The moment he stepped out of the classroom, two boys sidled up to him with sleazy grins.
"Wow, Young Master Ying, looking full of life! Your skin's even fairer now. Been washing your arse clean and earning a little extra?"
"Shut it. Young Master Ying's our god of wealth. Scare him off, and there'll be no more big paydays."
The pimply-faced boy chuckled, and the three of them practically hemmed Chen Ying in as they headed upstairs.
Every student they met along the way, boy or girl, lowered their head and hurried past at the sight of them. Clearly, Brother Cheng's reputation was well deserved.
Tongwen Academy's classroom building had four floors. At the end of the stairs was a small iron door leading onto the rooftop. A student built like a black bear was already standing there with his arms folded.
"You little shit, Ying, you're finally back. My boxing's improved again lately. How about a little match?"
"Brother Gorilla, sure, sure."
Chen Ying gave an apologetic smile as he spoke.
"What did you call me?"
"I was about to pay my respects to Brother Cheng. Boss, could you wait a bit if you want to beat me up?"
"Hmph."
The big boy moved aside, leaving half the passage clear.
Chen Ying turned sideways and stepped lightly past him.
It was still morning, and the sun wasn't too fierce. A breeze brought a welcome coolness.
A sinister-looking youth squatted atop the rooftop structure with a cigarette between his lips and two lackeys beside him, swaying idly as he enjoyed himself.
"You little shit, Ying, you're finally here. Heard you were sick. Did we scare you that badly?"
Brother Cheng stood up. He was considerably shorter than Chen Ying. He walked over with his head lowered and jabbed the cigarette between his fingers toward Chen Ying's chest.
"I fancy that girl Wen Xiu. Be smart and stop competing with me. You couldn't get her anyway, so you might as well help shove my arse along."
"Yeah, yeah, that little shit Ying loves shoving arses."
"That little shit Ying's so fair, tall, and handsome. Why not go pick up men and earn some extra?"
Brother Cheng flicked his hand.
"You still haven't paid your red envelopes for these past few months. Make up the full amount, quick, or our gang won't recognize you."
Seven people.
Brother Cheng, Gorilla, Toad Face, and four useless hangers-on.
Chen Ying swept his gaze over the people on the rooftop and felt the strength inside him itching to be unleashed.
"May I ask which gang you're with, Brother Cheng, and which mighty mountain you hail from?"
"Fuck me."
Brother Cheng looked around at his brothers and burst out laughing.
"This prick learned a few bits of underworld slang from that punk Hua Shanrong, and now he's showing off."
"Hahaha, that's our little shit Ying for you."
"This little bastard really deserves to die."
Brother Cheng stopped smiling.
"I'm Li Mucheng, a forty-nine of Yisheng, not some useless uninitiated hanger-on like Hua Shanrong."
"Wow, a forty-nine! A fully fledged gangster. How impressive."
Chen Ying clapped his hands. "Wonder how hard your mum had to work selling her cunt before your boss promoted you to a forty-nine. I've heard of Yili Bread, but what the hell is Yisheng? Do you sell curry fish balls?"
"What Yili Bread? You little shit, Ying, that illness scrambled your brains."
Brother Cheng smiled.
"Friends, looks like someone wants to eat a cigarette butt."
"If you don't know how to smoke, don't. Saves money and protects your health. You don't even know how to inhale. Think you're smoking a cigar?"
Chen Ying stepped back a few paces and looked around at the people surrounding him.
"You bunch of useless shits, come on. Standing around waiting for me to fuck your mothers?"
"Aheng."
Brother Cheng waved his hand. The gorilla-like student picked up a steel rod and wedged it across the iron rooftop door, cutting off the way out.
"You little shit, Ying, looking to transfer schools? Don't worry. Today you're going to lose your footing and fall from-"
Before he finished, Chen Ying stepped forward and swept a palm across his face, his fingertips raking straight across Brother Cheng's eyes.
Fast as a galloping horse, swift as a gust of wind.
Fighting with fists was all about short, fast strikes. As Chen Ying's fingers swept over his eyeballs, Brother Cheng instinctively covered his eyes.
Chen Ying turned his hand with the motion and lashed his right leg into Brother Cheng's crotch. The kick was so fast and sharp that it sent him tumbling across the ground.
In just two moves, Brother Cheng was out of the fight.
Chen Ying pivoted forward as the pimply-faced boy reached out to shove him with both hands.
Moves like that were nothing but children's play. How could they compare to the martial arts Chen Ying had learned training with a White Lotus Sect incense master?
Shifting his footwork, Chen Ying circled to his side. His right palm slid along the boy's arm and thrust toward his throat. Pinning the throat with the web of his hand, he reversed his hand and chopped the boy's neck.
