The Dragon Head Boss of Xiao Qi Hall was thrown into prison. Taking advantage of the moment, the White Paper Fan, Pao Zai, colluded with the elder Uncle Qiu in an attempt to usurp power, only to be dealt with under the Hall’s own code of punishment by the Deputy Hall Master, Cui Dong Dong.
Thereafter, Cui Dong Dong launched a sweeping purge within Xiao Qi Hall. Those harboring treacherous intent were either executed publicly or vanished without a trace. The overall situation of Xiao Qi Hall stabilized, and the minor crisis following the boss’s imprisonment passed without calamity.
In the jianghu, those who once sneered at her for being a woman were now forced to reassess this lady boss—a woman both shrewd and decisive, whose ruthless methods rivaled any man’s. Her reputation rose steadily, and with it, the respect she commanded.
As for the finer details, they need not be recounted. Suffice it to say that the undercurrents beneath the surface churned for about a month before gradually subsiding.
Seeing the waters calm and the winds still, He Chu San—like a hibernating serpent emerging from its den—finally returned home to his father.
Mr. He had only just recovered from illness and was brimming with vigor. With fan and hand alike, he delivered a thorough beating to this son who had been heard only through phone calls but never seen in person.
“So you did bring Xin Xin back! And then you vanish again?! Busy with work, my ass—more like you broke your leg chasing romance again! What’s next? Bringing me a bastard grandchild?! Which rich young miss did you hook up with, you unfilial brat?!”
With a bright red handprint stamped across his face, He Chu San went to the prison to visit his father’s mysterious “daughter-in-law.”
In the prison, ‘Tyrant Xia’, Xia Liu Yi, had spent the past month ruling with unbridled dominance. He fought Limping Sha for bed space, snatched drumsticks from Shrimp Skin, and during yard time, the moment he sat by the field, a crowd of lackeys would gather—one pounding his legs, another kneading his shoulders, some singing, others telling jokes.
His life was comfortable. With nothing to do, he had even gained a bit of weight.
In the visitation room, he hummed a tune while peeling a boiled egg. When He Chu San was brought in by a guard, Xia Liu Yi extended his hand and stuffed the pale egg straight into his mouth.
“Saved it for you.”
“Cough—” He Chu San bit into half of it, nearly choking. “No need… I already ate at home…”
Xia Liu Yi sighed. “Your Brother Liu Yi has nothing good in here. You don’t smoke—this egg is all I can give you…”
Startled, He Chu San clutched the remaining half tightly. Still chewing the piece in his mouth, he struggled for a while before managing to say, “Cough… it’s good.”
Xia Liu Yi snorted with laughter, reached out, and pinched his cheek. “Just teasing you. If you can’t finish it, give it back.”
Of course, He Chu San refused. He tried to tuck the egg into his chest, only for Xia Liu Yi to grab his wrist and pull him closer—then, from He Chu San’s palm, calmly ate the egg himself, chewing slowly while looking up at him with a faint smile.
He Chu San swallowed hard. It felt as though Xia Liu Yi was chewing up his very heart, bite by deliberate bite.
“How’s your little sister?”
“She’s detoxing at Xiao Luo’s place. They say she’s doing alright.”
“I heard from Dong Dong that night that kid A’Sen barged into your home looking for you?”
“Yeah.”
“You got hurt?” Xia Liu Yi turned his arm over and over, inspecting it, failing to notice the wound on his temple carefully hidden beneath his bangs.
“No. I knocked him out.” He Chu San shamelessly claimed Xin Xin’s credit without a flicker of guilt.
Xia Liu Yi traced the long lifeline on his palm and sighed. “Move house soon. I don’t feel at ease. Or let Dong Dong assign you a couple of bodyguards—she wanted to, but you refused.”
“I’m really fine,” He Chu San said. “It’s inconvenient bringing bodyguards to work. Besides, aside from A’Sen and A’Nan, no one knows where I live.”
