On the sixth day of the seventh month in the Year of the Tiger, it is auspicious to repay the gods and forge alliances.

Li Yan replayed the videotape of Little Zhou and Xu Tianci's match.

Xu Tianci wielded the Butterfly Twin Blades with a grace and fluidity that mimicked a dragon in flight. His Palm Knife danced through the air.

Little Zhou, with a Nine-ringed Broad Sword in hand, slashed with strokes as bold and unrestrained as splattered ink, at one point suppressing Xu Tianci to the extent that he couldn't counterattack. The Mercury Cascades-like flow of the Wensheng Sword Technique caused Li Yan to watch with sweaty palms.

Twenty-One Swords, a full Twenty-One Swords, Li Yan admitted to himself that he could find no opportunity to retaliate. It was these Twenty-One Swords that slashed Xu Tianci, leaving his body covered in bloody marks.

It was here that Li Yan's gaze sharpened.

Counterattack!

Sure enough, the Xu Tianci on the screen tightened his core, his hands knocking the blades against the rings of his opponent's sword, and with a fluid motion, he thrust forward. Little Zhou, seasoned and shrewd, flicked his Nine-ringed Broad Sword upwards, pressing it towards Xu Tianci's neck. Xu Tianci shrugged his left shoulder, bracing his wrist against Little Zhou’s forearm, his Butterfly Knife aiming for Little Zhou's eyes. The tip of the Butterfly Knife nearly grazed Little Zhou's eyelids, sending chills down the spine, while the Nine-ringed Broad Sword etched a bloodline across Xu Tianci's neck!

Retreat meant death.

Ultimately, the Nine-ringed Broad Sword, with its overwhelming force, caused Little Zhou to bellow in anger, pressing Xu Tianci into a forced retreat with rapid, tension-filled footsteps.

"Clang~"

Xu Tianci was forced to the edge of the platform, his body seemingly about to fall.

But Li Yan could see clearly that Xu Tianci's foot did not miss its mark; it was firmly planted on the marble floor!

As Xu Tianci stumbled, Little Zhou, thinking his opponent's right foot had slipped, altered his force from downward to a horizontal push, aiming to drive the off-balance Little Zhou off the platform.

But then, disaster struck!

Xu Tianci exploded upwards like a hawk soaring to the heavens, his Butterfly Knife swinging towards the Nine-ringed Knife, prying open his opponent's central guard and stepping forward with a lifted waist. His Butterfly Knife flicked upwards past Little Zhou's sword-wielding wrist.

Blood splattered everywhere as half a forearm soared into the air, and the Nine-ringed Knife clattered to the ground.

Xu Tianci did not stop there. With his knees hitting the ground, his twin blades swept low like a butterfly threading through flowers, carving a ghastly 'X' across Little Zhou's belly…

Li Yan silently turned off the videotape, his expression calm.

"He's got a sharp mind, a true talent in fighting."

Was Little Zhou's loss unjust? It was. Had he not held back in the final moments, opting for control over recklessness, and had he pushed Xu Tianci out of the ring, the situation might have been vastly different.

Was Little Zhou's loss unjust? Li Yan felt it wasn't. A loss was a loss, fair and square.

In a match where life and death hung in the balance, if you aim to pull your punches, you must be prepared to pay the price. Besides, what makes you think your opponent isn't feigning weakness deliberately? Li Yan himself had once used this tactic, feigning an opening to quickly end a boxing match.

"Xu Tianci uses the Eight-Slash Sword, the true legacy of Yip Man. Are you confident?"

Red Ghost inquired.

Li Yan nodded.

"Still going to use a sword?"

This time, Li Yan declined.

"My right hand is injured, and the Han Sword, though fierce, is too taxing. I want to try something different."

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"What will you switch to?"

"Against the Eight-Slash Sword..." Li Yan's tone was contemplative. He had never encountered the authentic Wing Chun Eight-Slash Sword in Guangdong, and the prospect excited him.

"The Bagua Sect has a signature weapon, the Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd."

Yu Shu, who had been quietly sipping his drink, gave him a sidelong glance.

"You plan to wield it with just your left hand?"

"Enough," Li Yan stated succinctly.

"Arrogant."

Taisui chuckled and shook his head.

Red Ghost glanced at Taisui, then back at Li Yan, and stood up with a slap on his thigh.

"I'll get it ready."

With his departure, only Li Yan and Yu Shu remained in the room.

"Fancy a drink?"

Yu Shu produced a bottle of Shaochun wine from nowhere.

"No, thanks."

"Oh."

The two sat in silence, an atmosphere both eerie and harmonious enveloping them.

...

The Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd, a legacy of the Bagua Sect's founder Steward Dong Haichuan, consists of the Mysterious Door Weapons. It features a pair of Crescent Blades—one larger, one smaller—hooked together in opposition, resembling a malformed mathematical 'x' with a gap in the middle for the wielder's grip. It is a type of dual-wielded short blade even rarer than the Butterfly Twin Blades.

