Chapter 31 Bloodfist Gang
The humiliation caused by Li An's escape made the palace guards hold a grudge on the little fairy. But for some unknown reason, they stopped chasing after her and their agents stopped tailing her. However, not only the palace guards are interested in her.
A group from an underground organization has set their eyes on her after the palace guards stopped their pursuit. The organization is called the Bloodfist gang, the ruler of the large portion of the slum area.
In the dim twilight, Li An strolled confidently into the slums, her keen eyes taking in the already familiar cramped alleys and crooked buildings. Here, the air was thick with the scent of unwashed bodies and desperation. She often came to these parts, once again bringing small remedies and herbs to those who had no one else to turn to.
As if a familiar scene happened tonight as there was something darker lurking in the air—a familiar sense of being watched.
She knew it wasn't her imagination. It was the same routine as before. She'd noticed them following her since she'd crossed the old canal bridge: thuggish-looking men with roving eyes and hands itching for trouble.
Seedee has informed her that they were from the Bloodfist gang—a group known for extortion, thievery, and murder. She has learned from the people in the slums that the gang is led by Xia Kang. They ruled the slums with an iron grip and collected debts through violence.
Li An kept her pace steady, but every nerve was alert. A few of the gang members slipped ahead of her, blocking the path to the makeshift clinic, where she'd usually go to do her healing activity. Her lips curved into a small, mocking smile. It seemed the gang had decided to target her tonight, and she had every intention of teaching them a lesson they wouldn't forget.
The first man to approach her cracked his knuckles with a leer, a filthy rag covering his mouth. "Little girl," he sneered, "come quietly and you won't get hurt. Our boss has plans for you."
Li An's face was a mask of feigned innocence, her eyes wide and guileless. She could tell that the approach of these people is different this time. Her mind is already planning something for them.
"Oh, plans?" she said, her voice sweet but her words edged with an undertone only she recognized. "Well, I'm curious. Let's go, then."
She followed the group in the intertwining alleyways until they reached a dilapidated looking building. It was the only building in the area with some semblance of richness in it.
She followed the man under the looks of the people around her, their look sharp and malicious. She could feel hostility and other evil intentions in their gaze.
As soon as the door closed behind her, she suddenly felt a dangerous premonition. The man in front of her suddenly made his move.
In an instant, she sidestepped his lunge, her small frame darting under his grasp. She struck with her elbow, swift and precise, connecting with his ribs and knocking him breathless. Two more gang members closed in, their faces twisted with anger, only for her to dodge with a speed that left them swinging at air.
With a few more calculated moves, Li An sent each man to the ground, clutching bruised limbs and aching joints. She straightened her sleeves and brushed off imaginary dust, her expression one of mild annoyance.
The commotion hadn't gone unnoticed. The Bloodfist thugs who had been loitering nearby, waiting to escort her to their boss, now closed in with grim determination. "No more games," one of them snarled, drawing a short blade and pointing it at her. Li An sighed theatrically, then stilled as she sensed someone new approaching.
Out from the shadows stepped Xia Kang, the man who ruled the Bloodfist gang. His bulk was intimidating, his belly large and arms thick like tree trunks. His eyes gleamed with a ruthless cunning, sizing her up with an expression of malicious satisfaction. This was a man who enjoyed asserting power, who felt most alive with fear and blood around him.
"Little girl," Xia Kang rumbled, his voice gravelly and low, "it seems you've caused a bit of trouble here."
Li An raised her chin. "I was just defending myself. Your men were being rude."
He let out a cruel laugh, and his hand whipped out suddenly, striking her across the face. The slap echoed in the narrow alley, drawing gasps from the few onlookers who dared watch. But Li An didn't flinch. The blow barely stung, but her patience wore thin. Still, she kept her expression carefully neutral, only a slight furrow of her brow betraying her irritation.
Xia Kang's laughter grew. "Oh, you're a stubborn one, aren't you? That's good—stubborn slaves sell well."
Li An's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She knew he expected fear, expected her to wilt or beg. But all she felt was annoyance at the filth covering his palm. "Slaves?" she asked, her voice dripping with an innocence that mocked him.
He leaned closer, his fetid breath like spoiled meat. "You'll fetch a fine price. Or maybe we'll just keep you here for the entertainment of the boys." His lips twisted into a sneer as he grabbed her shoulder roughly, squeezing hard.
