Chapter Seven: A First Display of Skill

The buzz-cut man nodded, and his two henchmen started toward Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing backed away in terror, pleading, "Big brother, I’ll let you have your way, but please, don't drag me into selling myself, okay?"

No one listened. The two men dragged her into a small room.

Two other thugs approached Li Yan. Terrified, she retreated repeatedly, clutching onto Cao Yang’s arm.

The buzz-cut man watched Cao Yang with a smirk. The kid had been sitting there motionless since they walked in, looking as if he’d been frightened into a stupor. He rested a hand on Cao Yang’s shoulder and said with a grin, "Don't be scared, little brother. We won't give you any trouble. Once we’re done, we’ll let you have a turn, too."

Cao Yang shook his head. "No, she’s my sister."

"So what? Doesn't that make it even more exciting?"

"Have you ever done it with your own sister?" Cao Yang asked earnestly. The question caught the buzz-cut man off guard; he couldn't tell if the kid was mocking him or if he was genuinely curious.

It didn't matter. Just for asking that question, he deserved a beating!

"Go to hell!" The man swung his hand, aiming a slap at Cao Yang’s face.

But he didn't land the blow. While his hand was still in the air, Cao Yang grabbed it in a vice-like grip, rendering him unable to move.

"Can I fight?" Cao Yang asked, looking at Li Yan.

"Fight! Why the hell are you hesitating?" Li Yan shouted. She was about to be violated, and he was asking such a moronic question.

Cao Yang didn't want to ask, either. Back home, he’d gotten into trouble for fighting, and before he left for Dongguan, his mother had instructed him to listen to Li Yan in everything. On their first day, Li Yan had explicitly told him not to fight.

Hearing her permission, Cao Yang applied pressure to the man's wrist. The buzz-cut man heard his own bones crunching, and as a piercing pain shot through him, he couldn't help but scream.

With a sharp *crack*, Cao Yang twisted harder, completely snapping the man’s palm, which now hung from his arm at a gruesome angle.

"Ahh!" The man’s agonizing scream echoed through the air. The two thugs who were about to accost Li Yan stopped and looked over. The two men from the other room also rushed out.

"Fuck him up! Kill him for me!"

At the buzz-cut man’s order, the four of them charged at Cao Yang from all directions.

One swung a fist straight at his face. Cao Yang countered, his strike arriving faster despite starting later; their fists collided. The thug let out a wail and flew backward, his entire arm fractured.

Cao Yang didn't even bother looking at him. He turned sideways and kicked another thug into the air. Then, with a leap, he took out the remaining two with a single punch and a kick.

All four men were sent flying into the walls, collapsing to the ground where they lay groaning, unable to stand.

It all happened in the blink of an eye—a mere few seconds.

Li Yan stared in shock. She knew Cao Yang loved to fight and was good at it, but she hadn't realized he was this powerful. Four men, incapacitated in a heartbeat.

The buzz-cut man was stunned, too. He had never encountered someone who could fight like this, and his mind struggled to process it. It wasn't until Cao Yang walked up to him that he snapped back to reality. "Brother, it's a misunderstanding. As the saying goes, we don't become friends without a fight. Since you’re so skilled, why not join us? I’ll help you get rich."

Cao Yang ignored his babbling and cupped the man's face in his hand. "You wanted to slap me earlier? Only my mother is allowed to slap me, you know that?"

"I didn't mean—" Before the buzz-cut man could finish, Cao Yang’s palm connected with his face. The man was sent flying, and as he soared through the air, one could see his teeth and a spray of blood leaving his nose.

Cao Yang shook his hand, sat back down on the sofa, and picked up a pack of premium cigarettes the man had just dropped. He lit one, took a deep drag, exhaled smoke through his nose, and said coolly to Li Yan, "It’s all settled."

"Stop showing off and let’s go!" Li Yan ran back into the room to pack.

Cao Yang looked at her, confused. "This is where we live. They should be the ones leaving, right?"

"Are you stupid? You beat them up; they’ll definitely come back for revenge!"

"They can't beat me!"

"Cao Yang, I know you can fight, but how many can you take on? Today there were five of them; tomorrow they could bring ten, or a hundred, armed with knives and guns. Can you handle that?"

"Do they really have that many people?" Cao Yang was skeptical.

"Don't doubt it. They’re part of the Henan Gang. They have real power in this area; calling up a few hundred people is nothing to them."

"The Henan Gang? Is it a gang formed by people from Henan?"

"Obviously! Why else would they be called the Henan Gang?"

Cao Yang was quite interested in these gangs and wanted to ask more, but Zhou Qing walked over dragging her luggage.

"Are you ready? Let’s go!"

"Right away!" Li Yan, usually a penny-pincher, abandoned many of her belongings, desperate to leave quickly.

Cao Yang had no choice but to follow. When Li Yan saw him still carrying his broken bucket and ratty floor mat, she was furious; she should have made him carry more of her stuff instead.

As soon as the three stepped outside, their boyfriends chased after them.

"Yanzi, where are you going?"

"None of your business! Get lost and stop blocking my way!"

"Yanzi, I'm sorry. I had no choice. I still love you!"

"Love your ass!" Cao Yang kicked A-Le in the stomach, sending him flying until he collapsed, unable to get up.

This kick was even heavier than the ones he’d dealt the thugs. The thought that this guy was Li Yan’s boyfriend—and had likely slept with her—filled him with an inexplicable rage.

He shot a fierce glare at Li Yan, thinking she had terrible taste in men to be hanging around such trash.

Li Yan was baffled by his look, having no idea what was going on in his head, and she had no time to ponder it.

Seeing A-Le’s fate, Zhou Qing’s boyfriend didn't dare approach, backing away silently and watching them leave.

"Where are we going?" Once they were out of the village, the three felt a bit lost.

"I have a cousin in Shenzhen. I want to go stay with her," Zhou Qing said.

Li Yan nodded. "Good, we’ll go with you."

"That might not be great. My cousin lives with her husband; it wouldn't be convenient for you to come."

"We don't have to stay at her place; we just want to travel with you."

"Let's forget it. I’ll go check things out first, and once I’m settled, I’ll call you over."

After saying this, Zhou Qing hailed a taxi and left. The Henan Gang had too much influence, and she didn't want to get dragged into their mess. It was a situation that could have been resolved by letting them have their way—why did they have to go and start a fight?

"Fuck you, you little bitch. Acting all sisterly when things are fine, then dumping us the moment trouble starts!"

Li Yan cursed, and after she finished berating Zhou Qing, she started in on Cao Yang.

"It’s all your fault! All your fault! I told you not to fight, not to fight, but you just wouldn't listen!" She punctuated her scolding by hitting Cao Yang with her small fists.

There are times when a person is left truly speechless, and this was one of those moments for Cao Yang. He felt like stringing Li Yan up and giving her a beating!

It was they who had caused the trouble in the first place. He had only acted after seeing she was about to be assaulted and after getting her consent—there was no way the blame could be shifted onto him. How unreasonable!

"Where are we going?" He knew she was unreasonable and didn't bother arguing.

Li Yan thought for a moment. "Let’s go to Houjie. That’s the territory of the Hunan and Sichuan gangs. The Henan Gang rarely operates over there."