Golden Dragon Gang (Part One)

The dust-covered carriage slowed as it neared Suzhou Prefecture. The driver laughed loudly. "Sir, is this your first time in Suzhou Prefecture? This is a fine place. If we're talking about food, then it's..."

Li Feng had already lifted the curtain and drifted lightly to the ground with Peak Cloud Mist. With a casual flick, he sent over a dozen gold ingots flying. "Enough chatter. When I was scraping out a living on the streets of Suzhou Prefecture, you didn't even know where you were. The gold is your reward. Go do whatever you need to do." Without sparing the drooling driver another glance, Li Feng picked up his bundle and flowed toward Suzhou Prefecture's north gate like moving clouds and running water.

These Mount Hua Sect manuals really aren't bad. Even walking looks better than walking normally. One glance, and people will know I'm a martial arts master. Hahahahaha. Li Feng laughed wildly to himself. He had memorized the two manuals stolen from Mount Hua, then destroyed them directly in the carriage. One was the Little Heavenly Star Palm, the other the Mount Hua Seven Absolutes—both were arts kept at the very bottom of Mount Hua Sect's treasure chest. He had memorized every route of internal energy circulation inside them. Aside from lacking practical experience and never having truly performed those moves, his understanding of Mount Hua's supreme arts already surpassed that of most Mount Hua disciples.

Li Feng had his reasons for doing this. With secret manuals in hand, if he did not study them properly, he felt he would be taking a loss. Especially since his Daoist Magic and swordsmanship were utter trash in the eyes of cultivators, he could only travel while posing as a martial artist. Since he had to choose a sect to impersonate, posing as a Mount Hua disciple could not have been more suitable. Who told him he knew Mount Hua so well? He even knew the color of Wei Ziqun's underpants like the back of his hand. So long as he did not run into a genuine Mount Hua elder, Li Feng was certain no one could uncover his true identity.

He broke into a long stride and ran wildly. The farther he ran, the harder his heart pounded. By the end, all he could hear was his heart hammering thump thump thump thump, his face burning red as the pressure inside him made his vision blur. Sensing that he was nearly on the verge of qi deviation, Li Feng abruptly stopped and slapped himself hard across the face. "Damn it, useless bastard. It's only Suzhou Prefecture—what's there to be nervous about? Don't be nervous, don't be nervous..."

A cool breath flowed from the Profound Stone, and the agitated true qi and chaotic blood energy within him immediately settled down. Li Feng did not dare run again. Carrying his bundle, he slowly headed for the city gate. Perhaps because the imperial decree had only recently been issued, the garrison soldiers at the gate were not especially strict in inspecting travel permits. So long as one had a permit and paid one string of cash as the transit levy, one could enter the city.

Li Feng clicked his tongue inwardly. Mother of me, it costs a whole string of cash just to enter the city? This Suzhou Prefecture magistrate really knows how to make money. But these bastards set their prices by the person, don't they? I dressed just a little better and got charged a string of cash. Look at those acrobats—only ten copper coins each. Damn it, one day I'll pay the prefect a visit and empty out every last coin box he has. Muttering under his breath, Li Feng followed his memories and walked down the main street toward the center of the city.

Six years had passed. It seemed the current emperor placed considerable importance on the southeast. Suzhou Prefecture's formerly somewhat dilapidated streets had been repaired until they were neat and orderly, and the bluestone avenues gleamed beneath the autumn sun. There were at least twice as many people in the markets as there had been six years ago, and even more wealthy merchants came and went. Li Feng's eyes had already swept past the waists of three fat middle-aged men. By his experience, each of them carried at least several dozen taels of gold.

However, Li Feng's own fortune was now exceedingly ample. Though his hands itched unbearably, he still did not make a move to steal.

