Showing His Mettle

Chen Ying stood at the end of the stairs, looking at the door to the rooftop.

All he had to do was open this iron door, already speckled with red rust, and he could retrieve the revolver's cylinder, pack his things, and go home.

But now, there seemed to be no absolute need to take it.

Strands of black hair were working through the edges and corners of the iron door like writhing maggots. They hooked toward the bolt, clearly preparing to come inside.

This was the second unclean thing he had seen tonight.

Were they planning to hold an orgy at Tongwen?

Chen Ying made his decision.

A wise man never stood beneath a crumbling wall. Time to scram.

If he was short a cylinder, he could ask Wen Ruzhi for one. There was no need to clash head-on with whatever was outside right now.

Downstairs.

Chen Ying turned to head down, then suddenly heard a scream from below.

It was as shrill as a female ghost's, if not several degrees sharper.

"There's another expert here? Is this lousy school hosting a convention today? Better transfer soon and stay safe."

As soon as he reached the floor below, Chen Ying saw the "female ghost" who had screamed.

That crazy girl named Wen Xiu was being chased by a group of men. She had even lost her shoes and was running toward him with her hair in disarray.

The punks chasing her were clearly intent on tormenting her. They were not running flat out and were still roaring with laughter behind her.

"Sweetheart, those legs are so fair. How about I take you to Portland Street to do business? With your looks, you'll make a fortune."

"Wow, look at those dumplings bounce! Bet they feel better than Chiu Chow fish balls. Running like that will make them sag. Come on, let me hold them up for you."

"Stinky Cheng, once the boss has had his fun, you can scrape out the leftovers."

The group laughed and joked as they chased close behind Wen Xiu.

A vicious-looking man in their midst furrowed his brow. He had clearly noticed Chen Ying coming down the stairs.

To think these punks had not run into that red opera costume. Were ghosts afraid of wicked men too?

The man was not tall, only about five foot seven, but his muscles were knotted and the sides of his temples bulged slightly.

Chen Ying had heard Wen Ruzhi explain that when someone achieved proficiency in martial arts, their blood and vitality grew strong, their force permeated their body, and their temples would bulge.

Could this man also be an accomplished martial artist?

Their eyes met.

Seeing Chen Ying, Wen Xiu scrambled toward him.

"Chen Ying, save me! Help me! They're going to rape..."

Who knew how long she had been running? She had long since run out of breath. She stumbled over and crashed straight into Chen Ying's arms, her pair of airbags slamming against him. Chen Ying steadied her and took the opportunity to pat her down in a couple of places.

To see whether she had any weapons hidden on her.

"You... what are you doing..."

Wen Xiu's voice had started out somewhat agitated, but by the end she was as quiet as a mouse.

"You can never be too careful. I was afraid you'd ambush me."

Chen Ying told her the truth.

"Why would I..."

Chen Ying pushed her behind him.

"Go."

"Huh?"

"I'll hold these people off. Hurry up and run."

Wen Xiu watched Chen Ying step forward and assume a stance she did not understand.

"Why aren't you leaving? Waiting to be violated?"

"Chen Ying, come with me..."

The vicious-looking man had already stepped toward them.

"White Snake Crouching in the Grass. Bagua?"

"That's right. And you are?"

Chen Ying watched the vicious-looking man before him. After sizing him up, the man also took a long-reaching, wide-horse fighting stance.

His fists resembled phoenix heads, his horse stance a crossbar.

"Hung Fist?"

Chen Ying studied his stance.

"Pretty boy, you think a little Bagua makes you ready for the underworld? I'll teach you a lesson today."

The vicious-looking man advanced, and Chen Ying stepped up to meet him.

Their fists and palms collided.

As Chen Ying advanced and retreated, he followed the positions of the eight trigrams, turning, shifting, and changing with nimble ease. The vicious-looking man attacked with hard, straight punches, each blow stirring the air. His fists and feet wove a great net, while Chen Ying was the fish beneath it.

One was hard and forceful, the other slippery and deft.

In a mere instant, they had exchanged more than twenty rounds.

Whether Wen Xiu or the underlings behind the man, all they could see were two flickering figures.

Hah!

Chen Ying turned his palm into a fist and struck straight at the man's centerline. His body shook, and his Crushing Fist shot out like a giant python lunging from the grass at its prey.

The vicious-looking man met it with a heavy punch, without a hint of flourish.

Chen Ying's fist went straight for the man's lower abdomen, while the man's fist headed for Chen Ying's chest.

Neither dodged. The outcome would be a blow apiece.

A trace of hesitation flashed at the corner of the man's eye. At the last moment, he abruptly toppled backward, tumbling across the floor like a rolling gourd.

The vicious-looking man rolled once, sprang up, and assumed another stance.

Gasping for breath, he stared at Chen Ying's pale face and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Nice one, kid. Not afraid to die, are you? You want to trade injuries with me? Fine by me. My boys can chop you into eighteen pieces."

Chen Ying smiled faintly, his eyes sweeping viciously over the burly man.

"Exactly. So why should I dodge? With so many of your boys here, of course I'll trade my life for yours. I'll kill you first."

The vicious-looking man sneered.

"Fuck me, kids these days are crazy. Risking your life for some girl? She's already run off."

"Playing the hero rescuing a damsel? You're risking your life for her, but does she even appreciate it?"

Chen Ying had no intention of looking back.

"Risking my life for a girl? Against an expert like you, how could I dare expose my back?"

"Lunatic. We don't even know each other. Why fight to the death?"

Even as the vicious-looking man spoke, his feet were inching forward.

"...Chen Ying, I... I didn't leave... I just couldn't bear to watch, so I hid here by the stairs... I..."

