Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
For a brief moment, Li Yan thought, “Is this woman playing a trick on me?”
But her expression was totally serious. Seeing that Li Yan did not say a word, she leaned over, bringing the fragrance of alcohol with her, and patted him on the shoulders.
“That’s right, I mean the same ‘Grand Duke’ that you’re thinking of.”
“Grand Duke… is a woman?”
Li Yan said, dumbfounded.
Yu Shu laughed. “Even if it’s that surprising… you should still introduce yourself first, right?”
“His name is Li Yan. What’s the matter, does the Grand Duke of Kowloon Walled City not know her own fighters?”
An elegant voice came over.
The clacking of high heels got gradually closer. The woman walking over was dressed in a white long-sleeved top, yellow high-heels, and a pair of black cropped pants that made her legs look long and slender. Her look was topped off with a pair of casual gold-rimmed glasses, making her look like a real city beauty.
Judy walked over, beaming. Unreservedly, she grabbed hold of Li Yan’s arm and spoke to him in a cutesy voice.
“Didn’t I ask you to wait for me at the viewing platform. How come you’re here?”
“There were no more seats, that’s why I ended up here. Judy, do you two know each other?”
Li Yan said.
“She’s the boss of your boss. Did Red Ghost not introduce her to you?”
Li Yan looked at that young face that seemed no older than he was and was clearly hesitant to respond.
“Well…”
“Everyone at Fuyi Tower calls me Grand Duke. You can call me that as well. So you’re the newbie that Red Ghost found? I thought you were just some handsome guy looking for fun in Kowloon.”
Li Yan nodded and said, “Grand Duke.”
Yu Shu then turned to look at Judy. “Long time no see, Mrs. Deng.”
Judy’s face twitched, but she forced a smile. “Long time no see. You’re still as pretty as ever, Grand Duke. But as women, we should learn to dress up a little.”
“Mrs. Deng is absolutely right, I’ll remember that. If you have any good makeup to recommend, please let me know, Mrs. Deng.”
“Of course… but I have arrangements with Yan. We’ll be leaving now.”
Yu Shu watched the two of them leave, and before they left her sight, added, “Take care, Mrs Deng.”
Zhen, the waitress, came back with a platter of fruit. She looked around unable to find Li Yan.
“Where did he go?”
“Who are you looking for?
Zhen jumped in fright. She turned around only to see Yu Shu’s face.
“Grand…”
“Shhhh.”
Yu Shu grabbed a slice of orange and put it into her mouth. With her mouth full, she mumbled, “Why are you still here? Go attend to the guests.”
“Yes, I’ll go right now.”
Zhen dashed off and Yu Shu looked up to see Li Yan and Judy enter a private cabin. She finished the fruit in her mouth and shook her head.
“Stupid woman.”
…
“That b*tch. She’s doing it on purpose.”
Judy huffed and tossed her purse onto the sofa. From the corner of her eye, she saw that Li Yan was looking down, not saying a word. She gently prodded his leg with her high heels.
“You b*stard, are you laughing at me?”
Li Yan’s eyes formed two little curves as he laughed. He shook his head. “Judy, I know we haven’t known each other for long, but this is the first time I’ve seen you this angry.”
Judy looked at Li Yan for a while, as though trying to read him. She suddenly said, “You’ve never met Yu Shu before?”
“Never.”
Li Yan shook his head. In his mind, of the five executive committee members of the Kowloon Association, Grand Duke should have been the mysterious, sombre old man, at least forty years old. He expected him to be like Si Lizheng of the Public Order Division, who Red Ghost had brought him to meet after the incident with He Andong.
Originally, Li Yan had had some idea of what to expect of the five bosses of Kowloon Walled City. But to say that that young woman with waist-length hair sipping on Baijiu caught Li Yan off guard was an understatement.
“Is she pretty?”
Li Yan replied with a serious face. “She’s my big boss, so of course she’s pretty. But not as pretty as you, Judy.”
Judy did not reply, but the corners of her mouth turned upwards a little. It was evidently effective.
She tilted her head to look at Li Yan. He seemed more and more pleasing to her eye.
Red Ghost is a good man. If Grand Duke can make a good man like Red Ghost fall head over heels in love, so can I.
“Oh right, did you know that there are a whole bunch of newcomers in Kowloon? They’re all really fierce fighters.”
“You’re talking about Zhou?” asked Li Yan.
“I’m afraid he’s not the only one.”
Judy nodded towards the ring below them.
Li Yan glanced over, only to see the end of the fight.
A fierce-looking bald man with scars criss-crossing his face had collapsed on the ring. His eyes were dazed and there was a gaping wound on his neck. Blood was oozing past his hands clutching at his throat. The whole ring was about to be dyed red.
His opponent was not tall, only about 1.7 meters. He wore a fearsome green demon’s mask and the weapon in his hand was dripping with blood.
In his hand was an opium pipe. The outer rim of the pipe bowl was bladed and both ends of the pipe were made out of steel. The middle, however, was made out of mottled bamboo.
“That’s a…”
Li Yan’s mouth curved into a smile as he looked on with interest.
“Pipe spear!”
The pipe spear was a weapon unique to Chuojiao Fanzi Fist. Although it looked almost identical to a long opium pipe, it was an actual weapon capable of lethal force.