The two blows were swift and vicious. The pimply-faced boy immediately lost his breath. Chen Ying followed with an elbow to the back of his chest, sending him flying.
He dealt with the others in much the same way.
Of the seven, Chen Ying had knocked six down in the blink of an eye. Only the gorilla-like big fellow remained, still bristling with fighting spirit.
"Fuck you, you little shit, Ying. Learned a bit of fucking kung fu and think you can fight? All you did was sneak up on them..."
The big fellow raised his fists. "Today I'll show you what real box-"
He advanced and drove his right fist straight at Chen Ying.
Chen Ying exhaled a stale breath. In an instant, his essence, energy, and spirit came together. He slid half a step to the right, his left hand chopping toward the boy's collarbone like a long blade.
The knife-hand strike whistled through the air. With a crack, the big fellow collapsed to the ground and began rolling about, clutching his shoulder.
Chen Ying's blow had broken his collarbone. The boy could no longer move.
"Aaah! I can't move! I'm going to die!"
The big fellow named Aheng sobbed, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Brother Cheng, save me!"
But Brother Cheng was still clutching his crotch and sucking in sharp breaths, unable even to muster the strength to speak.
"Prick, that's what you call fighting."
Chen Ying planted a foot on his shoulder and ground it down as though crushing a bedbug.
"Trying to make your way in the underworld with skills like that? You really don't know what death means."
Chen Ying walked over to the little door and checked the iron rod. It was wedged firmly in place. Clearly, this lot had done this on the rooftop plenty of times.
"Instead of studying, you try to play gangster. Remember, 'prick' is a description first, and an exclamation second."
As he spoke, Chen Ying pulled the handgun Wen Ruzhi had given him from his pocket.
Teacher Wen had been wrong about one thing. Guns were good, but they couldn't compare to the feeling of beating someone with your own hands.
Watching these pricks roll about on the ground, Chen Ying felt all his troubles disappear.
"How about a game? Guess whether this gun's real, and whether it's loaded."
Chen Ying cocked the hammer and pointed it at Brother Cheng's head.
"Speak. If you don't, I'll take that to mean you don't believe it."
Brother Cheng was drenched in sweat. He had no idea why the little shit Ying, who had once let anyone walk all over him, had become a different person today. But that handgun reminded him that Chen Ying was absolutely not joking.
"I believe it! I do, Brother Ying! Brother Ying, I'm a pig, I'm a dog. You're a generous man. Don't stoop to my level. You've got a bright future ahead of you, Brother Ying. If you kill us, the cops..."
"You think I care?"
Chen Ying waved the handgun.
"I'll shoot every last one of you pricks, then take a boat to the Provincial City. I'll still have a whole world of pleasures waiting. Can the cops go to Lingnan and drag me back?"
"Forget it. We're classmates, after all. Let's play a game."
Chen Ying opened the cylinder, took out one bullet, and slipped it into his pocket.
"This game's called Russian Roulette. There are five bullets in here now, and I'll be shooting in a moment. Since you're bad at maths, I'll help you out. The next person's chance of survival is one in six."
As he spoke, Chen Ying pointed the gun at the pimply-faced boy off to one side.
"You tell me. Which one of you should I play with for this first shot?"
"Brother Ying, I heard that's not how Russian Roulette works."
The pimply-faced boy looked at Chen Ying, not knowing why he had been singled out for the question.
"You telling me what to do? Why are you lying on the ground? Didn't your granddad teach you to kneel when a boss asks you a question?"
Chen Ying waved the handgun. The pimply-faced boy hurriedly scrambled up onto his knees. The others followed suit. Apart from the gorilla boy, who couldn't get up, every one of them struggled to kneel on the ground.
"Hurry up. I'll count to three. If you haven't decided by then, I'll start with you."
Enduring the intense pain in his body, the pimply-faced boy frantically weighed his options.
That little shit Ying might have a fake gun, but I can't risk it. I can't just pick someone at random, either. That might make him angry too.
Right, the one he hates most is Li Mucheng. That's right. Li Mucheng.
"Brother Ying, shoot that prick Li Mucheng first."
Chen Ying frowned at him.
"What did you say? I couldn't hear you."
"Brother Ying, I said shoot that prick Dogshit Cheng first. That bastard deserves to die most."
"Good."
Chen Ying looked at the others.
"Who do you think I should start with?"
"Brother Ying, Dogshit Cheng!"
"Brother Ying, Li Mucheng deserves to die most. He's the one who led us astray."
"Brother Ying, Dogshit Cheng forced me into all of this. He's the vilest one. Shoot him."
"Good. I'm a very democratic man, always ready to take good advice. Brother Cheng, we'll start with you."
Chen Ying turned the muzzle toward him and pulled the trigger.
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