(Though now Xiao Ma and Dong Dong did—but they were his own people.)
“A’Nan still knows, doesn’t he? Might as well have Dong Dong silence him,” Xia Liu Yi said lightly, still playing with his fingers.
“Don’t! A’Nan’s a good guy,” He Chu San laughed. “If he hadn’t injured A’Sen first, I might not have subdued him. After he learned I’d been… startled, he even cooked chicken soup and brought it over, apologizing for letting A’Sen escape.”
“Chicken soup?!” Xia Liu Yi glared. “Apologizing with chicken soup? The hell—trying to seduce your sister-in-law?!”
He Chu San lowered his head, laughing quietly, saying nothing—until Xia Liu Yi pinched the back of his hand hard.
“What are you laughing at, you damn brat!”
“Hahaha… Brother Liu Yi, when you get jealous, you’re adorable…”
“Get lost!”
The two laughed and scuffled for a while. The prison guard stepped aside to smoke, pretending to see nothing.
Seizing the moment, He Chu San pressed Xia Liu Yi’s hand against his chest.
“Brother Liu Yi… I miss you.”
“Cough—what’s with the mushiness.” Xia Liu Yi turned his head aside, feeling the heat of the palm pressed to He Chu San’s chest. Even the cheap jade Buddha hanging against his own chest seemed to grow warm.
“I miss you every day. I want to live together with you… in our home.”
“That crappy place of yours is rented,” Xia Liu Yi exposed him.
“Even rented, it’s still a home,” He Chu San continued shamelessly. “Wherever you are—that’s home.”
“Hey, that’s enough. Get any mushier and I’m leaving.”
He Chu San obediently shut his mouth. He held Xia Liu Yi’s hand against his chest for a while longer, then brought it up to kiss the back of it, lifting his dark eyes to gaze at him, blinking softly.
After a long, tender look, he spoke gently, “Brother Liu Yi… when you get out, go legit. I don’t want to keep being unable to see you like this.”
Xia Liu Yi softened under his gaze. “When has your Brother Liu Yi ever failed to keep a promise?”
“Then I’ll wait for you at home,” He Chu San said stickily, rubbing his cheek against his hand.
Xia Liu Yi smacked him across the head. “Best Actor He, what the hell have you been watching lately?! You’re disgusting!”
After parting from the overly dramatic “Best Actor He,” Xia Liu Yi rubbed the jade Buddha at his chest, smiling faintly as he returned to the exercise yard in high spirits.
The moment he stepped in, he saw a crowd gathered in the distance.
Big Scarhead approached. “Boss.”
“What’s going on over there?” Xia Liu Yi took the cigarette offered to him, watching the swelling crowd.
“A new batch got transferred in today. There’s a pretty boy among them—caught the eye of Big Python from the Sha Family Gang.”
The young man had sharp features, handsome like a movie star—standing out starkly among the rough criminals.
Xia Liu Yi never cared about other men’s looks—nor women’s, for that matter. From over ten meters away, he gave the man a cursory glance and didn’t bother looking closely, tilting his head as a lackey lit his cigarette.
Just then—
The handsome newcomer slapped Big Python, sending the hulking man staggering!
The surrounding prisoners erupted in jeers. Big Python’s men immediately surrounded the youth, hemming him in. Though he looked slender, he fought fiercely—within moments, he toppled two Sha Family Gang thugs and even threw one straight into Shrimp Skin, the He Sheng Society boss watching from the sidelines!
Shrimp Skin was knocked dizzy. Upon recovering, he flew into a rage, leading his men into the fray—beating both the newcomer and taking the chance to attack the Sha Family Gang.
From afar, Limping Sha saw the chaos and rushed over with his own men.
Two factions—over twenty men—collapsed into a chaotic melee.
Big Scarhead asked, “Boss, what should we do?”
Xia Liu Yi gave a cold laugh. “Have the brothers back off. We watch.”
