Xia Liu Yi suddenly shot to his feet, both hands clamping tightly over his mouth. His fingers trembled violently as they dug into his own face, desperately stifling that heart-rending howl from escaping! His entire body shuddered as if struck by lightning, quaking without cease!
Every breath he drew felt laced with poison, scorching his very organs. His mind went blank, save for one thought repeating over and over—Wasn’t there supposed to be a way out?! Wasn’t there supposed to be a way out?!
That damned fool had lied to him again!!! What the hell was he trying to do?!
He Chu San let out a muffled groan of agony, yet his hands remained steady upon the hilt. With a sudden force—
Puchi!
The blade tore free from his flesh. Fresh blood instantly soaked through his already soiled white shirt.
The first strike.
Xiao Ma stood before him, stunned by the decisive swiftness of the act. A creeping sense of unease rose within him—why was this brat stabbing so quickly? Shouldn’t he be rambling out some last words? He claimed defiance, yet stabbed himself without hesitation? And their Boss—why had his reaction upon waking been so strange?
He Chu San swayed, collapsing onto his knees. Before he could succumb to weakness and lose consciousness, he raised his arm again, intent on driving in a second strike—
But the blade halted abruptly in midair!
He looked up in surprise. Xia Liu Yi loomed over him. He saw Xia Liu Yi’s bloodless face—his lips twitching, his handsome features nearly contorted beyond recognition. Yet before meeting those eyes, He Chu San lowered his gaze.
“Let go,” he whispered, a voice meant for them alone. A thin line of blood trickled from his lips with the words.
Xia Liu Yi said nothing. His grip tightened further, fingers pressing so hard that He Chu San’s bones creaked. His breathing came in ragged, convulsive gasps.
He Chu San struggled, unable to break free. At last, he lifted his gaze to meet Xia Liu Yi’s eyes—eyes filled with soul-crushing grief. In contrast, He Chu San’s own were calm, gentle, even as he sighed softly.
“Don’t ruin my act… it’s a blood pack, fake.”
A flicker of doubt passed through Xia Liu Yi’s eyes, yet his grip did not loosen in the slightest.
He Chu San sighed again. “You’re hurting my hand…”
Instinctively, Xia Liu Yi’s fingers slackened just a fraction—
And in that instant, He Chu San drove his palm inward—
Puchi!
The blade plunged in once more!
—To all those watching, it appeared as though Xia Liu Yi, face twisted with fury, had leapt down from the Dragon Head Throne, seized He Chu San’s hand, and personally stabbed him!
The second strike.
He Chu San’s entire body fell backward from the force. Xia Liu Yi immediately released him, catching his shoulders. His gaze pierced through the blood-soaked shirt, seeing the mangled flesh beneath—
What blood pack? How could this be fake?!
Bang—!
A deafening gunshot stunned everyone present, drowning out Xia Liu Yi’s anguished cry of “A’San!”
Only then did the crowd realize a large force had surged into the ancestral hall. At their head stood a man in police uniform—a senior inspector of the district, surnamed Zheng, known in the underworld as “Inspector Zheng.”
Though once a subordinate of a Chinese inspector and well-acquainted with the jianghu, Inspector Zheng was a cautious and calculating man, leaving no evidence of wrongdoing. Thus, when new leadership took over, he avoided the purge that befell his corrupt peers—though he had since grown far more restrained, rarely interfering in underworld affairs.
Yet today, he had come to meddle in this “idle matter.” After firing his warning shot, he strode boldly into the encirclement.
In the prime of his years, heavyset and imposing, his steps thundered even before he approached. His gun was already leveled at Xia Liu Yi.
“Boss Xia, spare him beneath your blade,” he said with a hint of mockery.
Xiao Ma leapt forward first, blocking the way. “Damn it! Which eye of yours saw our Boss make a move? That brat was trying to kill himself!”
“Exactly! Exactly!” the men of Xiao Qi Hall echoed.
