"Splash."

Shoes stepped into the filthy water, splashing up a large swath of murky droplets.

A rat, not much smaller than a cat, scurried past Li Yan in fright. The air was thick with the stench of decay emanating from the Fish Ball Processing Factory located behind the building.

No matter how legendary Kowloon Walled City might appear in the eyes of future generations, filth and decay were the true colors of this slum. The glittering places within the city were, at least for the present Li Yan, beyond his reach.

A ring of keys twirled around Li Yan's thumb, belonging to one of the rooms in the apartment block before him, its walls mottled with age.

The keys were a welcome gift from Red Ghost, sparing Li Yan the discomfort of sharing a room with the lower-tier fighters. The location was a mere fifteen-minute walk from the Kowloon fighting rings on Dragon Ferry Road, which was quite convenient for him.

Every fighter in Boxing in Dragon City needed to find a suitable manager, a so-called Dragon City Stableman. When and how a fighter would compete was all arranged by the manager. Li Yan's previous manager in Dragon City was a small-eyed, portly man known as Fat Bo. Now, of course, his manager was Red Ghost.

Compared to Fat Bo, who could only strut his stuff in the Fourth Arena, Red Ghost was a renowned figure throughout the entire Dragon City Arena. At thirteen, she fought under the name Chen Minhong in the Boxing Ring, and by twenty-one, she had become the champion of the sixth ring. With fierce moves and heavy hands, Red Ghost's reputation spread far and wide. After retiring, she worked for Taisui, becoming one of his most trusted managers. Even the chairman of the Committee, Wu Haoxi, would greet her with a warm smile, calling her Ah Hong. To work under Red Ghost was, in the eyes of someone like Fat Bo, an occasion worth celebrating with firecrackers and roast goose.

Yet, Li Yan, who had seemingly ascended to the heavens in Fat Bo's eyes, was now fumbling with a few tens of dollars in his pocket, his expression ugly, devoid of any trace of self-satisfaction.

"Three hundred Yan Fu Points, that's a whole three million Hong Kong dollars. Should I rob a bank or what?"

Although Tapir had given Li Yan three chances in the Yanfu Incident to gather these three hundred Yan Fu Points, it was clear that Li Yan couldn't wait that long. He aimed to achieve his goal in one fell swoop, to earn three million Hong Kong dollars within a month in the 1986 Kowloon Walled City!

"Meow~"

Li Yan looked down to see a ginger kitten pacing back and forth at his feet, its nose occasionally bumping against his pant leg.

"Ah Mi."

A childlike voice floated down the stairs, and Li Yan looked up to see a girl about thirteen or fourteen years old. She was wearing a washed-out white shirt, barefoot, with a delicate and frail appearance, looking somewhat timid.

"Meow~"

At the call of her owner, the kitten scampered up to the girl's side with a few agile jumps, purring contentedly.

"I'm sorry, sir, Ah Mi always likes to wander off."

Li Yan smiled, "Your cat is very cute."

With that, he entered the apartment building, searching for the room number that Red Ghost had given him.

"Little sister, do you know where room 413 is?"

The girl nodded her head, picked up her cat, and gestured for Li Yan to follow her.

After about a minute or two, she stopped and pointed to the number on a nearby door.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"This is it."

"Thank you, little sister. Here, have some candy as a treat from your brother."

Li Yan pulled out two milk candies from his pocket and handed them to the girl. He had bought the candy on Dragon Ferry Road to ease his own pain.

"Ah Xiu, who are you talking to so late at night?"

A woman's voice, husky and lacking in strength, emanated from the door Li Yan had his back to.

"Nobody, Mom, I went downstairs to look for Ah Mi."

The girl hesitated at the sight of the candies from Li Yan, but upon hearing the voice from the room, she quickly bid him farewell and returned inside.

Li Yan unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth, not giving it much thought as he used the key to open his own door.

Having a mother and daughter as neighbors was certainly better than dealing with the likes of Chirping Birds and Chattering Swallows. At least Li Yan wasn't looking for any additional complications at the moment.