The guards rushed in, batons raised, shouting for everyone to squat down.
Xia Liu Yi led his men to squat obediently at the side, cigarette in mouth, eyes narrowed as he watched the show—
Just in time to see the restrained newcomer struggle free and kick Shrimp Skin square in the face!
“Hah—” Xia Liu Yi chuckled softly. “That’s gotta hurt.”
“That kid’s damn strange,” Big Scarhead muttered. “First day in, and he’s already offended both sides.”
Xia Liu Yi smiled faintly. “Go find out his background.”
The newcomer was shocked multiple times with electric batons, collapsing and convulsing before finally losing the ability to fight.
Two guards dragged him across the yard, passing by Xiao Qi Hall’s group.
Xia Liu Yi, squatting by the roadside, cast him a casual glance—
—and froze.
Without warning, he shot to his feet and charged forward!
Big Scarhead and the others hurriedly grabbed him, utterly baffled as to why he had suddenly gone mad.
Xia Liu Yi lunged straight at the guards. They raised their electric batons at him as well, but Big Scarhead and the others managed to drag him back down into a squat.
“Boss! Boss, what’s wrong with you?!”
They restrained him while hurriedly apologizing to the guards.
Xia Liu Yi panted heavily, fists clenched so tight they creaked. His eyes were clouded, as if possessed, struggling violently. It took all their strength to hold him down—until the guards escorted the fighting prisoners out of the yard.
His legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees, trembling all over. After a long moment, a hoarse murmur escaped him unconsciously—
“…Eldest…”
“What did you say, Boss?” Big Scarhead didn’t catch it and was about to ask again—
—but another lackey, who had been with Xiao Qi Hall for years, suddenly changed expression and clapped a hand over Big Scarhead’s mouth!
After the brutal clash, more than a dozen inmates—including the newcomer, Shrimp Skin, and Limping Sha—were thrown into solitary confinement.
With two great tigers removed from the mountain, the prison lost its usual lively clashes of dominance.
And the last remaining tiger king—Xia Liu Yi—seemed to have no interest in ruling either.
For the entire following day, he spoke little, drove all his subordinates away, and sat alone, smoking in silence.
“That kid really looks like the Azure Dragon Boss?” Big Scarhead whispered in a corner with another lackey, secretly watching him.
“Really. I saw the Azure Dragon Boss many times back then,” the lackey replied in a hushed voice. “Besides… if he didn’t, would our boss react like this?”
“…Then could it be…”
Big Scarhead’s voice trembled—
“…the Azure Dragon Boss… isn’t dead?”
“How is that possible?! Everyone saw the corpse back then. Besides, that kid looks barely in his early twenties—when the Azure Dragon Boss died, he was already in his thirties. No way they’re the same person!”
“Maybe he borrowed a corpse to return to life? Look at our boss—he’s acting like he’s been possessed.”
“B-Big Scarhead, S-Scarhead Bro, d-don’t scare me, I-I’m most afraid of this kind of thing…”
The more the two muttered, the more their scalps tingled with dread. Just then, Xia Liu Yi—who had been silent the entire day—not far away suddenly let out a long sigh. Returning to his usual self, he began absentmindedly rubbing the broken jade Buddha He Chu San had given him, glancing around as he rummaged for snacks.
“Back to normal, back to normal.” Big Scarhead and his lackey both let out a breath of relief.
The dead could not possibly return to life. Xia Liu Yi had clawed his way through a lifetime of blood and blades; he had never believed in ghosts or spirits. After spacing out for an entire day, he had sorted his thoughts out. At most, it was just a lookalike impostor—hardly worth losing his composure over.
Three days later, those who had been locked in solitary were released and sent back to the communal dormitory.