Yet Xia Liu Yi said nothing. He only held He Chu San, frantically pressing at his wounds—no one noticed, as all eyes were on Inspector Zheng, whose view was blocked by Xiao Ma.
“You lot of blind, lying bastards,” Inspector Zheng chuckled, waving his gun. “What, next you’ll say your Boss grabbed his hand to save him?”
Xiao Ma cut him off sharply, “Inspector Zheng, jianghu matters are settled within jianghu. You’re crossing the line!”
Inspector Zheng waved a hand. “Not so. I heard outside that you were holding a hall trial for a traitor, accusing him of ‘betraying the gang,’ yes?”
“That’s right! This is Xiao Qi Hall’s business!” “None of your damn concern!” the crowd shouted.
Inspector Zheng gestured with his gun for silence. “A pity—you’ve got the wrong man. He isn’t even from Xiao Qi Hall. What ‘family matter’ is there? Isn’t that right, Master Qiao?”
Amid stunned gazes, Master Qiao emerged from behind him, leaning on a cane. Kevin stepped forward as well. Instantly, countless hostile stares fell upon them like arrows.
Master Qiao coughed into a handkerchief, his hoarse voice rasping, “He Chu San belongs to He Yi Society.”
At those words, the hall erupted! Fury ignited in every eye.
“Damn it! He’s yours?!”
“So this was all your doing?!”
Xiao Ma roared, “Qiao, are you openly declaring war on Xiao Qi Hall?! Inspector Zheng—this traitor killed our Deputy Hall Master and plotted against our Boss. We will not let this go!”
Inspector Zheng chuckled, tilting the gun toward Xiao Ma. “Your grudges with He Yi Society are none of my concern. Settle them later. But in broad daylight, I cannot allow murder before my eyes. Today, I’m taking this man.”
He shifted, revealing his police badge beneath his bulk. “What, you dare assault an officer?”
The men of Xiao Qi Hall glared in fury—but none dared act. Moreover, Master Qiao’s forces had already surrounded the hall. To clash now would bring no advantage. They could only stand, seething.
Master Qiao waved a hand. Kevin hurried forward, moving past Xiao Ma. He bent to lift He Chu San—
But Xia Liu Yi’s icy gaze stopped him cold.
Killing intent radiated from Xia Liu Yi. His trembling arms held He Chu San tightly, who lay weakly breathing, bleeding without end. There was no intention of letting go.
“Mr. Xia,” Kevin urged in a low voice, “he needs treatment immediately. Let me take him.”
“Get lost,” Xia Liu Yi hissed through clenched teeth.
“Don’t worry. The ambulance is outside—he’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take him,” Xia Liu Yi snarled, attempting to rise—only to be restrained by Kevin.
“Mr. Xia!” Kevin shouted urgently. “He Chu San took two strikes not for you to ruin his plan now—let go!”
The moment he finished speaking, he met Xia Liu Yi’s gaze—and shuddered.
It was killing intent as cold as blades of ice.
Xia Liu Yi’s breathing was ragged, his body trembling violently, grief and fury driving him to the brink of madness. He wished nothing more than to tear every person here into pieces!!!
What fucking plan?! Who the hell wanted this fool’s plan?! Who allowed him to make such a plan?!
“Brother Liu Yi…”
A faint voice rose from his arms. Xia Liu Yi trembled, lowering his head.
He Chu San’s face was pale as paper. He lifted a hand weakly; his fingertips barely brushed Xia Liu Yi’s chin before falling limp.
“Listen to him… be good…”
Be good my ass!!! Xia Liu Yi’s head throbbed, his heart felt as though it were being ripped apart. He could only wipe the blood from He Chu San’s lips as that faint breath lingered against his fingers.
“Don’t worry… it doesn’t hurt… I took… anesthetic beforehand…”
Xia Liu Yi froze.
A tear slipped free, scalding hot as it fell onto He Chu San’s cold cheek.
“Liar.”
