Into the ring

"Brother S, those lads have turned up. They said they're willing to follow you." Big-Eyed Hua's voice came over the phone.

"Which lads?" Gu Sheng yawned, still bleary-eyed, and asked absentmindedly.

"The ones who beat up Madman Fai! You told me to spread the word that you'd protect them," Big-Eyed Hua said immediately.

"Oh, right. Take them to Fortune House and wait for me." Gu Sheng finally woke up a little.

Gu Sheng hung up and went to take a piss with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"One, two, three... only a three-pronged stream. Been taking good care of myself lately." A few sparks fell from the cigarette in Gu Sheng's mouth.

He got dressed and checked the kitchen. There was another pot of congee, and goji berries were steeping in the Thermos.

Gu Sheng picked up the Thermos, went downstairs, and drove to the Fortune House café.

"Brother S!" Big-Eyed Hua was waiting downstairs with four young men.

"Brother S!" the four called out as well.

Gu Sheng glanced over them. Three of the four looked fairly familiar, just younger and greener.

The one in front, especially, bore a slight resemblance to Chicken around the eyes and brows.

If B looked sixty or seventy percent like A, and C also looked sixty or seventy percent like A, B and C might only look twenty or thirty percent alike.

So to most people, these two would look completely different at first glance. Only someone like Gu Sheng, comparing them against a particular template, could spot the resemblance.

"Let's talk inside." Gu Sheng led the way in and found a table.

"Sit down, all of you. No need to be so stiff."

These four were only eighteen or nineteen and didn't even belong to a gang yet.

Gu Sheng, meanwhile, was already a Red Pole in Hongxing, a ruthless figure rumored to have killed two of Tung Sing's Red Poles.

That was why none of the four had really dared to speak.

"Thank you, Brother S." Chen Dong spoke first. He seemed to be the leader of the group.

"What are your names?"

"Ah Dong." "Mantis." "Ah Yong." "Ah Bo."

"Have you lads trained in fighting?" Gu Sheng asked.

"A little."

"Let me see what you can do later. I don't have that many rules. If you're capable, you move up. If you aren't, you step down. As long as you've got ability, I'll give you a chance," Gu Sheng said.

"Yes, Brother S." All four looked excited. Clearly, Gu Sheng's words were exactly what they wanted to hear.

After breakfast, Gu Sheng went downstairs and asked them, "Can any of you drive?"

They exchanged glances. Not many people had driven a car in this day and age.

"Shit, your boss has to chauffeur you around!" Gu Sheng cursed with a laugh.

"Sorry, Brother S." They looked embarrassed.

"All right, go take care of your own business. Spread the word that I've taken these lads in." Gu Sheng sent Big-Eyed Hua away.

He drove the four to the boxing gym. It had originally belonged to Ah Sin; now it belonged to Big B.

Although anyone in the gang could use it, this was Gu Sheng's first visit since coming to this world.

"Who's there? Brother... Brother Sheng."

Gu Sheng nodded and led the others inside. Quite a few people were there, many of them working the punching bags.

Two men were sparring in the ring, with a crowd watching around them.

As Gu Sheng entered, plenty of heads turned toward him.

"Handsome Sheng, fancy a round?" Chan Ho-nam raised his gloves and tipped his chin at Gu Sheng.

Having killed Ba Bi the night before last, Chan Ho-nam was brimming with confidence.

If he beat Handsome Sheng too, who would dare talk behind his back again?

"You?" Gu Sheng looked Chan Ho-nam over. His muscles were decent, and he was a well-known fighter under Big B.

Still...

Gu Sheng didn't think much of anyone now. He could take on ten Ip Mans.

"Don't tell me you're scared?" When Gu Sheng didn't answer, Chan Ho-nam deliberately tried to goad him.

"So brave. I'm honestly afraid I'll make you cry." Gu Sheng snorted.

"Big talk! Aren't you afraid you'll choke on it?" For once, Chicken wasn't lying on top of a woman. He was in the crowd, and immediately stepped forward when he heard that.

"You're that Chicken Boss, right? Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?" Gu Sheng looked over with a mocking half-smile.

Chicken glared at him.

"Let our fists do the talking." Anger stirred in Chan Ho-nam's chest, and he tossed a pair of gloves over.

"Sure. I'll play with you." Gu Sheng tossed his suit jacket behind him. He didn't even take off his shirt, just undid the top two buttons.

Then he kicked his leather shoes aside, pulled on the gloves, and vaulted into the ring.

The two men who had been sparring didn't argue. They hopped straight out.

Everyone nearby stopped training and gathered around.

After all, the branch's two rising stars were about to fight. Nobody wanted to miss that.