The dorm housed thirty to forty men. A wide aisle ran through the center, with two-tiered iron bunk beds lined up on both sides. The returning inmates filed down the aisle one after another, Shrimp Skin leading the way. Xia Liu Yi, who was lounging on his bunk smoking, glanced over and saw the man’s face bruised black and blue, one eye swollen like a panda’s. He let out a snort of laughter.
“What the hell are you laughing at?!” Shrimp Skin snapped.
Before Xia Liu Yi could respond, Big Scarhead sprang up with his crew. “So what if we’re laughing at you?!”
Shrimp Skin’s men puffed out their chests and stepped up behind him. The two groups squared off, bristling with hostility. Xia Liu Yi raised a hand, signaling Big Scarhead to stand down. “Shrimp Skin, you just got out of solitary—looking to start trouble again already?”
Shrimp Skin couldn’t afford to provoke him. Besides, Xia Liu Yi wasn’t his target tonight. He tossed out, “Twin-Blade Xia, you just remember this!” before storming back to his bunk.
Limping Sha limped in shortly after. By seniority in the jianghu, he was of the Azure Dragon Boss’s generation, already in his forties. More composed by nature, he merely cast Xia Liu Yi a frowning glance before sitting down in his corner. Two underlings immediately came up to massage his legs.
The three bosses each occupied a corner of the room, forming a tripod standoff.
Last to enter was the handsome young man who had managed to offend two prison tyrants the moment he was transferred in. Big Scarhead had already looked into him—his name was Qin Hao, imprisoned for intentional injury, sentenced to five months.
Qin Hao’s face bore some bruises as well. Expression cold, he stood in the aisle holding a washbasin, toothbrush, and cup. The moment Shrimp Skin saw him, he straightened up, killing intent flaring in his eyes. Limping Sha also cast him a dark look.
One of Limping Sha’s men, nicknamed “Big Python”—the very one Qin Hao had slapped aside earlier—immediately blocked his path with a few brothers from the Sha Family Gang. Shrimp Skin’s men also moved in, surrounding him.
Xia Liu Yi glanced toward the door. The guard on duty had vanished without a trace—who knew if he’d taken bribes from Limping Sha and Shrimp Skin.
Qin Hao stood trapped in the center, hemmed in on all sides. There was no escaping tonight. Yet he swept his gaze over the crowd with utter indifference, not a trace of panic on his face.
“Boss?” Big Scarhead asked.
“Let’s watch the show first,” Xia Liu Yi murmured. With a push off the bedframe, he flipped up to the top bunk, claiming a prime vantage point.
“Kid, do you even know how to write the word ‘death’?!” Big Python barked.
The show proved entertaining indeed—
“Bastard, you dare hit our Boss!” Shrimp Skin’s men started shouting as well. One of them rushed forward to throw a punch at Qin Hao, only to have his arm blocked by Big Python. “He’s ours tonight—the Sha Family Gang will deal with him!”
“Fuck! Who the hell do you think you are?!”
“I’m your damn father! Get lost! Don’t get in my way!”
The two grabbed each other’s collars, while both groups began shoving and jostling, descending into chaos. They hadn’t even started beating Qin Hao yet, and they were already fighting over who got the first hit—Xia Liu Yi burst out laughing.
Limping Sha, watching from the edge, was provoked by that laugh and roared angrily, “What the hell are you arguing for?! Big Python, stop! Shrimp Skin, control your men!”
“Everyone stop!” Shrimp Skin shouted. “Limping Sha, this brat injured me—I’m not letting him off! We’ll settle our score later. Tonight, he’s mine!”
Limping Sha sneered. “Shrimp Skin, you’ve seen his skills. Whoever beats him tonight gets him. Fine, I’ll let you go first—let’s see if you can even touch him!”
—It was clearly a provocation to make Shrimp Skin fight one-on-one. Xia Liu Yi lounged lazily against the bed, arms folded, watching the show, even nudging Big Scarhead’s shoulder with his foot.
Well-trained, Big Scarhead quickly tore open a bag of chips and offered it up to his boss.
