After finishing the heartfelt meal, Xiang Ri, contentedly belching, was about to enjoy a peaceful afternoon nap when an unexpected phone call interrupted him.
"Monkey, didn't I tell you not to bother me unless it's urgent?" Xiang Ri retorted upon glancing at the caller's number.
"Big Brother, it's Xiao Pang! Hurry, come quick, someone's causing trouble and they've got a gun!" The voice on the other end was frantic, making Xiang Ri sense that something was amiss.
"At the bar? No problem, I'll be right there."
Without wasting a moment, Xiang Ri hung up and, taking advantage of his disciple's distraction while he was watching TV with a girl, snuck into her bedroom, grabbed his gun, and dashed out. He didn't notice that the moment he entered the room, his disciple's attention was immediately drawn to him, and upon seeing a bulge around his waist, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, connecting the scene to his teacher's almost shameless little quirks.
"Qing Jie, what's wrong? Your face is all red!" Chu Chu noticed Shi Qing's strange reaction.
"It's nothing, really." Shi Qing stammered, her mind flashing back to the embarrassing scene of her teacher holding her intimate undergarments, making her cheeks burn with more intense shame.
...
"Big Brother, you're finally here!" The fat man eagerly led Xiang Ri to a corner of the bar.
"What's going on?" Xiang Ri looked around. The bar was still filled with laughter and chatter. Those drinking were drinking, those flirting were flirting, and everything seemed calm, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
"Big Brother, look over there." The fat man pointed to a shadowy corner, seven or eight tables away. "Monkey's in trouble. He's been dragged into a fight, and the guy's got a gun. He's already beaten up a few of our brothers."
Xiang Ri followed the direction of his finger and squinted. The lighting was too dim to make out details, but he could vaguely see a man in a suit arrogantly pointing at a few thugs, shouting something. The bar's noise made it impossible to hear, but the man's air of arrogance was unmistakable. This irritated Xiang Ri; he had long considered Monkey and the others his subordinates, and if anyone needed to be taught a lesson, it should be him, not someone else.
"Let's go, we'll take a look." Xiang Ri led the way.
"Big Brother, he's armed." The fat man caught up to him, reminding him once again.
"Don't make a sound."
They were now close enough that Xiang Ri could hear Monkey's angry shouts.
"Big Brother!" As soon as Monkey saw Xiang Ri, he rushed over with all his men.
"Are you their leader?" Upon seeing Xiang Ri, Wu Qianyun's eyes lit up. He felt like he had hit the jackpot today, not only had he successfully seduced a student girl, but he had also bumped into his long-hated enemy, someone his father had stopped him from eliminating. Though his father had warned him that the man's background was likely formidable, the presence of his second uncle, plus everything he had learned recently, inflated his confidence to an unprecedented height, making him feel invincible.
"Indeed!" Xiang Ri immediately recognized him as the arrogant second-generation heir he had once taught a lesson to at the small restaurant. He hadn't expected him to become even more brazen over time. Casually glancing at the two men behind him, Xiang Ri could sense the strong scent of blood emanating from them. This was no ordinary thuggery—they had likely taken dozens, if not more, lives.
"I've been looking for you for a long time." Wu Qianyun's gaze bore into Xiang Ri, and the hatred in his voice was so palpable that even an outsider could tell.
"Is that so? How flattering," Xiang Ri replied, his tone dripping with disdain, as though it was an unbearable nuisance, akin to scraping mud off the bottom of his shoe.
Clearly, Wu Qianyun missed the mocking tone, and, smugly lifting his foot, he said, "Kneel, lick my shoes clean, then strip and crawl out."
"Don't you know the saying, 'Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you'?" A glimmer of amusement flickered in Xiang Ri's eyes, but underneath, every part of him was poised for the instant he could strike and eliminate the threat.
"Afraid now?" Wu Qianyun misinterpreted Xiang Ri's composed demeanor as fear and grew even more arrogant. "Fine, if you won't lick, then bring me Chu Chu, that slut, I want—"
"Bang!" In less than a tenth of a second, Wu Qianyun was sent flying by a powerful kick, crashing into the two men behind him. They reacted swiftly: one caught him, and the other lunged at Xiang Ri.
However, Xiang Ri was quicker. After kicking the arrogant second-generation heir aside, he immediately pursued, unwilling to allow those two murderous fiends to free their hands. Men of their ilk never ventured without their weapons; should they be allowed to act, the consequences would be dire. Thus, the strategy was clear: strike first.
As the figure lunged towards him, it was met with a foot aimed directly at his chest. The would-be assailant, too late to reach for his weapon, crossed his arms in a futile attempt to shield himself. But the force was too much to withstand. The impact felt as though he had been struck by a speeding truck. There was a sharp crack, and the man's arms twisted unnaturally, his body hurled violently against the wall, collapsing limply to the floor.