He swayed his head from side to side and praised, "Heh, there were so few Persian merchants back then. Why have two groups of more than ten passed by already today? The officials of Suzhou Prefecture must be grinning until their teeth fall out. The tax on jewels is terribly heavy—they have no idea how many tens of thousands of taels of silver they'll rake in. Hmm, didn't I loot a great deal of jewelry from those monsters' cave dwellings? I'll find these foreign merchants later and have them appraise it. Maybe I can make another killing."

Just as he was dreaming sweet dreams, Li Feng suddenly sensed someone approaching from behind him. A sharp presence slid toward his waist. A crafty smile rose at the corner of Li Feng's mouth. Damn it, I'm the patriarch of this line of work, and you dare make a move over my head? Heh... His left hand shot backward, seizing a shriveled arm. With a slight use of true qi, he sealed the person's channels throughout his body and dragged him away.

Moving through several alleyways with practiced ease, Li Feng dragged the youth, who looked fifteen or sixteen, into the back alley of Chunyi Tower. He casually slapped the youth's monkey-like face and sneered repeatedly. "Kid, you should've opened your eyes wider. You dared break ground over my head? There's nothing to discuss. Tell me how many jobs you pulled today and hand over all the money, so I don't have to do it myself."

The youth glared and shouted with utter arrogance, "Watch yourself, bastard! I'm with the Golden Dragon Gang. You dare shake me down for my money? I got caught because I slipped up today, so I admit defeat. But if you dare take advantage of me, watch out for our boss crippling your hands and feet... If you know what's good for you, let me go. Then I can still put in a few good words for you."

Footsteps rang out. Seven or eight burly men rushed over under the lead of a little fellow. The little fellow wiped his nose and shouted, "Big Tiger, the boss always tells you to train more, but you never listen. See what happened now? You got caught red-handed for no reason and disgraced our Golden Dragon Gang. Hey, friend, no fight, no acquaintance. You look like a real man yourself. Let Big Tiger go, and within Suzhou Prefecture, we'll make sure everything goes smoothly for you. What do you say?"

But Li Feng had already frozen on the spot. He stood dumbly for a moment, then suddenly grabbed Big Tiger by the front of his clothes. "You're Golden Dragon Gang members? Who's your boss? Is it Niu Boss or someone else?" In his urgency, Li Feng put a little force into his fingers. Big Tiger immediately could not breathe, his face turning crimson as he coughed without end.

Several burly men lunged forward, their faces full of murderous ferocity as they cursed, "You little bastard, so you came to sound out the depths of our Golden Dragon Gang? Behave yourself. Don't resist. In Suzhou Prefecture, our Golden Dragon Gang is heaven itself. If you don't want to suffer, find a rope and tie yourself up properly." Before they had finished yelling, their fists had already come raining down. One particularly vicious man drew a dagger and stabbed it at Li Feng's stomach.

Li Feng gave a strange laugh and casually hurled Big Tiger two zhang away. Then he deployed the Heavenly Gang Steps, which he was not yet proficient in, weaving through the burly men. He had memorized these Mount Hua Sect Heavenly Gang Steps in the carriage, but had never used them before. This was the perfect chance to test their effectiveness.

The burly men suffered miserably. They saw Li Feng hopping about the ground in what seemed like a flustered, chaotic manner, yet they simply could not catch or hit him. A fist flew out, and Li Feng immediately slipped around to the attacker's side, while that man's punch knocked his companion to the ground. As for the fellow who had stabbed at Li Feng with a dagger, Li Feng gave him a gentle push. The revolving force of the Little Heavenly Star Palm drove him to stab his own backside, and the pain made him shriek miserably.

In no time at all, the eight burly men had fallen to the ground after "killing one another," each with a bruised and swollen face, a sorry sight indeed. Li Feng threw back his head and laughed three times. Though he had only defeated several street thugs, he felt like an invincible master, and his heart was immensely satisfied. He had lived seventeen, eighteen, perhaps nineteen years—he did not even know his exact age—and this was the first time he had truly defeated such muscle-bound men in a fight. And he had taken down eight at once. How could he not be delighted? Back when he had been in Suzhou Prefecture, even one man like this would have frightened him until he pissed himself and dared not utter a word.