With all his men watching, Shrimp Skin couldn’t afford to lose face. He rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward personally, grabbing a kettle and smashing it toward Qin Hao. Qin Hao raised his washbasin to block, spun, and drove a kick straight into his chest—sending Shrimp Skin crashing into his own men! They scrambled to catch him as he roared and lunged forward again with a punch, only for Qin Hao to seize his wrist. Dropping low, Qin Hao spun again and, amid Shrimp Skin’s howl, threw him clean over his shoulder!
“What the hell are you all standing there for?! Get him!” Shrimp Skin snarled from the ground, humiliated and enraged.
Xia Liu Yi munched chips casually, watching as Shrimp Skin’s thugs charged in one after another. Qin Hao threw one to the left, smashed another to the right—five or six men rushed him, yet none could even get close. Big Python grew impatient, roaring as he joined the fight—only to be flung aside before he even finished shouting. Limping Sha finally lost it and bellowed, “Damn it! What are you waiting for?! All of you, get him!”
Both groups surged forward! Seeing the tide turning, Qin Hao spun and bolted. The crowd chased after him like a pack of hunting hounds. Qin Hao leapt and scrambled, flinging pillows and overturning chairs—like the Monkey King wreaking havoc in the Underworld. The thugs’ cries of pain rang out without end, much to Xia Liu Yi’s delight.
The brawl dragged on for the duration of an entire bag of chips. Qin Hao’s breathing grew uneven, his face flushed red—but he still showed no signs of defeat.
Big Scarhead noticed some of Shrimp Skin’s men pulling out paper cutters and sharpened toothbrush handles, leaning in to warn Xia Liu Yi, “Boss, they’ve drawn weapons. This could get bad.”
Xia Liu Yi, halfway through his second bag of chips, paused. After a moment’s thought, he hopped down from the bed and barked, “Everyone stop!”
“Kill him!” “Grab his clothes!” “Ahh!” “Fuck!”
—In the midst of utter chaos, no one heard Xia Liu Yi’s command. He stuffed the chips into Big Scarhead’s hands. “Hold this for me.”
“Boss, why don’t I go—”
“It’s fine. Don’t eat them.”
Xia Liu Yi wiped his hands on his prison uniform and pushed into the crowd. Moments later, a second wave of screams erupted from the center. Standing outside, Limping Sha craned his neck—and saw Xia Liu Yi launch a flying side kick, smashing one man’s head into another’s! Like dominoes, bodies toppled in a cascading crash!
Without throwing a single punch, Xia Liu Yi carved his way into the center with nothing but his long legs—kicking and stomping. After sending two more Sha Family Gang men flying, he grabbed the wrist of another thug and slammed it against a bedframe—the sharpened toothbrush handle clattered to the ground.
“Everyone fucking stop!”
This time, they finally heard him. Hesitant, the crowd gradually stilled.
“Twin-Blade Xia! You’re standing up for him?!” Shrimp Skin roared, both eyes swollen into panda bruises.
“Twin-Blade Xia, what’s it to you?!” Limping Sha added.
“Who said I’m standing up for him?” Xia Liu Yi sneered.
He suddenly turned and swung a punch at Qin Hao! Qin Hao instinctively leaned back, but before he could recover, Xia Liu Yi followed with a sweeping kick that knocked him flat. Qin Hao sprang up like a carp and unleashed over a dozen rapid punches in succession. All those present heard only the thunderous thuds of impact—the wind of his fists too fast to see clearly. Xia Liu Yi’s expression didn’t change as he blocked with one hand, giving ground as he parried—then suddenly clawed into the blur of punches, dropped low, spun, and with a shout, hurled Qin Hao over his shoulder!
—the exact same move Qin Hao had used on Shrimp Skin.
Qin Hao hit the ground hard. As he tried to roll, Xia Liu Yi slammed an elbow into his throat! His breath nearly cut off, eyes bulging in agony. The moment Xia Liu Yi loosened his grip, Qin Hao curled up coughing violently, only to have his arms twisted behind his back and pinned to the ground, unable to struggle free.
