At the St. Mary's Hospital in Hong Kong, Li Yan, who had been absent from any significant action for three whole chapters, finally caught his break and fell back into his stride.

The chaos that had beleaguered the Nine Dragons City stronghold for days was nearing its end. Those who remained standing seemed to have avoided defeat altogether. With Consecutive Victories stepping into Wu Haoxi's shoes, all the Various Associations in Hong Kong had their share of the spoils. A vast expanse of business opportunities had opened up in Nine Dragons City, and even Taisui adhered to her longstanding principle: "Don't mess with me."

It was a situation that left everyone content...

Li Yan, carrying a fruit basket, had just reached the doorway of the hospital room when he overheard the voice of Floral Shirt Nine.

"Little Zhou, I genuinely had no prior knowledge of the situation. Brother Le suddenly showed up at Fortress Village that day, wanting to watch you box. Of course, I was thrilled. Then, seeing you knocked down by that flop, I was so enraged that I caused a scene at Fuk Yee. I had no idea Brother Le had already set his plan in motion."

Little Zhou, pale-faced and with drooping eyelids, lay on the hospital bed.

"Brother Nine, I mean no disrespect. I've taken the oath to Guan Gong before joining the brotherhood; I wouldn't doubt my brothers. At this point, whatever you say, I'll believe. You claim ignorance of Prince Le's scheme, and I won't question it further."

Floral Shirt Nine, leaning on his crutch, was about to say more when he caught sight of Li Yan, who was gently tapping on the glass at the door.

"Picker of the Stars, you dare to show up?" Floral Shirt Nine's eyes reddened with anger.

Li Yan walked in, placed the fruit basket on the table, and leisurely fetched a stool for himself. While sitting down, he addressed Floral Shirt Nine.

"Brother Nine, there's a debtor for every debt. Your leg was broken by Red Ghost, and Little Zhou was hurt by Xu Tianci's hand. The night Nine Dragons City was in turmoil, I was outside Fortress Village playing 'climbing the vault' (a slang term for gambling with small steel balls) all night long. No matter how you look at it, this debt shouldn't fall on my head, right?"

"You're Taisui..."

"Taisui is Taisui, and I am myself. At best, I'm just a boxer who scrapes a living in her ring, trading blows for cash."

Floral Shirt Nine was momentarily at a loss for words. Li Yan continued.

"Brother Nine, if you don't mind, shall we, two martial practitioners, have a moment alone?"

Since Li Yan had entered, Little Zhou's gaze had remained fixed on him. At the mention, he nodded toward Floral Shirt Nine, who shot Li Yan a glare before reluctantly leaving with a scowl still marking his face.

Li Yan picked up the fruit knife from the table and began to peel an apple with practiced ease. "How's the injury? I hope it hasn't left you with any complications," he inquired.

"It was treated in time. My arm's been reattached. It might ache when it rains, and I'll need to lie in bed for a few months, but there's no serious harm done."

Li Yan listened in silence. Little Zhou spoke lightly, but Li Yan knew the truth was harsher; Little Zhou's arm, once broken, would never regain its former strength. His martial skills had diminished significantly, leaving him practically disabled.

As he continued to peel the apple, Li Yan said, "You should get out of this life. Once this affair is settled, you'll have repaid any debts of gratitude."

Little Zhou managed a weak smile. "Did you come all this way just to tell me that?"

"Yes!" Li Yan's response was emphatic, his hands unwittingly applying more force to the knife, causing a long strip of apple peel to fall into the trash can.

"At this point, it makes no difference whether I leave or stay," Little Zhou said with a laugh, still able to find humor in his situation. "You should worry about yourself."

Li Yan handed over the peeled apple, but Little Zhou gently shook his head.

"I can't digest that. My intestines would rot. I'm just on a glucose drip now."

Li Yan bit into the apple himself, his face expressionless yet biting down hard.

The two sat in silence.

After all, Li Yan and Zhou Weian didn't share a deep friendship. Neither were the type to feign intimacy where there was none, and the atmosphere quickly grew heavy. The only sound was Li Yan's quiet munching on the apple.

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After a long while, Li Yan stood up.

"I'm leaving. Take care of yourself."

"Master Li."

As he reached the door, Little Zhou suddenly called out to Li Yan.

"Thank you."

Li Yan paused, then left the room without looking back.

...

Outside the room, the somber air that had clung to Li Yan dissipated. They were but ships passing in the night, each other's strangers in a foreign land. Who mourns for those who lose their way amidst impassable mountains? Little Zhou had exited the stage, but Li Yan was still very much in the game.

Floral Shirt Nine, leaning on two crutches, lit a cigarette in the hallway.

"Sir, smoking is not allowed in the hospital," a nurse in white rubber-soled shoes approached him.

Floral Shirt Nine exhaled deeply, glared at the nurse, but eventually snuffed out his cigarette. He saw Li Yan emerge and made his way over. "What did you say to Little Zhou?" he called out to Li Yan.