He had been bound in the ancestral hall all along—there was no blood pack. How could there possibly have been any anesthetic?
……
Kevin carried the blood-soaked He Chu San swiftly out of the ancestral hall, placing him upon the stretcher waiting outside. Master Qiao and Inspector Zheng followed closely behind. The stretcher was loaded into the ambulance, and the medical staff immediately began emergency treatment.
Kevin, who had accompanied them, was just about to shut the door when Master Qiao seized the handle.
Leaning on his cane, he extended a hand toward Kevin. Understanding, Kevin helped him up into the vehicle. The Old Boss made himself comfortable without ceremony, plopping down heavily. Pulling out a handkerchief, he coughed harshly like a broken gong, then spat a mouthful of thick phlegm into it. After glancing at it, he casually tossed the handkerchief out the door.
The doors shut, and soon the ambulance roared forward with sirens blaring. The medics were working to stop the bleeding when Master Qiao suddenly thrust his cane in, sweeping them aside—revealing the torn, gaping wound before his eyes.
“Tsk, Xia Liu Yi really struck hard,” Master Qiao raised a brow. “The hell—is this bastard even savable?”
One medic bristled, about to retort, but was quickly restrained by a colleague.
Master Qiao had already arrived when Xiao Ma was reading out He Chu San’s charges. By nature suspicious, he found the situation strange—He Chu San had shown himself to be calculating and ruthless, yet had delayed killing Xia Liu Yi, only to end up with the punishment of “three cuts and six holes”. It all felt too theatrical—something was off.
Only when he saw Xia Liu Yi rush down, intending to personally finish He Chu San, did he immediately signal Inspector Zheng to fire a warning shot.
Now that he had confirmed beyond doubt that He Chu San and Xia Liu Yi were truly at odds, that the wounds were real, that the fall from grace was genuine, he finally relaxed. Chuckling, he tapped the head of his cane lightly against He Chu San’s pale face.
“You little money-making boy! You better fucking hold on—don’t you dare die! Do you know how much effort I spent saving your ass?”
He Chu San lay unmoving, eyes closed, already appearing unconscious. Master Qiao withdrew his cane, leaning back lazily, glaring at the medics.
“What the hell are you standing around for? Save him!”
……
Inside the ancestral hall, the members of Xiao Qi Hall remained behind, seething with fury, shouting and cursing noisily.
Some proposed smashing the strongholds of He Yi Society, others suggested storming Master Qiao’s base directly, while still others argued for convening a jianghu assembly to seek justice from the various bosses. Opinions clashed, voices rose, chaos reigned.
Only Xia Liu Yi remained motionless, still kneeling beside the pool of blood.
Xiao Ma thought him overcome with rage and grief. With both indignation and concern, he stepped forward to help him up. “Boss, it’s alright! Sooner or later we’ll catch that bastard!”
Xia Liu Yi kept his head lowered, brushing his hand aside before rising slowly.
Turning his back, he did not allow anyone to see the tears covering his face. His voice rang out sharply:
“Silence!”
The entire hall fell instantly quiet, not daring to breathe.
“What happened here today—let it rot in your guts! Not a single word is to leave this place!”
“Yes, Boss!”
……
Xia Liu Yi spoke quietly with Black Chicken for a few moments, instructing him to take charge, then had Xiao Ma prepare a car. He drove personally, bringing only Xiao Ma along.
Throughout the journey, he said not a word. Xiao Ma, seated in the passenger seat, kept glancing at him. Xia Liu Yi’s face was utterly expressionless, his gaze fixed straight ahead on the road.
Xiao Ma, skilled at reading faces, assumed his Boss had not yet recovered from his confinement and the cascade of events. He wisely chose not to disturb him.
The silence stretched on for a long while—until Xiao Ma noticed the buildings and road signs outside.
Uneasy, he finally spoke, “Boss… where are we going?”
“……”
Judging his expression, Xiao Ma realized Xia Liu Yi was not ignoring him deliberately, but was completely immersed in some deep, complex turmoil, unaware he had even spoken. He shut his mouth again.