Xia Liu Yi knelt over him, knee pressing into his lower back, left hand locking his wrist, while his right hand leisurely fished out a cigarette. Big Scarhead pushed through the crowd and, well-trained, lit it for him.
Xia Liu Yi exhaled a long drag, both weary and satisfied, muttering to himself, “A fake.”
He spoke softly—only Qin Hao could hear. Qin Hao glared up at him in confusion. Raising his voice, Xia Liu Yi said, “Boss Sha, Shrimp Skin—what do you say?”
“What do you mean, what do we say?!” Shrimp Skin snapped, clutching his swollen eyes.
“Tonight, whoever beats him gets him. I won.”
“Twin-Blade Xia, what do you want?” Limping Sha frowned. “You don’t have a grudge with him, do you?”
“No grudge,” Xia Liu Yi said lazily. He took the cigarette from his mouth and stuffed it straight into Qin Hao’s lips. “I’ve taken a liking to him.”
Qin Hao’s eyes widened. “Pah!” He spat the cigarette out. Xia Liu Yi pressed down hard with his knee, forcing a cry of pain as Qin Hao’s mouth opened—and the cigarette was shoved back in.
“All the brothers here have worked hard tonight. I’ll give everyone two packs of cigarettes,” Xia Liu Yi said with an affable smile. “Boss Sha, Shrimp Skin—give me some face.”
“The hell you mean ‘give face’—” Shrimp Skin started to curse, but Xia Liu Yi shot him a freezing glare that shut him up instantly.
Limping Sha cast Qin Hao a meaningful look. He had seen the Azure Dragon Boss in person—vaguely, he guessed Xia Liu Yi was acting because of that face. As for the claim of “taking a liking to him,” Limping Sha didn’t believe a word of it, and likely neither did anyone else present. His own trusted subordinate Big Python was a fool who liked messing with pretty boys—causing trouble and being utterly useless. If not for the fact that Big Python was his cousin’s son, loyal, strong, and able to fight, Limping Sha would’ve long since had him beaten and thrown out. He knew what men who liked men were like—and Xia Liu Yi showed none of those traits.
Given the situation, Limping Sha went with the flow. “Twin-Blade Xia, I keep my word in the jianghu. You won—he’s yours. Shrimp Skin?”
Shrimp Skin was clearly unwilling, but with both bosses settling things privately, pushing further would only backfire. “Hmph! Fine, we’ll leave it at that. Kid, just you wait!” He spat at Qin Hao.
Dozens of men dispersed, some moving beds, others mopping the floor. In no time, all traces of the brawl were erased. Xia Liuyi had Big Scar tie Qin Hao’s hands with a bedsheet and toss him onto a bunk in the corner.
Qin Hao’s eyes were bloodshot with fury, veins bulging across his body as he struggled uselessly, cursing under his breath, “You damn faggot, don’t touch me!”
Xia Liu Yi tossed a pillow at him. “Faggot my ass—who the fuck’s interested in your hole? Look over there—Big Python, the one who stopped you earlier. He’s the one who wants to screw you. Big Scarhead, chips?”
Big Scarhead respectfully offered up an untouched bag of fries while earnestly reassuring the new recruit, “Don’t worry, our boss isn’t into you. We already have a sister-in-law—our boss’s wife is way prettier than you, beautiful as a flower—”
“Flower your mother!” Xia Liu Yi kicked him square in the ass.
Big Scarhead’s flattery was clumsy and disastrously worded, leaving a deep psychological scar on his boss. From then on, whenever long nights stretched on and Xia Liu Yi couldn’t sleep, the mere thought of He A’San being described as “beautiful as a flower” would have him tossing and turning, scratching at himself—goosebumps rising all over his body.
Futile Devices Scans 
Leave a comment