Wen Xiu's voice came from behind him.

Chen Ying had not expected this woman to be so stupid that she had not run away. There was still something made entirely of hair upstairs, and who knew when it would come down?

"You absolute idiot. You stupid bitch, hurry up and leave!"

"Chen Ying... I..."

She actually burst into tears behind him.

Women were such a nuisance.

Chen Ying assumed an Azure Dragon Probing Palm stance.

"I've heard Hung Fist emphasizes long reach and a wide horse stance, meeting force with force. I never expected you to be so full of schemes. No wonder you haven't amounted to much."

"Oh, you think you're Dong Haichuan? What qualifies you to stand there running your mouth?"

"Since Brother Cheng is behind you, why not give me your name? Who are you in Yisheng? What do you want with me? Are you looking for a gun or a person? Pretending you don't know me-what an idea."

A glint flashed in the vicious-looking man's eyes.

"Good, kid. Remember this: I'm Ren Gang, Yisheng's 426. Who do you run with?"

In Hong Kong and Kowloon gang slang, a 49 was an ordinary member. Above them were the 426 Red Poles, the leaders and top fighters. The 415 White Paper Fans and 432 Straw Sandals handled the thinking and accounts, and the flow of information, respectively.

"I'm Chen Ying, a student in Class Eight, Grade Twelve at Tongwen Academy. A pleasure, Brother Ren."

The corner of Chen Ying's eye twitched.

The underlings behind the vicious-looking man were all staring intently at him.

None of them saw a flash of red robes drift up the other staircase at the far end of the corridor behind them.

You're finally here, The Flower Princess.

But that flash of red remained across the stairway, apparently having stopped.

"Trying to bluff me? You managed to get a handgun. What's your background, kid, coming to plant your flag on Yisheng turf?"

Ren Gang swung his fists and attacked. This time his blows were even fiercer, but Chen Ying was no longer in the mood to play with him.

Though Hung Fist emphasized broad, sweeping movements, it also had close-range techniques. Ren Gang had trained hard: not only was every punch heavy, his footwork was meticulous too. He pressed close to attack, and despite his agile palm techniques, Chen Ying found himself somewhat tied down.

He could not afford any distraction.

Chen Ying hesitated slightly, his footwork slowing a fraction, and took three heavy punches from Ren Gang.

He could only rouse his spirits: pierce, chop, cleave, block. The more critical the moment, the clearer Chen Ying's mind became, and he poured all his concentration into his fists and feet.

At that moment, everything in the world seemed to vanish. Only the vicious-looking man remained before his eyes.

Let the sky stretch high and the seas spread wide, let winds and clouds range ten thousand miles. All I have are the ten paces before me, where life and death stand clear.

Fight.

Ren Gang's fists were like a furnace, while Chen Ying was tempering his own ice-cold steel within it.

Fists and palms flew back and forth. Chen Ying fought faster and faster, his techniques growing ever more practiced.

Gradually, a spiraling force rose from Chen Ying's tailbone, like a great snake waking from hibernation. It passed through the twelve tiers, climbing layer by layer along his spine.

One tier, two tiers...

But this great snake seemed to have slept too long. It climbed far too slowly, exhausting its strength at the third tier. It needed to lie dormant again and gather greater strength.

Just then, Chen Ying felt a cold current suddenly surge from within him, like a fierce tiger stretching slightly in its slumber.

The cold current flowed into the giant python whose momentum was nearly spent.

A tiger's roar and a dragon's cry rang out, bursting open layer upon layer of golden locks.

One tier, two tiers... twelve tiers.

The force finally gathered in his arms. Chen Ying gave a low cry, spun, and brought his knife-hand snaking down like lightning.

Ren Gang had no way to dodge. He could only cross his fists to block and take the blow head-on.

"Break!"

The vicious-looking man took the palm strike squarely and flew backward, rolling three times across the floor. He knelt on one knee, his hands trembling uncontrollably as he gasped for breath.

"Authentic Bagua... Coiling Python Force... You're from Dragon City?"

After delivering that palm strike, Chen Ying felt as though he were bathing in warm water, refreshed beyond words.

"Dragon City? Where's that?"

Chen Ying looked at Ren Gang's trembling hands. "Fuck you. I'm your daddy."

Just then, a crack suddenly sounded upstairs.

Had the rooftop's iron door given way?

Chen Ying hesitated no longer. He turned, grabbed the still-sobbing Wen Xiu, and ran downstairs.

Ren Gang's underlings tried to pursue, but he stopped them with a sharp shout.

"Everyone, stop!"

He looked at his hands. They were still trembling uncontrollably. In all his years of martial arts training, today was the second time he had felt such helplessness.

Ren Gang could not even feel his hands. All that remained was excruciating pain.

"Boss..." "Big brother..."

Ren Gang clenched his teeth.

"Help... help me up..."

The underlings exchanged looks. They could hardly believe it either. Yisheng's Red Pole had actually fallen to a schoolboy today?

Brother Cheng reacted first, running over to help Ren Gang up.

"No mistake. Coiling Python Force. That kid's from Dragon City."

Ren Gang was partly instructing his underlings and partly finding a reason for his defeat.

"Let it go this time. Even I lost. You'd only be throwing yourselves away. We need to hurry back and tell the boss that Dragon City's people are coming to muscle in..."

Before he finished speaking, an underling behind him screamed.

"Boss, behind us..."

Ren Gang turned. A figure in red was slowly drifting toward them, and he could faintly hear a lilting operatic voice.

Fucking hell. No wonder that kid ran so fast.

"Stinky Cheng, why the hell is your school haunted?"