"Clang!"

Li Yan's left hand, wielding a circular blade, struck the wooden dummy stake.

"The Mandarin Duck Halberd is a two-handed weapon. Relying solely on your weaker left hand reduces your chances of victory considerably."

Li Yan tightened the bandages wrapped around his hand and turned to look at the man.

"Red Ghost, I've been in Dragon City for quite some time and haven't sparred with you yet. How about we have a friendly match?"

"No problem with that." Red Ghost, seated nearby, knocked the ash off his cigarette. "By the way, Ah Yan, how do you find Fuk Yee Mansion? What about your thoughts on me?"

"Not bad."

Li Yan tossed the Meridian Mandarin Duck Halberd aside and watched Red Ghost in silence.

Red Ghost rubbed his temples, exhaled deeply, and looked gloomily out the window.

"I grew up dining at a hundred different tables, never trained in fist fighting. But through constant brawling, my fists naturally toughened."

He extended a finger. "I remember kindness. Taisui took me in when I had no food to eat, and I would give my life for her. Now tell me, how should I respond to others who have shown me kindness?"

Li Yan did not speak but continued to meticulously wrap another layer of bandages around his right hand.

"Do you know about the trouble with Consecutive Victories?"

"I'm aware."

"Judy is furious, and the whole Hong Kong Associations are trembling. With your rising fame, have you become forgetful?"

As Red Ghost spoke, his tone grew increasingly chilly.

"Get to the point, Red Ghost."

Red Ghost stood up.

"Someone came to me yesterday, claiming you're playing both sides, planning to overturn Fuk Yee's stand. Is that true?"

Li Yan nodded.

"I did say that."

Red Ghost didn't move, just stared at Li Yan. "Why betray me?"

"I've said it, but I haven't done it—betraying you."

Li Yan's response was calm.

"Is it true that if Consecutive Victories doesn't fall, in a little over half a month you'll be Seizing Command?"

Li Yan smiled. Tomorrow he would leave Hong Kong, and his past words were merely to mislead Prince Le.

Back then, he and Judy had broken up. He no longer intended to make money through her connections. What to do? The plan was to swindle money from Consecutive Victories by pulling a bait-and-switch, which was Li Yan's initial thought. However, plans often fall behind changes.

Now, as Red Ghost confronted him, Li Yan did indeed feel a bit awkward, even though he had never intended to follow through from the start.

Yet, he wasn't worried about turning against the people of Fuk Yee Mansion; rather, he was concerned about the potential exposure of that night's events...

"Brother Red Ghost," Li Yan began, carefully modulating his tone to avoid leaving any loopholes that might come back to haunt him in the future.

"Did you even bother to ask Taisui for permission before dealing with me?"

"Of course, I did."

Red Ghost gave a wry smile. "She knows about it and told me to behave."

"Since Taisui has spoken, why not let me finish tomorrow's boxing match?"

Red Ghost bit his thumb and approached Li Yan. "Now that Judy's got your back, I wouldn't dare lay a finger on you."

Li Yan looked at the man who had taken such good care of him since his first day here, yet he thought it might be better to play along at this point.

A wildly unrestrained smile spread across Li Yan's face.

"Exactly, Brother Red Ghost. Think about it. Even Taisui, with his fiery temper, didn't touch me. You should consider that."

With a baby-faced grin, Red Ghost also burst into laughter, then leaned forward on his left foot and hammered a right hook viciously into Li Yan's face.

Li Yan could have dodged or blocked, but he chose not to and watched as the fist imprinted on his face.

Blood splattered.

Red Ghost stepped forward, driving his knee into Li Yan's belly, and as Li Yan doubled over in pain, Red Ghost pounded his fist into Li Yan's back.

The first punch, Li Yan took willingly; the second knee strike, he accepted calmly; but at the third punch to his back, Li Yan started to lose his cool.

He shrugged off Red Ghost and touched the blood at the corner of his mouth.

"That's enough, or I'll start fighting back."

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Damn it!"

The two lunged at each other!

...

On the seventh day of the seventh month in the Year of the Tiger, all fortunes are great.

"What's this about, you two?"

Yu Shu rarely put down his bottle and glared with wide eyes. Beside him, Liao Zhizong shook his head incessantly. The others wanted to laugh but dared not.

Li Yan, with a bruised mouth, said nothing, while Red Ghost, sporting two black eyes, looked grim.

He saw Ruan Hongzhi's mouth twitching upward and glared with panda eyes.

"Laugh, what are you laughing at?"

"Enough!"

Yu Shu stopped Red Ghost.

"Today, Ah Yan is boxing. We'll talk about everything else after his match. Get on the stage."

She walked past Li Yan, patted his shoulder, and whispered,

"Godspeed."

**********

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