The Flying Eagle Gang

Li Ping'an returned to his room and tried out the cane.

One end was wrapped in soft cloth, with a bell dangling from a red cord tied around it.

The wooden stick had been replaced with a sturdy, handsome bamboo one.

Li Ping'an smiled.

Liu Yun must have put a lot of thought into it. He could tell just by touching the cloth.

The stitching was clumsy, but sturdy.

He wondered how many times the girl had pricked her hands. No wonder the way she had been eating these past two days had seemed a little strange.

The next day.

Li Ping'an walked down the street with his new cane, but did not take his usual route to perform on the streets.

Instead, he made a detour to Qingfeng Street.

Shops lined Qingfeng Street, most of them selling jewelry, gems, silk, and clothing.

It was a favorite haunt of the women of Luoshui City, and quite a few men made a point of wandering over as well.

They roamed through the crowds, squeezing toward any spot where there were pretty girls.

"Sir, buying jewelry for your wife? Come in and have a look. Our year-end clearance sale is a real bargain."

The beautiful proprietress warmly called out to Li Ping'an.

Li Ping'an did not go inside. He simply asked about the prices.

Then he turned and left.

One look was all it took: these were things he could not afford.

Most of Li Ping'an's money had gone toward Life-Pulse Powder, leaving him with next to nothing.

What remained was barely enough to cover the rent and living expenses for two.

Since jewelry was a little too expensive, he thought he could buy some fabric to make Liu Yun an outfit.

As it turned out, Li Ping'an could not even afford the cheapest fabric at the moment.

After making a circuit of the street, he could only leave Qingfeng Street.

It seemed that, no matter the era, money was indispensable.

The New Year was almost here. Poor as they were, they still had to prepare a few things for the holiday, didn't they?

Besides, he had run out of Life-Pulse Powder over half a month ago. Wang Dali certainly knew how to handle things.

Seeing that Li Ping'an could not pay, he had supplied him with another two months' worth and more for free.

That was no small sum, and Li Ping'an did not like owing people favors.

So he had recorded every expense. Sooner or later, he would repay it all.

After he finished playing his tunes, another day had slipped by.

On his way home, he passed his landlord's inn.

Suddenly, he stopped.

There were many presences inside the inn, which ordinarily would have been nothing unusual.

The inn had plenty of customers every day.

But today's presences were quite different. They were all men.

And every one of them was strong and fit.

Li Ping'an also caught the sound of iron striking the floor.

Still, Li Ping'an paused for only a moment before continuing on his way.

As the saying went, "Keep your belly full and your back warm, and keep your nose out of other people's business."

Do not broadcast your sorrows, do not flaunt your joys, and do not meddle in others' affairs.

That was the way to live a long, lasting life.

Yet he had barely returned home when a furious pounding came from outside.

"Open up! Open up!"

The moment the door opened, several burly men barged in.

Without a word, they found stools and sat down in the courtyard.

The men wore matching brown martial outfits and exuded an aggressive air. They certainly did not look like decent people.

"And you gentlemen are?"

The leader said, "Is this Chang Si's house?"

Chang Si was Li Ping'an's landlord.

"If you're looking for Mr. Chang, you can find him at the Lucky Inn," Li Ping'an said.

"Nobody asked for your advice! This house isn't for rent anymore. Pack your things and get out."

The burly man showed him no courtesy whatsoever.

Li Ping'an's voice remained calm. "Do you gentlemen work for Mr. Chang?"

"We're his creditors."

Another man drew the short saber at his waist and laid it on the table. "Cut the fucking crap and get out!"

The threat could not have been clearer.

"It's only right to repay a debt," Li Ping'an said. "But this is so sudden that I haven't had time to pack. Could you give me a day?

"Let me pack my things and find somewhere else to stay."

Only then did the leader stand up. "At least you know what's good for you. Make it quick."

"All right."

After the men left, Liu Yun poked her head out of the room.

"Are we moving?"

"No. I'll go talk to Chang Si first."

Li Ping'an found Chang Si at the inn.

"Oh, Ping'an. What brings you here?"

Chang Si's face was clouded with worry, and his voice carried a trace of exhaustion.

"Ah Fu, bring a pot of tea."

"Mr. Chang, I didn't come here for tea."

Li Ping'an got straight to the point and told him what had just happened.

Chang Si sighed. "Those bastards. They've even gone after you."

"Mr. Chang, what exactly happened?"

With a belly full of grievances, Chang Si told Li Ping'an the whole story from beginning to end.

A new gang had recently sprung up in Luoshui City, called the Flying Eagle Gang.

It had fewer than fifty members in all, but every one of them was a capable fighter.

The local gangs had fought several large-scale armed clashes with them, yet none had managed to bring the Flying Eagle Gang down. Instead, it had established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

It had even seized territory, and no sooner had it taken control than its men began going door to door demanding protection money.

Chang Si had traveled far and wide in his youth and enjoyed some standing in Luoshui City.

When the other gangs had controlled the area, they had never collected protection money from Chang Si.

But this new gang was like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. It charged ahead without a care for anything.

Hoping to keep the peace, Chang Si had paid some protection money.

But the Flying Eagle Gang was not satisfied. It seemed intent on making an example of Chang Si to establish its authority.

It kept shearing wool from the same sheep.

If he refused to pay, its men would come to Chang Si's inn, order a pot of tea, and sit there all day.

They frightened the customers away.

Li Ping'an took a sip of tea. "Then what do you plan to do, Mr. Chang?"

Chang Si snorted. "At worst, the fish dies and the net breaks. Damn it! I'm not some soft persimmon they can squeeze!"

His words were tough, but Li Ping'an could hear the truth beneath them.

Chang Si did not want things to escalate. After all, he was getting on in years and had a whole family to look after.

He was no longer a young man who could fill his own belly and know his whole household had eaten.

But if he kept giving ground, these men would surely take a mile for every inch.

Now they were threatening not only Chang Si. Even Li Ping'an, who merely rented his house, had been dragged into it.

Li Ping'an could simply walk away, but where else in Luoshui City could he find a house this cheap?

Besides, he could not find a suitable place on such short notice.

Seeing Li Ping'an's predicament, Chang Si said apologetically, "I've dragged you into this. I'll have the steward bring you some money so you can find somewhere else to stay.

"Once I've settled things here, you're welcome back anytime."

Before Li Ping'an could say anything, the steward came over with the money.

Li Ping'an felt it with his hand. The money he had previously paid Chang Si had only covered two months' rent.

But this was enough to rent the house for an entire year.

Credit where it was due: Chang Si had always taken good care of him.

Li Ping'an hesitated. "Mr. Chang, where is the Flying Eagle Gang's base?"

"Why are you asking?" Chang Si asked, puzzled.

"I'll go talk to them."

"There's no point. If talking could solve this, I'd have done it long ago," Chang Si said. "I appreciate the thought, but those people aren't easy to reason with. Be careful you don't bring the fire down on yourself."

At that, Chang Si sighed.

He had always thought he had friends everywhere and put loyalty above all else.

Who would have thought that, once trouble struck, those fair-weather friends would scatter in a rush, desperate to keep their distance?

In the end, it was a tenant who wanted to stand up for him.