Quite a few also wanted to see whether there really was a gap between themselves and these two. Many of them had seen Chan Ho-nam fight.

But hardly anyone had seen Gu Sheng in action. They only knew about some of the things he'd done.

"Brother Nam, get him!" Chicken shouted from below the ring.

"Get him! Get him!" Chan Ho-nam's other underlings joined in.

The atmosphere in the gym instantly heated up.

Chan Ho-nam kept his eyes fixed on Gu Sheng. Listening to the shouts around him, he took a deep breath, his fighting spirit surging.

Chan Ho-nam had absolute confidence in his own ability. Ever since joining Big B, he had never neglected his training.

"Come on." Gu Sheng casually tapped his gloves together and tipped his chin at Chan Ho-nam.

Chan Ho-nam advanced quickly and threw a jab as soon as he got close.

Gu Sheng tilted his head slightly aside.

Chan Ho-nam immediately followed with a rear-hand hook, aiming straight for Gu Sheng's chin.

Gu Sheng took a small step back, and the punch swished past his face.

"So slow... skip breakfast?" Gu Sheng mocked.

Enraged by the remark, Chan Ho-nam thrust out a kick, but Gu Sheng was faster. His foot suddenly slammed into Chan Ho-nam's lower abdomen, sending him flying four or five meters. He dropped to his knees and couldn't get up for a long while.

His guts felt as if they had been churned upside down.

The crowd chanting "Get him!" abruptly fell silent.

"Brother Nam!" Chicken and Big Tony's expressions changed. They slapped the edge of the ring and shouted.

Clutching his stomach, Chan Ho-nam climbed to his feet. He gritted his teeth and approached Gu Sheng cautiously, then suddenly lunged forward, trying to grab his waist and throw him.

Thud!

Gu Sheng pushed off the canvas and sprang up, driving his knee into Chan Ho-nam's ribs. Chan Ho-nam flew backward and landed flat on the floor, unable to move.

Everyone around the ring went dead silent.

It had happened far too fast.

The gap between them was unbelievably vast.

Could Chan Ho-nam fight?

Of course he could. He was Big B's top lieutenant, after all, and had earned his reputation with his fists.

Yet in front of Gu Sheng, he was like a child. They weren't remotely on the same level.

In Gu Sheng's eyes, Chan Ho-nam had some ability, but his habits were all those of a street brawler. He could handle ordinary low-level gangsters, but he had no business stepping into a boxing ring.

He didn't probe his opponent, had no sense of distance, moved his feet too slowly, made his movements too wide, and lacked a trained fighter's ability to take a hit. He had far too many weaknesses.

Gu Sheng, meanwhile, had countless pieces of Muay Thai experience in his head, covering both street fights and bouts in the ring. Chan Ho-nam was like a child before him.

That wasn't even counting the enormous difference in their physical attributes. Chan Ho-nam's constitution was probably somewhere between 5.6 and 6, which was quite good for an ordinary person.

But Gu Sheng had a constitution of 7.5 and a trained fighter's ability to absorb punishment. He could stand there and let Chan Ho-nam hit him without feeling much, while a single punch from him could put Chan Ho-nam down for good.

Gu Sheng casually tossed the gloves aside and mocked, "That's it...? Remember to eat before you come next time..."

"Bastard, what did you say?" Hearing Gu Sheng's taunts, Chicken, Big Tony, and a dozen or so of Chan Ho-nam's underlings flew into a rage and rushed into the ring.

Gu Sheng kicked straight out, sending Chicken flying just as he reached him.

Then he casually raised an arm to block Big Tony's punch, stepped in, and drove an elbow into his chin. Big Tony went down without so much as a grunt.

The remaining dozen or so underlings were startled, their courage faltering.

"I told you before: like boss, like underlings. Lost the fight, so now you want to gang up on me? Don't tell anyone you're in the same gang as me! I can't afford that kind of embarrassment." Gu Sheng swept his gaze over them with a mocking half-smile. Only when he saw that nobody dared come forward did he hop out of the ring.

"Brother Sheng!" Everyone in the gym called out, fired up. Gu Sheng's performance in the ring had been utterly stunning, utterly sharp.

Effortless was the only word for it.

"Brother Sheng!" Chen Dong and the other three had shining eyes.

"You four, spar with each other in a bit. Let me have a look." Gu Sheng addressed the four, then suddenly remembered something. He slapped his forehead, turned, and said:

"Call an ambulance for those guys. Don't move Chan Ho-nam. That bastard's got broken ribs."

"He looked so brave, I honestly didn't expect him to go down so easily. He was the one who insisted on a round. You can't blame me!"