69novels Chapter 9: You're not from Chengdu, are you?
Chapter 9: You're not from Chengdu, are you?
Things got bigger.
Overnight, news spread throughout the underworld that the famous Prince of Hongtai had suffered a great loss at the hands of a scoundrel named Song Zhaowen.
"Hard Fist Man" was a well-known figure in Yau Ma Tei.
Of course, Prince Tai was in a very embarrassing situation, his miserable look as he was being held hostage was witnessed by many onlookers.
On the surface, everyone respectfully calls him Prince Tai, but behind his back they laugh at him as the weak-legged Tai.
In the martial arts world, death is a small matter; saving face is the greatest.
This matter absolutely cannot be left to rest so easily. Enraged, Crown Prince Tai even issued a kill order in the martial arts world.
Song Zhaowen and Xiao Zhuoxiao were not foolish enough to go home and walk into a trap. Fortunately, an abandoned fishing boat in Shek O was a safe house that the two had set up earlier, and no one knew about it.
The sea breeze howled.
Song Zhaowen sat at the bow of the boat, the dim red glow of his cigarette flickering in and out.
"Is Karen asleep?"
Without even turning his head, he knew that Xiao Zhuoxiao was approaching from behind.
"I'm asleep now. I've had enough of a fright today. I fell asleep like a log shortly after lying down in bed."
Xiao Zhuoxiao handed over a can of beer, and the two of them clinked their glasses. "Awen, thanks a lot this time! But speaking of which, how come your skills have become so amazing after you had a fever?!"
"I already told you, I was bitten by a cockroach and became mutated."
"Damn! You've been reading too many Wesley novels."
Xiao Zhuoxiao absolutely did not believe Song Zhaowen's truth.
Song Zhaowen shrugged, too lazy to explain any further.
"By the way, Wen, there's something I need to discuss with you."
Seeing Xiao Zhuoxiao's serious expression, Song Zhaowen joked:
"You're not thinking of offering yourself to me, are you? I'm not interested in men."
"Screw you! What are you thinking? I'm a straight man through and through."
"Haha, that's good."
This interruption eased the serious atmosphere slightly.
"Awen, Karen likes you," Xiao Zhuoxiao suddenly blurted out.
Xiao Kailun had always had a vague feeling about Song Zhaowen. Before, she only thought it was her admiration for Brother Wen, but tonight Song Zhaowen saved her like a hero. What girl wouldn't fall for him?
Even in his sleep, he kept muttering Song Zhaowen's name, all of which Xiao Zhuoxiao overheard.
puff~
Song Zhaowen spat out the beer in his mouth: "Are you kidding me? Let me make it clear first, I'm not interested in your sister."
Seeing that his brother's expression didn't seem fake, Xiao Zhuoxiao finally relaxed and let out a long breath: "That's good; Ah Wen, please don't misunderstand. It's not that you're not good enough, you're very good. You're beautiful, skilled, and loyal. If I were a woman, I would like you too. But you know that I only have one sister, Karen. I swore before that my sister can marry anyone but absolutely cannot marry a gangster. This is a matter of principle."
Song Zhaowen rolled his eyes at Xiao Zhuoxiao: "Of course I know."
But inwardly, I thought to myself, "You think you can control your sister? In the end, she still ended up with a gangster." (In the movie, Xiao Kailun dated a traitor.)
"Are you kidding me? My sister is very beautiful, Ah Wen, haven't you ever been tempted?" Xiao Zhuoxiao asked curiously.
"Damn it, Ah-Xiao, are you out of your mind?! I like your sister and you worry, but when I say I'm not interested in her, you go crazy again. To be honest, I like Big Bobo, Karen is like Want Want Little Buns, we're not even on the same wavelength~"
Song Zhaowen's words, though crude, made sense. Xiao Zhuoxiao, far from being angry, grinned and patted Song Zhaowen's shoulder forcefully: "Damn, I knew you had similar tastes to me, you like big ones!"
The two clinked their beer cans together and took a few gulps.
The sea breeze carried a salty, fishy smell, and in the distance, waves crashed against the rocks with a monotonous clatter. On the abandoned fishing boat, only a dim emergency light barely illuminated a corner of the deck.
Xiao Zhuoxiao's smile faded, and his face darkened: "Seriously speaking, tonight's events definitely can't be left like this... We can't go back to Ciyun Mountain for the time being, and what about Grandpa...?"
He hesitated, knowing that although Uncle Fu had been kind to them, he had long since retired from the criminal world, and Zhengxing was currently in a state of internal turmoil, so he might not be willing to risk Hong Tai's wrath for the sake of the two younger generation.
Then the only option is to run away. Xiao Zhuoxiao has already arranged a boat and will run away to Vietnam tomorrow to hide for a while.
But at that moment, Xiao Zhuoxiao's pager went off.
"What, now that you know you're going to run away, which of your lovers is calling you?" Song Zhaowen joked as he chuckled while downing a beer.
"What nonsense are you talking about? It was Grandpa who told us to go to the ancestral hall tomorrow."
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Near Wong Tai Sin Temple, on a quiet side street, stands an inconspicuous three-story old tenement building. A faded wooden sign hangs at the entrance, bearing the words "Wong Tai Sin Neighborhood Welfare Association." Under the mottled paint, one can vaguely make out the two characters "Zheng Hing," which were once painted in gold.
This is the "base" of the Zhengxing Ciyunshan Hall, which serves as a neighborhood association to the outside world and an ancestral hall to the inside.
At 10 a.m., the sunlight was dazzling, but the side street where the ancestral hall was located was shrouded in the shadows cast by the buildings on both sides, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.
Song Zhaowen and Xiao Zhuoxiao walked one after the other through the half-closed old wooden door.
Inside the door was a small courtyard with a few half-dead plants. At the far end of the courtyard was a large hall, filled with smoke and dimly lit. Directly opposite the door stood a faded mahogany altar, dedicated to Guan Yu, whose incense was quite strong.
Below the altar, there were several old sofas and folding chairs, and a few people were sitting on the sofas at the moment.
In the center was a thin, gray-haired old man wearing a Tang suit and cloth shoes, holding two shiny walnuts in his hands. He was none other than Uncle Fu, the person in charge of Zhengxing Ciyunshan, who was respectfully called "Grandpa". His eyelids drooped, as if he hadn't woken up yet, but when he occasionally raised his eyes, his gaze was as sharp as a knife.
To Uncle Fu's left sat a man in his forties, stocky and with a neck thicker than his head, known as "Big Guang," a famous gangster known for his fighting skills. To his right sat a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a suit, and looking like a refined businessman, known as Uncle Fu's "White Paper Fan," Uncle Xiang.
Behind and on both sides of the sofa stood seventeen or eighteen men dressed in various styles, all of whom were key members of Zhengxing in Ciyun Mountain.
As soon as Song Zhaowen and Xiao Zhuoxiao entered, everyone's eyes were on them, especially on Song Zhaowen.
Last night's battle made Song Zhaowen's nickname "Hard Fist Wen" resound throughout Yau Ma Tei. No matter what the purpose of being in the underworld is, it is always about who is stronger. These eyes seemed to be recognizing Song Zhaowen in a new light.
"Grandpa, Uncle Xiang, Brother Guang." Song Zhaowen stepped forward and greeted them respectfully.
Uncle Fu raised his eyelids, glanced at them, and continued playing with his walnuts without saying a word. Uncle Xiang pushed up his glasses, his face expressionless.
Da Zhi Guangze raised an eyebrow, snorted coldly, and gave an unfriendly look.
The atmosphere was somewhat tense.