Li Yan did not reply but got straight to the point. "Brother Nine, there's a favor I need to ask of you."

"A favor?" Floral Shirt Nine laughed bitterly in disbelief. "Have you gone mad with fever? Why on earth would I help someone from Taisui?"

Li Yan chuckled, adjusting Floral Shirt Nine's collar. "I've said it before, Taisui is Taisui, and I am myself. I've been in Hong Kong for less than a month, just scraping by. Whether it's Taisui or Consecutive Victories, I have no interest in taking sides. Brother Nine, you control a whole district's worth of men; surely you won't be like those Old Forty-Nines who only know how to act tough, blind to everything and duped by a false sense of loyalty, deservedly played for fools."

His tone was laced with mockery by the end.

Floral Shirt Nine, upon hearing this, became much more composed. "Even so, I have no reason to help you."

Li Yan sniffed and spoke softly to Floral Shirt Nine, "Tonight, at the banquet with Consecutive Victories, they'll be offering Harmony Head Wine to make amends to Taisui on behalf of Prince Le. After tonight, Prince Le should be able to go home and sleep soundly, right?"

"What are you getting at?"

Li Yan recalled Yu Shu's words at the feast earlier that day and said, without a trace of emotion, "The share of profits that Consecutive Victories is ceding to other societies includes a portion for Taisui."

Floral Shirt Nine's pupils dilated, fixing his gaze on Li Yan.

Success!

Li Yan said no more, merely looking at Floral Shirt Nine with a smile playing on his lips.

Suppressing his displeasure, Floral Shirt Nine asked coldly, "What help do you want from me?"

"I want Brother Nine to help me find something, and also, I'd like to have a talk with Prince Le."

"What thing?"

"Something very simple, a piece of paper."

...

At No.2 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, Block C, 4th Floor, the Wing Chun National Martial Arts Hall was alive with activity.

Xu Tianci sat restlessly below the stage, watching his fellow disciples practice their punches.

An old man sat opposite him, the chessboard between them dense with characters in black and white.

"Heaven's Gift, you must concentrate when playing chess."

The corners of the old man's mouth habitually turned downwards, giving him a stern appearance.

Xu Tianci pursed his lips, picked up a black piece, and decisively placed it on the board.

The old man shook his head, his white pieces steadily driving the black ones into a corner.

"Always looking forward without considering the consequences. Whether it's boxing or playing chess, you show no sign of improvement."

Xu Tianci stuck out his tongue, offering no response.

"I've heard you took to the Boxing Ring and seriously injured a master of Literary Saint Boxing. Seems like you've stirred up some trouble."

Xu Tianci studied the chessboard, placing a piece as he spoke, "Grandfather, you also caused your fair share of trouble back in the day, didn't you?"

"You cheeky boy, now you're keeping score on me," the old man chided with a laugh, then paused before adding, "Don't go there again."

Xu Tianci responded with silence, his fingers pinching several black pieces.

"When you step into the Boxing Ring, you chant 'Life and Death Without Resentment,' but some people fight there to make a living. Those people die in the ring without complaint. But you, you fight for pride. Dying in the Boxing Ring for that is not worth it."

"Grandfather."

Xu Tianci stroked his chin, contemplating his next move in the game while he spoke:

"I've been practicing martial arts for over a decade, never really understanding why. To strengthen the body? To defend the country? But why are we always on guard, always on the defensive? Why must we, practitioners of Chinese Martial Arts, always be the ones challenged? Why must we wait for someone to come knocking, to insult us by name, before we, donned in our robes, leisurely fight back? Why must we wait for the label 'Sick Man of East Asia' to be affixed to our foreheads before we desperately defend the honor of Chinese Martial Arts, so melodramatically? Why can't I proactively promote my skills? If I'm stronger than you, why shouldn't I compete? Why can't I challenge your school? To make my name known throughout Hong Kong, to instill fear at the mention of Wing Chun, to ensure they never dare to slander us again."

Xu Tianci spoke swiftly and softly, yet his pupils flashed with a hint of red.

The old man sighed, unsure of what to say, and could only muster a wry smile: "At your age, you're still walking on clouds."

Xu Tianci let out a laugh: "Grandpa, I'm only nineteen. I can't just bury my face in the mud so soon, can I?" As he spoke, he placed another piece on the board.

The old man was taken aback. As the piece dubbed Heaven's Gift landed, the stable situation on the board was suddenly torn open, revealing a fierce, compelling spirit in Xu Tianci's aggressive play.

The old man looked at the chessboard for a long time, then at the young, smiling face before him, and suddenly realized he might never have truly understood this child.

"Grandpa, I've won." Xu Tianci grinned, showing his canines.

The old man, who had weathered many storms in his life, trembled slightly at the lips, feeling a mix of pride, sorrow, and a sharp sting in his heart. After a long moment, he gritted his teeth and said:

"If you fall, don't come looking for me."

"Once you step into the Boxing Ring," Xu Tianci said, each word hammering down like a nail into the ground.

"Life and Death Without Resentment!"

**********

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