That strange feeling from earlier—when he witnessed He Chu San stabbing himself—rose again. A faint, unsettling thought surfaced in his mind—
He immediately slapped himself mentally. Don’t fucking overthink it. That’s impossible!
This conviction lasted only an hour.
The car stopped at the Central ferry pier. Soon after, the ferry docked at Lamma Island. Xiao Ma stared in utter shock at Cui Dong Dong waiting outside the pier—his internal “slap” nearly knocking him unconscious!
—He finally understood why that brat surnamed He had said “sorry” to him!
Cui Dong Dong, upon seeing him, reacted as though she had seen a ghost. The two stared blankly at each other for three seconds before she shrieked and lunged forward, grabbing his face and pulling it mercilessly.
“Xiao Ma! You little bastard!! You’re really still alive! You damn thousand-year bastard!!”
Xiao Ma was too overwhelmed to speak, grinning foolishly even as tears streamed down his face—half from joy, half from sheer terror!
Dong Dong was alive—he was ecstatic! But he had been played by that brat, He Chu San—he had beaten and cursed him, even forced him into the punishment of “three cuts and six holes”! No wonder the Boss had been acting so strangely the whole way!
He was dead meat—his Boss was going to tear him apart and toss him into the sea!
He and Cui Dong Dong hugged, laughing and crying at once. Then suddenly, Xiao Ma turned and dropped to his knees before Xia Liu Yi with a loud thud!
“Boss! I was wrong! I didn’t know—He Chu San, he… I knew nothing!”
Cui Dong Dong, having been confined on the island and unaware of recent events, hurried to pull him up. “Why are you kneeling like an idiot?! Get up! Boss, tell him to get up! What are you two doing?”
Xia Liu Yi gave no response.
He staggered back two steps, as though his soul had left him. Turning, he left the two behind and walked alone into the island.
“Where is Xiao Luo? I want to see her.”
……
On the second floor of an ordinary fisher’s house, Xia Liu Yi found Xiao Luo resting in bed. She had been shot, but fortunately it was a through wound, not fatal.
Wrapped in blankets, she leaned against the headboard, thin and pale yet calm. She showed no surprise at Xia Liu Yi’s arrival.
Cui Dong Dong and Xiao Ma followed him inside. Along the way, Xiao Ma had whispered everything that had happened. All three stood in silence, their minds in chaos, none speaking for a long time.
At last, Xia Liu Yi spoke. “When did he contact you?”
“In the period after you separated,” Xiao Luo replied weakly.
“Who else was involved?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. Only he contacted me.”
“Who rescued you and Dong Dong from the villa?”
She shook her head again. “They were masked. They took us to a doctor and left.”
Xia Liu Yi turned to Cui Dong Dong. “You never thought to come find me?”
Cui Dong Dong sighed. “I was under house arrest by that doctor! He threatened me using Xiao Luo’s treatment. Only today did he let me go—told me to wait for you at the pier. Said, ‘Not my problem. Settle your grudges with Mr. He.’”
Xia Liu Yi frowned. “What doctor?”
“Your personal doctor.”
“……”
Xia Liu Yi fell silent.
To carry out this plan, He Chu San had not only won over Kevin and others, secured his place upon the Dragon Head Throne, but also enlisted Xiao Luo, unknown masked allies—and even his own personal doctor, who answered only to him, dared to obey He Chu San’s command.
In winning hearts, who could rival him? He had even harmed himself to gain Master Qiao’s trust!
Xiao Luo, unaware of the self-harm plan, saw Xia Liu Yi’s darkened face and thought he resented He Chu San. She hurriedly pleaded,
“Boss, the fake death in the villa explosion was my idea. The gunfight was an accident. I’ve always hated this life—living on the edge of blades every day. I wanted to take Sister Dong away and disappear forever. I wronged you and her—it’s all my fault. Please don’t blame Mr. He.”
