easily to Li Yan as passing gas, with over four thousand variations at the ready that wouldn’t give him away, no matter how detailed Floral Shirt Nine’s questioning got.
However, Li Yan didn’t get a chance to elaborate, as Little Zhou had already chimed in.
“There’s a Lixing Pawnshop across the street. The owner offers fair prices, has extensive connections, and takes in all sorts of items. There aren’t many in Dragon City who do this kind of business; after all, if there’s good merchandise, people wouldn’t pawn it in Fortress Village. If you’re looking to sell at a high price, you’d better go outside Dragon City.”
Li Yan was overjoyed and excused himself to leave.
“Master Li!” Little Zhou called out to Li Yan, his eyes burning with intensity, “See you in the boxing ring.”
“See you in the boxing ring.”
Li Yan laughed heartily and made his way to the Lixing Pawnshop.
...
“With so many new blood in the boxing ring lately, Taisui must be thrilled.”
The First Stableman of Kowloon Fortress Village, Taisui’s most favored manager, the fifty-six-year-old Liao Zhizong, picked up a document from the table. The photo on it was of Li Yan, with Little Zhou’s document beside it.
"The hustle and bustle around the sixth arena of the Kowloon Fortress Village is unprecedented," he remarked with a sense of wonder.
"Indeed, back when I was boxing, we didn't have all these fancy tricks."
Red Ghost was also holding a document, with a photo of a person wearing a fierce Blue Mask.
"Wu Erlang, heh, what a cheeky nickname," chuckled Red Ghost, his tone tinged with disdain. Despite the recent impressive record of this New Blood, Red Ghost found such deliberate mystique to be a gimmick typically reserved for low-level Boxing Rings, hardly worthy of his attention.
"By the way, Uncle Liao, where has Taisui gone?" he inquired.
Liao Zhizong glanced at Red Ghost. "A rather formidable figure has arrived at our Dragon City Boxing Ring; Taisui has gone to meet him."
"Formidable?" Red Ghost's curiosity was piqued.
Liao Zhizong pulled out one of the documents and placed it in front of Red Ghost.
"It's him."
Red Ghost looked down to see the name "Xu Tianci."
The photo showed a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, his youthful smile revealing tiger teeth, still brimming with youthful innocence.
Red Ghost's brow furrowed for no apparent reason.
"Taisui is meeting with this kid?"
"He's a newcomer to the Boxing in Dragon City scene, undefeated so far."
"Uncle Liao, you said he's a recent arrival; it's not unusual for him to be undefeated. Besides, even if he were truly invincible, there's no reason for Taisui to meet him privately," Red Ghost argued.
Liao Zhizong waved his hand dismissively. "Taisui's meeting with him isn't because of his record. It's mainly because of his grandfather..."
Red Ghost almost blurted out, "His grandfather, the Hong Kong Governor?" but he held his tongue.
"Who's his grandfather?"
Liao Zhizong, unusually solemn, spoke with a heavy tone. "Xu Shangtian."
Xu Shangtian, a direct disciple of Yip Man and one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Wing Chun, was renowned as the 'Thought King.' He had set a record of thirty-two consecutive wins in the boxing rings of Kowloon Fortress Village, a feat so impressive that no one in Kowloon dared to challenge him again.
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