Seeing Li Feng easily knock his companions to the ground, the little fellow who had led them over nearly had his eyes pop out. While Li Feng stood there basking in self-admiration, he quietly crept toward the mouth of the alley. Then the wind whistled beside his ears, darkness flashed before his eyes, and Li Feng had already appeared before him with a grin. Bending over to look at his face, Li Feng smiled. "Little brother, I know you'll definitely take me to see your gang leader, right?... Be good and behave. Otherwise, I hit people too."

Li Feng chuckled strangely. Seeing a thick wooden plank propped diagonally against the nearby wall, he chopped down on it with one palm. With a crack, the plank, over an inch thick, shattered beneath his palm into more than a hundred fragments that rained onto the ground. The little fellow shuddered all over and immediately agreed profusely. "No problem, no problem. Big brother, if you want to see our boss, I'll take you right now." As he spoke, he turned and gave the burly men on the ground a meaningful look. Li Feng noticed the small gesture, but merely smiled without saying anything.

Casually grabbing the collar of this sly-faced little fellow, Li Feng walked toward the alley entrance and asked, "Your old nest is still at the compound outside the city, right?"

The little fellow had not yet caught on and answered casually, "No. Last year, our boss made a fortune, so our Golden Dragon Gang branch moved into the city." Suddenly, he shuddered and looked up. "Eh? How did you know our old nest used to be in that compound outside the city?"

Li Feng smiled from the bottom of his heart. "Ha, brat, maybe I even know your gang leader. Is your gang leader Niu Boss? Hmm? Is there someone called A Zhu?"

The little fellow jumped. "Our gang leader is indeed Niu Boss, and Boss Zhu is the head of our hall. How do you know that?"

Excitement surged through Li Feng. He lifted the little fellow with one hand and cursed, "Damn it, quit yapping and lead me to your branch. A Zhu actually became a hall master? Well, well. How could Tiger Boss and Old Yang have possibly yielded Suzhou Prefecture's turf? And why hasn't that lot from the Golden Tiger Gang made any move?"

The more the little fellow heard, the more alarmed he became. Li Feng knew the ins and outs of Suzhou Prefecture's street gangs far too well. Their scouts outside the city had watched Li Feng step down from the carriage and toss more than a dozen gold ingots to the driver, then immediately returned to the city to report it. The little fellow and Big Tiger had brought people intending to steal from Li Feng; if they could not steal anything, they would simply rob him outright. Who could have expected them to run into an iron plate? Running into iron plates was no big deal—they encountered two or three every month—but this iron plate knew their circumstances so thoroughly that it could not help but make him uneasy.

Dragging the little fellow along, Li Feng followed his directions to a large compound in the south of the city. He had already noticed more than thirty burly men with vicious faces following behind him, but he only smiled and paid them no heed. In a soft, delicate voice, he said to the little fellow, "Your Golden Dragon Gang seems pretty powerful. Such a gang of men who look like nothing good is following behind me, yet the constables on the street don't even make a sound. Heh heh."

The little fellow boasted proudly, "Of course. Do you know who Suzhou Prefecture's chief constable is? The famed Cloud Mover Gu Cangyue, Lord Gu. He and our boss are the closest of brothers. Back then..."

The gates of the Golden Dragon Gang compound suddenly swung open, and a voice barked, "Little Monkey, what the hell are you bragging about? Eight or nine of you still couldn't handle one lousy brat—you've disgraced the Golden Dragon Gang completely. Hmph, this kid doesn't look like he has a scrap of meat on him, yet you got beaten flat by him? A bunch of trash! I tell you to train properly every day, but none of you listen. Now you've suffered for it, haven't you?"

Li Feng stared blankly at the man in the gateway. He wore fitted black clothes and had fairly refined features, but a large scar on his forehead ruined the whole impression of his face, making him look oddly awkward. He appeared just over twenty and was broad-waisted and tiger-backed. The veins on both hands bulged prominently; he clearly possessed several years of external martial training and had put in genuine hard work.