The room was cramped but clean enough. The only problem was the pungent stench from the Fish Ball Processing Factory behind the apartment, which seeped in even with the doors and windows shut tight. Li Yan, who was just looking for a place to stay, wasn't too bothered and quickly fell into a deep sleep after a brief tidy-up.

...

In the dead of night, within A Certain Gambling Den.

"Open! Twelve Points Big."

As the dice came to a halt, a middle-aged man with disheveled attire and a receding hairline collapsed on the floor, a faint smell of alcohol lingering on him. Around the gambling table, some people were jubilant, while others ground their teeth in frustration. Yet no one spared a glance at the middle-aged man, who looked as though he was on the verge of a heart attack, as if he were just a piece of trash about to be swept onto the streets.

"Come on, come on, last bets!"

Black-Tooth Tai, with his unkempt hair and teeth stained from smoking, was bellowing with a flushed face.

"Wait, wait, I'm betting on small this round."

The middle-aged man with bloodshot eyes cried out hoarsely.

"Show the money, old man."

Black-Tooth Tai swallowed a glob of phlegm, his tone contemptuous as he shouted at the middle-aged man. His sharp eyes could tell that the man had not a penny left on him. If he dared to make any trouble now, like betting a finger or something equally provocative, Black-Tooth Tai would surely have him dragged out back, stripped naked, and thrown into the sea to feed the sharks.

The middle-aged man's lips quivered as he pulled out a flat wooden case from his bosom.

"How much is this worth?"

Upon opening the case, it revealed a sheet of light yellow rice paper adorned with gilded patterns that intertwined across the surface. The paper bore the image of a lifelike Kui Ox, its golden fur meticulously detailed, standing on one leg and rearing its head for a heavenward roar. On the back of the paper was a dense array of tiny characters.

Black-Tooth Tai didn't even think twice before slapping the wooden case and the rice paper inside right across the middle-aged man's face!

"Damn your eyes, you think you can get money for a box of toilet paper? Who the hell wants your hell money? If you're broke, just get lost!"

The middle-aged man staggered back from the blow, twin rivulets of blood trailing down from his nose to his lips and onto the ground. He picked himself up, muttering as he clumsily made his way out.

"Philistine, it's an antique."

Brushing the dust off his clothes, he staggered out into the cramped streets of Nine Dragon City, oblivious to the fact that his drunken gait was drawing attention...

"Scoundrel, spouting nonsense..."

He continued to grumble, unaware of a shadowy figure sneaking up behind him. In an unguarded moment, a concrete block was brought down hard on the back of his head.

The middle-aged man fell to the ground with a thud. The assailant crouched and frantically searched his pockets, finding nothing. Irritated, he caught sight of the gilded rice paper in the man's grasp. Without a second thought, he snatched it away, glanced around to ensure no one was watching, and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a hand clutched desperately at his ankle, tripping him to the ground.

The middle-aged man, his head covered in blood, moaned weakly.

"Help, help me, please..."

The attacker trembled, furiously kicking at the man's chest to loosen his grip, but the middle-aged man held on tightly, refusing to let go.

Gasping for breath, rage boiled up within the attacker, and he groped for the blood-stained concrete block he had dropped earlier. Lifting it high with both hands, he brought it down with a mighty crash!

"Bang!"

Li Yan's palm shot through the air, striking his opponent's face and knocking him out cold.

"This youngster's got some edge, winning five bouts in one night."

"What the devil, it's obvious this guy's not Fourth Arena material. Why's he still fighting here?"

Red Ghost leaned against the boxing ring, gesturing for Li Yan to step down.

"What's up, Brother Red Ghost?" Li Yan asked half-jokingly.

Red Ghost gave a wry smile.

"If you keep fighting like this, even fools will blindly bet on you. You're turning my boxing ring into a money pit. Come with me. Your last fight tonight will be in the big league."

"Alright. Where to?"

Red Ghost flicked his cigarette butt to the ground.

"Fuk Yee Mansion."

**********

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