Three Years

"Don't count on getting lucky. Catching you would be child's play for the big boss."

Mr. Li earnestly tried to persuade him.

"Do you know what the big boss said about what you did yesterday?" Mr. Li answered his own question. "He said he hadn't seen a kid with your guts, brains, and resourcefulness in years."

"I admire you too. You've got a young man's fire, but your head isn't empty. I watched your fight with Old Xie yesterday. You moved fast, from your entrance to your retreat. A dozen or so men took on over a hundred and still got out intact. You're the sharpest operator I've seen your age. I need your help."

"Sounds pretty, sure. Old Xie said that as long as he had a bite to eat, we'd get some soup too," Hi Dog muttered, curling his lip.

These young men had lost all faith in bosses. As far as they were concerned, relying on themselves was the only way to stay alive.

Even a mountain could collapse if you leaned on it. Rely on a boss? You wouldn't even know what killed you.

Smack!

Mr. Li drew a pistol from his waist and slapped it onto the table.

Its solid-gold frame looked expensive at a glance.

"This gun has been with me for over ten years. If I sell you out, shoot me with it."

Mr. Li looked at Little White Tiger gravely. He genuinely didn't want Little White Tiger dragged into headquarters.

He knew all too well what going into headquarters meant.

Little White Tiger stared at the golden gun. He wasn't afraid of being taken to headquarters, but he was afraid of getting his brothers caught up in it.

"Do you boys want to spend your whole lives as street punks? Can you escape those people hunting you? Haven't enough of your brothers died? Follow me, and all of you can undergo the awakening ceremony. From then on, anyone who touches you is declaring war on me."

Mr. Li slowly stood, his gaze resolute.

"I know it's hard to make you trust anyone else. Give me three years. If you want to leave after that, I won't stop you."

Then Mr. Li suddenly lowered his voice. "You secretly kept a dose of the Demon Ancestors Blood and gave it to Old Ninth. I'm the only one who knows. There are rules in this line of work. If someone does you a favor, you repay it. Just three years, and I'll have something to show the higher-ups too."

Mr. Li mixed favors with threats, using Old Ninth to keep Little White Tiger in check.

Little White Tiger had taken the Demon Ancestor's Blood by accident, but the Demon Ancestor's Blood Old Ninth took counted as theft.

No matter how generous the big boss was, he wouldn't allow something like that. It wasn't hard to imagine what awaited them.

Little White Tiger sighed.

"You need an opportunity to rise. With me backing you, you can save yourself decades. After three years, whether you stay or leave is up to you."

"Boss."

None of the other brothers trusted the impeccably dressed man before them.

But Little White Tiger owed him a favor, and right now, they really did need someone powerful to support their rise.

Only when they were strong enough would they have the right to choose.

"Three years. To repay the favor."

Little White Tiger nodded.

Mr. Li smiled in satisfaction and picked up his coat. "Come with me."

"Where?"

"To sort out your trouble."

Little White Tiger's trouble could only mean the people behind Old Xie.

Hi Dog and the others turned and went into the bedroom. Soon, they stood behind Little White Tiger, fully armed.

"Just you and me. We're not going to a fight."

Mr. Li chuckled and waved to tell the others they didn't need to come. "Drop that street-punk mindset and use your head more. Today's your first lesson: leverage."

Little White Tiger looked puzzled. "Leverage?"

"You lean on my influence, and I lean on the big boss's." Mr. Li straightened his clothes, then patted Little White Tiger on the shoulder. "Everyone knows a big tree offers good shade. You need to understand why, and how to make use of that tree."

With that, the two left the room.

Hi Dog curled his lip. "What leverage? If they run into us, I don't care what group they're from. Mess with me, and I'll kill them."

With winter's arrival, Ice Prefecture had become a city of ice in every sense.

There had never been many cars on the roads. Now there were even fewer.

Fitted with snow chains, Mr. Li's luxury car sped along.

Little White Tiger sat on an automatically heated seat, filled with mixed emotions.

"What's on your mind?"

"So there really are heated cars that won't give you frostbite," Little White Tiger said with a sigh, watching the envious looks from people along the road.

In the cars he'd ridden before, you could freeze to death in the depths of winter even with the heater running.

And he'd never seen passersby look at him with envy before either.

At that moment, Little White Tiger felt he understood what Mr. Li meant.

"Little Tiger, remember this: once you've seen the summit, you won't stay a frog at the bottom of a well. You and Old Ninth have drive and a killer instinct. You're willing to fight and take risks. That's good, but you mustn't let your thinking become rigid. Not everything can be accomplished by putting your life on the line. People at the top kill without knives or bloodshed."

As they talked, they had already entered the busiest part of the West Garden District.

Here stood several of the few buildings in Ice Prefecture that rose above ten stories.

Even the nearby residents dressed better than the people on Red Three Street.

"Do you know why a thug like Old Ding set up his base in an office building?" Mr. Li asked mockingly. "He's just a human trafficker. Why put on airs?"

Little White Tiger shook his head.

"Because he wants to climb higher. People need the right clothes, and organizations do too. No matter how big he got on Red Three Street, he'd still be a rat. Only by establishing himself here could he qualify to do someone else's dirty work."

After answering his own question, Mr. Li opened the car door and got out.

"He rents this entire building. Pays over a million a year. Why? That's his protection money to the people above him. These are things you can't see or understand. Follow me, and I'll show you a different world."

The two walked straight into the building.

Unlike the homeless people outside who were nearly freezing to death, the people inside wore suits and ties, looking at others with an air of superiority.

"Mr. Li."

A man who looked like a secretary hurried over, bowed to Mr. Li, and said with a smile, "Mr. Ding has been waiting for quite some time."

"Please lead the way."

Mr. Li nodded courteously.

They went up to the top floor. Little White Tiger had never seen decor like this in his life.

The most luxurious place he'd ever seen was the Joyful Mansion, the largest karaoke club in the West Garden District.

This was also his first time seeing the West Garden District's most powerful local boss.

Old Ding was a pale, fat man with a bulging belly, weighing well over two hundred pounds.

At the sight of Mr. Li, the fleshy folds of Old Ding's face bunched together. "Oh, Mr. Li! A pleasure, a pleasure."

Old Ding extended both hands from a distance. Mr. Li smiled faintly, and after they shook hands, Old Ding invited them both to sit.

"You're a busy man, Mr. Li. I've admired you for a long time, but never had the chance to meet you."

Old Ding smiled as he brewed tea. Looking at his harmless demeanor, it was impossible to imagine that he was Ice Prefecture's biggest human trafficker.

"Heh, well, here I am." Mr. Li gestured at Little White Tiger. "This is my protégé, Little Tiger."

Old Ding's hand trembled, spilling scalding tea over it.

Setting down the tea utensils, Old Ding studied Little White Tiger with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. "A hero in the making, and so young."

"You're too kind, Boss Ding," Little White Tiger replied without the slightest stage fright.

Little White Tiger and Old Ninth were both born unwilling to bow to anyone.

In their eyes, if you could be the boss, then they could pull you down and take your seat.

So even facing Old Ding, Little White Tiger showed no trace of unease.

Old Ding's smile returned. Adopting the air of an elder, he reached out and patted Little White Tiger's shoulder. "I don't like people calling me boss. Call me Mr. Ding."

"Heh. If it weren't for Mr. Li today, kid, you wouldn't be getting out of here."

Old Ding narrowed his eyes, delivering the threat as a half joke.

Little White Tiger raised an eyebrow and, irritated, reached for the blade behind his back.

Mr. Li moved first, pinning Little White Tiger's hand down.

Smack!

Mr. Li slapped a check onto the table.