Xia Liu Yi lowered his gaze to his palm, where traces of He Chu San’s blood still remained.
After a moment, he said quietly, “No. Your goal was the same as A’San’s. You wanted revenge for Xiao Man—that’s Dong Dong’s knot. That’s why you helped him.”
Xiao Luo froze. Cui Dong Dong’s expression changed as well.
……
At sunset, Xia Liu Yi instructed Cui Dong Dong and Xiao Luo to remain hidden for now, then boarded the ferry back to Central with Xiao Ma.
The vessel cut across the dark, bottomless sea. In the distance, where sea met sky, crimson clouds burned like a raging fire.
Leaning against an open-air seat at the stern, Xia Liu Yi stared silently at the horizon. That blood-red glow, accompanied by the howling sea wind, stabbed endlessly at his eyes.
Xiao Ma sat behind him, head buried in his hands. Not long into the journey, someone tapped him from the front.
Startled, he looked up. Xia Liu Yi gestured for him to come over. With a wail of “Boss!”, Xiao Ma lunged forward.
Across the seats, Xia Liu Yi pulled him into an embrace. The burly Xiao Ma hunched awkwardly in his Boss’s arms, full of remorse.
“Boss, it’s all my fault! Curse me, hit me—throw me into the sea if you want!”
Xia Liu Yi sighed softly, patting his back in reassurance, ruffling his messy hair.
Xiao Ma had done nothing wrong. Everything he did came from loyalty. Xia Liu Yi understood.
……
Xiao Ma drove Xia Liu Yi back to the village house. A’Nan and A’Mao were already waiting. Xia Liu Yi told Xiao Ma to rest, then entered alone.
Following instructions, A’Nan had brought over the basket of buns and porridge from the basement of the neighboring house.
Standing stiffly in the kitchen, Xia Liu Yi awkwardly lit the stove and set the pot.
He Chu San had told him, “Heat it before eating.”
He Chu San had also said, “Don’t worry. The revenge you seek—I’ll help you take it.”
Now, he understood everything.
From that photograph onward, He Chu San had somehow uncovered all the past truths—and resolved to avenge him.
He exposed Qin Hao’s identity early, protecting him while stirring chaos within the gang. He orchestrated the kidnapping, faked Dong Dong’s death, ascended the Dragon Head Throne, then deliberately revealed flaws for Xiao Ma to uncover. Xiao Ma, loyal and righteous, would inevitably enforce Gang Law, leading to the public execution in the ancestral hall.
He Chu San must have cooperated with Master Qiao, perhaps even demonstrated his worth—thus prompting Master Qiao to storm the hall and save him. In doing so, he fell naturally under Master Qiao’s control.
From there, he would become indispensable—leveraging his financial talent, gaining trust, becoming a confidant, and ultimately using Master Qiao as a stepping stone to approach the Old Shopkeeper.
Where had he found such cunning… such fearless resolve?
That clean, innocent student—he should have lived a peaceful life, destined for greatness. Yet he had been dragged into the underworld, stained gray, battered and scarred, now walking alone into the dragon’s den.
Xia Liu Yi braced himself against the stove, head bowed in anguish. His gaze fell upon the bloodstains on his clothes—the marks left when he held He Chu San.
Dark red, like venom, corroding his heart bit by bit.
He Chu San had told him, “Trust me. Everything will be fine.”
How could it be fine?
You’re the one who’s not fine.
Steam blurred his vision. He lifted the lid, grabbed a scalding bun, and devoured it like a starving man in the desert. Then he drank the cold porridge in great gulps.
Halfway through, he froze.
Bending over, he clutched his abdomen and slowly sank to the ground.
Amid that twisting, searing agony, he let out a weak, pained cry.
In that moment, his obsession with vengeance shattered into dust.
He no longer wanted revenge—not even a little.
He had failed Eldest and his sister. He was useless. Weak.
He only wanted He Chu San to come back.
He only wanted him.
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