Judy sat next to Li Yan and spoke gently. “He goes by the name Wu Erlang in the ring. No one knows his real name. Huh. What a strange man.”
“Judy, why are you paying attention to this guy. Could it be that you are hoping to support his fights?”
Judy looked Li Yan in the eye. “Are you jealous? Ha ha.”
Li Yan smiled but did not reply. Sometimes, it was better to let a woman’s imagination run wild.
Judy took off her glasses, and her tone was suddenly cold. “The one that supports his fights is called He Changhong. I’ve been at odds with that idiot for a long time. It doesn’t matter if I win or lose when I bet on fights, but I simply cannot lose to him. This Wu Erlang is getting popular recently. Say, Yan, if you’re completely honest with me, I won’t hold it against you. Against him, what are your odds of winning?”
Li Yan laughed. “If you’re unhappy, Judy, then I can give you 120% certainty that I’ll have that b*stard leave the ring in a stretcher.”
Judy chuckled. She hit Li Yan’s chest once, and then said more seriously. “I’m being serious. He still has one more fight later, and I have the tapes of his usual fights. Take a look.”
Judy tried to pick up the topmost video tape from the tall mountain of tapes on the table, but Li Yan stopped her hand.
His face was very close to Judy’s. His gaze was like floating icebergs on the surface of the ocean.
“Judy, when I say 120%, there is definitely a 120% chance of me winning.”
Judy looked at Li Yan and batted her eyelids. Suddenly, like a dragonfly landing on water, she gave Li Yan a quick and gentle peck on the cheek, leaving him stunned.
Judy took two steps back and muttered softly, “You naughty thing. Trying to dismiss me like that? No way.”
Li Yan’s mouth was dry and he felt a heat in his chest. But suddenly a deep and raspy voice rung in his ear.
“Location of ‘The Probe into Ancient Novels’ transcripts have been reported. Please take note!”
Now?
Li Yan furrowed his brows. The next moment, his pupils shrunk and he rushed up to the glass with a start to look down at the fighting ring.
By the side of the ring Wu Erlang had just taken off his green demon mask. The face that was initially hidden by his hood was revealed as he looked upwards, his left hand clutching his chest as he stared with disbelief at the private cabin on the fourth floor. He was looking directly at Li Yan behind the glass!
“Hello.” Li Yan mouthed. There was a smile on his face.
In his eyes was an incredibly youthful, almost childlike face belonging to the young man who went by “Wu Erlang.”
“Activate ‘A Strong Impression’!”
“Activate ‘A Strong Impression’!”
Both of them gave the same shocked reaction.
“You have found a Fellow Walker!”
“You have found a Fellow Walker!”
…
“Good job!”
In another private cabin, an arrogant looking young man in a neatly pressed suit laughed out loudly.
“Uncle Lei, it seems that my fighter has the better technique. I’ll be taking your money for tonight.”
Opposite him was a balding middle-aged man. Although his expression was still unpleasant, he did not lose his composure. He wiped the sweat off his brows and forced a smile.
“The new blood we’ve got in the ring are all pretty impressive. Tony is the veteran in the level six rings with the best prospects of being the ring champion. To think that he could not even last twelve rounds against that kid… It seems that you have the better eye for this, Master He.”
As for the dead Tony, he wasn’t an issue weighing on the middle-aged man’s mind.
The young man smiled even more unreservedly. He hooked his finger and a tuxedo-clad waitress immediately walked over and bowed. “Master He?”
“Give this twenty thousand to Wu Erlang. Tell him this is money for his supper.”
“Yes, Master He.”
The waitress left the cabin quickly.
“Uncle Lei, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose in the ring, what matters is that you have fun. I, He Changhong, am not a petty man. As for the business matters, I’ll go speak to my old man. There should be no problem at all.”
When the middle-aged man heard this, his expression changed. Compared to a wealthy young master like He Changhong, his spending power was much more limited. Hearing this, he was naturally overjoyed.
“This Wu Erlang is so impressive. You must have earned a lot recently, Master He.”
“It’s only peanuts. You might not know, but there aren’t many fighters willing to go up against Wu Erlang anymore. Even if I am willing to host, there are no takers.”
Suddenly, the cabin door opened. An uneasy-looking woman awkwardly stepped inside. Behind her was Wu Erlang with his mask off.
The woman had mediocre looks, but her figure was stunning and her clothes were revealing. Men who saw her like this would feel their throat run dry.
What was more surprising was how delicate and pretty Wu Erlang’s face was. If not for his Adam’s apple, one could easily mistake him for a pretty high school girl. However, this young man’s lips were thin and there was a consistently cold look in his eyes that sent chills down a man’s spine.
“Mei, what are you doing here?”
He Changhong said lazily,his elbows on the sofa armrests.
“Young Master He, Wu Erlang said he wanted to come in to personally thank you for the money for supper.”
The woman smiled.
Wu Erlang nodded slightly. “Young Master He.”
“Oh, Erlang. Come sit over here.”
He Changhong filled a glass with sparkling wine and handed it to him.
“That was a good fight!”
He Changhong smiled brightly as he praised the young man.
“Young Master He,” he suddenly spoke.
“What?”
Being interrupted, even by his best fighter, made He Changhong rather unhappy.
“I heard that in Kowloon Walled City there is a famous wealthy sponsor named Judy, whom you do not get along with…”
There was a deep look in the young man’s eyes.