Within the span of barely two seconds, Xiang Ri had dispatched one foe, and before the second, who still held a person in his arms, could react, a powerful punch landed squarely in his midsection. The sickening sound of cracking bones filled the air, and both he and his captive fell to the ground in a heap.
Monkey and the others were utterly stunned by the swift turn of events. They had long known of their Big Brother's prowess, but they had never imagined it to be so monstrous. Their eyes burned with fervent admiration as they watched him, each secretly wishing they could somehow absorb his strength and resolve.
Though some bystanders had witnessed the brawl, they merely considered it a typical altercation—such things were not uncommon in bars, and no one was foolish enough to risk angering the local gang by getting involved.
"Is there somewhere quieter?" the thug asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"Yes, there's a basement behind the bar," the fat man hurriedly replied.
"Take them there."
The thugs hauled the three unconscious bodies away with little care, half-dragging, half-lifting them.
In the basement, under the harsh glare of fluorescent lights, the true appearance of the two foreign men became unmistakably clear.
They were tall, muscular, with dark, brownish-black skin and chiseled, hardened features. Though their hair was also black, their faces were clearly not those of typical Asians, bearing the strong, angular lines of a different descent.
Xiang Ri's mind stirred as he made a connection to a recent news report on television. "Search them," he ordered.
The thugs pounced on the unconscious men, quickly rifling through their belongings. They found three handguns and two knives. The guns were Desert Eagles, their imposing silver frames awe-inspiring, while the knives were razor-sharp, with a thin groove down the center—clearly designed for bloodshed.
"Wow!" Monkey exclaimed, his eyes practically sparkling as he fondled one of the guns, the possessiveness in his gaze unmistakable. "This is the real deal! If I can get my hands on one of these, I'd die a happy man."
The other thugs crowded around to gawk at the weapons, their eyes hungry as though gazing upon a beautiful woman, wanting to devour it whole.
"Monkey, stop gawking, wake that guy up." Xiang Ri gave Monkey a light kick on the calf, then pointed to the unconscious second-generation heir.
Monkey sheepishly handed the gun to one of his eager underlings, then kicked the prone figure with unrestrained force.
Wu Qianyun groaned in pain as he slowly regained consciousness, his mind still foggy. "Where am I?"
"The hall of the King of Hell," Monkey sneered.
"Ah!" Wu Qianyun recoiled, his body trembling even more as his eyes cleared and fell upon the figures around him. "You, you..." His words faltered as he looked at the two men lying beside him. One had blood pouring from his mouth, while the other's arms were twisted at unnatural angles. Both were unconscious, their eyes tightly shut, and Wu Qianyun screamed in terror before frantically begging for mercy.
"What's wrong, kid? Wasn't so cocky a minute ago?" Monkey pressed his foot down on Wu Qianyun's hand, causing him to let out a grotesque scream.
"Please, let me go," Wu Qianyun begged, his body wracked with pain.
Monkey was about to say something else when Xiang Ri interjected, "Where did you get these guns?"
"It's..." Wu Qianyun's expression shifted as he suddenly recalled something. His face paled, and he went silent.
"Monkey, do what you need to." Xiang Ri waved his hand dismissively.
Monkey's face twisted into a cruel grin. "If you don't speak up, I'll make you wish you hadn't been born." He brandished one of the knives he'd just taken from the foreigners, making a slow, deliberate motion above Wu Qianyun's face.
"I'll talk, I'll talk..." Wu Qianyun screamed, unable to endure the threat of the blade hovering above him.
"Monkey, let him speak. If he lies, give him a cut," Xiang Ri added with an almost playful tone. He wasn't sure if Wu Qianyun would dare lie, but he relished in the sight of the cowardice displayed in the second-generation heir's face.
"No, don't kill me! Everything I'm telling you is true, please don't kill me!" Wu Qianyun sobbed, the words tumbling out in desperation.
...
As Xiang Ri emerged from the basement, he rubbed his nose, uncertain whether to feel fortunate or to curse his luck. Despite his suspicions, hearing the truth from the arrogant heir still made him hesitate to believe that such a stroke of fortune had befallen him. There was an old saying: "When you've been searching for something, you'll find it when you least expect it." But this... this felt like an unbelievable coincidence.
However, it seemed he had also offended a dangerous organization, and their target—what could it be? The thought of a weapon capable of destroying an entire city made his head ache. Damn it, he cursed inwardly. Why was he wasting so much brainpower on this? Let that little girl deal with it instead.
With a sigh, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number with practiced ease.
"It's you? What do you want?" The voice on the other end was impatient.
"Nothing urgent. Just want to collect the last forty lashes you owe me," Xiang Ri replied casually.
"What do you mean? Wait... you've found it, haven't you?" The voice on the other end turned frantic.
"Correct. Too bad there's no reward," Xiang Ri replied smoothly.
"Where are you? I'm coming to you right now."
"The usual place. Oh, and remember to wear a skirt. Otherwise, I won't feel it..." Xiang Ri's words were cut off by the sound of the phone line going dead.