Li Feng suddenly tossed aside the bundle in his hand and charged forward, shouting, "Damn it, A Zhu! You've really made something of yourself, haven't you... Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Four burly men rushed out from behind A Zhu, daggers flashing in their hands as they blocked Li Feng's path. Li Feng stomped and cursed, "Damn it, A Zhu, you got rich and forgot about me? Damn it, one, two, three... Eight years ago, you and I went to Chunyi Tower to peep at Little Linglong receiving customers, and someone smashed your head with a brick. You don't fucking recognize me now?"

A Zhu let out a shriek, kicked aside the burly man in front of him, and flew down from the steps. He wrapped Li Feng in a fierce embrace and shouted, "Heavens above, fuck your ancestors! Little Feng, you're not dead? You, you... My heavens, where the hell have you been these six years? Niu Boss led people through all of Suzhou Prefecture looking for you, but we never found you. Damn it, you, you, where did you go?"

Li Feng tilted his head and desperately shoved A Zhu's face away. "Damn it, could you stop spraying saliva everywhere? I just got back to Suzhou, and you bastards immediately pull a job on me. Some fine brothers you are... And every last one of you is clumsy as pigs—no, even stupider than pigs. I spotted the blades in their hands when I was three feet away. When I was six, my knife skills were ten times better than theirs. Is this the bunch of trash the Golden Dragon Gang keeps?"

A Zhu looked exceedingly awkward and said softly, "Damn it, watch your mouth. Big Tiger and the others are my direct subordinates. If you talk like that, doesn't it make me look useless? Come on, let's go inside. I'm going to interrogate you properly. Back then, you actually left me behind in that shithole village to recover from my injuries and ran off somewhere yourself. When I got the news and returned to Suzhou Prefecture to watch the excitement, holy shit, what a slaughter it was. Tiger Boss, Old Yang, and the rest had their entire households wiped out. Cangfeng Fortress sent twelve Heavenly Dipper Stars, and half of them died. Brocade Manor's forces in Suzhou were completely uprooted, and nobody knew how many casualties the other major sects suffered... But you, how did you get away?"

Li Feng smiled mysteriously. He extended a hand toward a burly man whose flattened nose was still bleeding. "Hey, brother, sorry for the trouble. There are three hundred taels of gold in my bundle, so I guess it hit you pretty hard? But I'd better carry my own bundle." Taking the bundle from the miserable-looking man, Li Feng entered the compound arm in arm with A Zhu, leaving the vicious-looking men outside staring at one another, not knowing how to react.

After entering the second courtyard, tea was laid out in the main hall. Li Feng sat cross-legged in a Grand Tutor's Chair, swaying his head from side to side. "Eh, our Golden Dragon Gang has really prospered now. Look at that pair of bronze cauldrons—they must cost at least a hundred thousand taels of silver, right? You're really willing to spend money. You actually paid such a huge price for things like these just to put on airs?"

A Zhu plopped down beside Li Feng and shook his head with a smile. "Would we spend money on this stuff? Don't be fooled by all the antiques here. Most of them are the spoils we squeezed out of those grave robbers we caught. Heh heh, our Golden Dragon Gang does have money now, but not enough to start playing with antiques."

Li Feng nodded. "Mm, that makes sense. You lot can't recognize a single character. Once you get silver, you either whore around like mad or gamble without restraint. Heh heh, elegant things like this can only be appreciated by someone like me. You? You're far, far behind."

A Zhu was furious. He slapped Li Feng on the shoulder and cursed, "Fuck, you still dare brag? You only recognize two or three characters yourself, don't you? We grew up running wild together—what kind of person you are, would I not know? Don't think I believe you've really become literate just because you're dressed like a proper human now... Eh, your martial arts are pretty good. I used twenty percent of my strength in that palm strike, yet you didn't even blink? Don't force yourself. I've trained my Iron Sand Palm bitterly for five years."