"Enough," Li An said, her voice cutting through his taunts with a chilling calm.
His grip tightened, anger flashing in his eyes. "What did you say, brat?"
Li An's small fingers closed over his wrist, the pressure of her grip suddenly turning to steel. With a flick of her wrist, she broke his hold, her movements fluid and precise. She took a step back, dusting herself off with a look of pure disdain. "I said, enough."
Xia Kang's face contorted with rage, and he lunged at her, his fists like hammers. But Li An's movements were a blur, a seamless dance of evasion and counterattack. She struck out with a kick to his knee, sending him stumbling backward. The gang members watched in shock as she dismantled their leader, her every move calculated and graceful.
One by one, more of the Bloodfist gang joined the fray, trying to corner her, but Li An moved like a shadow, slipping out of their grasps and disarming them with practiced ease. She dodged blows, redirected fists, and struck with pinpoint accuracy. They came at her from all sides, but it was as if she anticipated every move, her mind a step ahead of them all.
Soon, Xia Kang's gang lay groaning on the ground, clutching broken fingers and bruised limbs. Only Xia Kang himself remained standing, his eyes wide with disbelief and rage.
"You…you're no ordinary girl!" he spat, clutching his shoulder where her strike had left him numb.
Li An cocked her head, her expression cool and unwavering. "You should be more careful who you prey on."
Xia Kang's face twisted, his bravado crumbling as he looked at the bodies of his men scattered around him. But he still stood, and Li An saw the dangerous glint in his eyes, the desperate rage that flickered in his defeated posture.
"If you think you're done here, you're mistaken," he sneered. "I have connections you couldn't imagine. People with more power than you could dream of."
Li An raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Like who?"
Xia Kang's lips pulled into a twisted smile. "My supporter is a man who could snap his fingers and have a dozen men like you erased from this world without a trace. You're facing things that will bury you, girl."
Li An's interest was piqued. The illusion of fear had served its purpose, and now she'd learned what she wanted to know: the Bloodfist gang wasn't just a random collection of ruffians. They were a tool, a puppet of a noble who preferred to operate in the shadows. But Li An's expression betrayed nothing of this, her gaze simply calculating as she appraised him.
"Oh, really?" She asked, her tone dripping with a mocking curiosity. "I suppose your supporter is also just as fat and dim-witted as his followers?"
Xia Kang roared in fury, lunging at her with renewed vigor. But Li An sidestepped easily, delivering a swift chop to his neck. He crumpled to his knees, gasping for breath as he looked up at her, the last of his defiance fading.
She bent down to his level, her gaze piercing. "This is the part where you tell me everything. Who's your backer?"
Xia Kang was silent for a moment, his breathing labored, and then he spat on the ground. "I'll die before I tell you anything, girl."
Li An straightened, her eyes narrowing as she considered him. She didn't need his cooperation—she knew enough now to start her own investigation. The shadowy noble would have left traces, threads that she could unravel. And as for Xia Kang…
"Fine," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper. "Then you're of no further use."
With that, she turned and began walking toward the door. Her casual dismissal stung him more than any of her blows had, and his pride couldn't take it. "You think you can just walk away?" he shouted, his voice raw with fury. "You're dead! Do you hear me? You're dead!"
Li An glanced back, her gaze cold as ice. "We'll see about that."
As she left the Bloodfist headquarters, she paused at the doorway, looking over her shoulder at the wreckage she'd left behind. Xia Kang lay crumpled amidst his defeated men, and she could hear his threats fading into groans of pain as she strode into the night.
She had learned something valuable tonight, and she couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement at the challenge ahead. This elusive noble backer of them, whoever he or she was, would soon find that they'd made a grave mistake in using the Bloodfist gang to terrorize the slums. For as much as she knew of life in the palace, she was just as comfortable in the shadows of the streets.
As she slipped through the darkened alleys, her mind raced with possibilities. Whoever this noble was, he or she had underestimated her, seeing only a child in the slums. But Li An knew the world of nobles and understood the corruption that lurked behind their silks and titles. And this noble would soon learn that Li An was no ordinary girl.
She disappeared into the night, her steps light and her senses alert. The slums, which had so long suffered under the Bloodfist's cruelty, were silent in her wake. But tomorrow, the people here would wake to a different world—a world where a girl with quiet determination and fierce resolve had begun to dismantle the power of their oppressor.