Not long after, Azure Dragon appeared outside Chun Hua Clubhouse, two blades hanging at his lower back. This was a well-known brothel within the Walled City, not far from Chun Hua Restaurant, where he had recently killed a boss of Qun Ying Society.
Earlier that day, he had tossed his wallet to A’Ying and told him to bring the brothers here to have some fun. Could it be that something had gone wrong while A’Ying was inside? Had Qun Ying Society come to take revenge?
Worried that A’Ying might already have been detained, or that someone might be lying in ambush, he slipped in through the back entrance. Inside, everything looked like the usual scene of indulgence—flashing lights, drunken patrons draped over coquettish women. There was no sign of danger.
Suspicion rising, he moved cautiously toward the room A’Ying had mentioned. Pressing himself against the wall beside the door, he reached out and slowly pushed it open.
The room was pitch-black, eerily silent.
He drew a blade from behind his waist and stepped inside.
Suddenly, someone lunged from behind and grabbed his shoulders!
He bent forward sharply, trying to flip the attacker—but the other person clearly knew his moves. Arms slid down and locked around his waist. The two struggled and rolled across the floor!
Azure Dragon pinned the man beneath him and raised his blade to strike. The other blocked his wrist and urgently shouted, “It’s me! It’s me!”
Click!
The lights came on—casting the room in an ambiguous red glow.
Azure Dragon stared in shock at A’Ying beneath him.
A shallow cut had been left across A’Ying’s cheek during the scuffle, a thin line of blood marking his face. Yet he still grinned shamelessly. “Surprise!”
Azure Dragon didn’t understand the foreign word. He lifted his gaze—
On the large round bed sat three naked, beautiful women, red ribbons wound around their wrists and thighs, posing seductively toward the two men.
“Surprised?” A’Ying laughed.
Azure Dragon looked from the women back to him, then climbed off him, his expression darkening. “Have you lost your mind?!”
“Sorry, shouldn’t have scared you,” A’Ying said with his usual grin. “Look at these three ‘beauties’—Xiao Chun Xiang, Xiao Tao Hong, Xiao Wu Shuang. What do you think? Specially prepared for you. And I paid for it myself—consider it my tribute to Boss.”
Azure Dragon’s face turned iron-cold. He threw the blade aside—it struck the ground beside A’Ying with a harsh clang. Without a word, he stormed out.
A’Ying chased after him and grabbed his arm—
Azure Dragon spun around and slammed him hard against the corridor wall!
Gripping his collar tightly, A’Ying struggled to breathe but still forced a smile. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you happy? Ever since we were kids, you’ve avoided women like they’re ghosts… Could it be like people on the street say—that you like men?”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Azure Dragon snapped.
A’Ying’s smile faded. “Nonsense? Have you heard what people are saying about you? Even our own lackeys repeat it. They say you’re a Rabbit Lord—”
Before he could finish—
Bang!!
Azure Dragon’s fist struck his face.
Azure Dragon stared in shock at A’Ying’s cheek, already flushing red. He released him and stepped back.
A’Ying covered his face, expressionless.
They stood in silence.
A drunken patron, arm around a woman in a red silk dress, staggered between them. “Move, move, don’t block the way.”
After they passed, A’Ying lowered his head and spoke.
“Since we were kids, you could never bear to hit me. When we were teenagers, I accidentally pushed you down the stairs and broke your leg—you didn’t even scold me once.”
“This is different. This time, you went too far.”
“How did I go too far?!” A’Ying looked up angrily. “Do you know how people talk about you out there? It’s spread so far even our own men are saying it! I can slap their mouths shut—but can I shut everyone in the jianghu?”
He stepped closer, pressing Azure Dragon back against the wall, gripping his arm tightly.
“You know Master Huang of He Hong Gang? Famous Rabbit Lord. Mocked openly and secretly. Two years ago, he was hacked to death on the bed of one of his ‘little rabbits’. His corpse and his lover’s were dragged naked through the streets! The whole street came out to watch—laughing at what a man’s backside looks like when violated! Even his own men mocked him and refused to acknowledge him as boss!”
A’Ying’s grip tightened. His voice turned fierce.
“A man in his twenties—who doesn’t have needs? I don’t care why you act like some virtuous maiden, guarding yourself like jade. Even if it’s just for show, you should at least visit a brothel! You’re the crown prince, the future gang leader! Your reputation in the jianghu cannot have a single flaw!”
Azure Dragon struggled violently, but A’Ying refused to let go.
Azure Dragon raised his fist again—
A’Ying stared straight at it.
The fist, veins bulging, froze midair.
After a long moment, Azure Dragon exhaled and lowered his hand.
He shoved A’Ying away, stormed back into the room, and slammed the door shut with a Bang!
A’Ying slid down against the wall, sitting on the floor. He touched his swollen cheek.
From inside, the women’s exaggerated moans rose.
A’Ying lifted an arm to cover his eyes, exhaling slowly, exhausted.
……
Azure Dragon locked himself in the bathroom and showered for an entire night.
In the morning, the maid noticed something was wrong and reported it to the old master. Hao Wei, wearing a robe, went to the bathroom door.
Xiao Man and Liu Yi also woke up, watching anxiously from a few steps away.
“What happened?” Hao Wei knocked.
No answer came for a long time. He glanced back at the children.
Xiao Man softly called, “Uncle,” tugging Liu Yi’s sleeve.
“Un…cle,” Liu Yi echoed vaguely—then his stomach growled loudly.
Hao Wei chuckled and knocked again. “Come out. If you don’t, I’ll have Old Liu break the door.”
“I’m fine,” Azure Dragon said from inside.
Hao Wei didn’t fully understand his son’s thoughts. “Those two little ones are worried about you—they haven’t even eaten breakfast. Their stomachs are growling.”
He lifted Liu Yi up and pressed him against the door. “Listen for yourself.”
Liu Yi shyly let out a long series of gurgles.
After a while, the door opened.
Azure Dragon stepped out, taking Liu Yi from Hao Wei. His upper body was bare, a towel wrapped around his waist, his whole body damp and cold.
At the sight, Xiao Man’s face flushed red. She turned and ran upstairs with hurried steps.
The maid also looked away awkwardly.
“You alright?” Hao Wei patted his shoulder—then noticed the scratch marks on his back. Instantly understanding, he chuckled and pushed his son lightly. “Go put on some clothes upstairs. Don’t catch a chill.”
Azure Dragon lowered his eyes, saying nothing, and carried Liu Yi upstairs.
Liu Yi sneezed from the cold. Wrapped in Azure Dragon’s strong arms, he curiously poked his firm shoulder muscles, then leaned over to look at his back—
There were several clear fingernail scratches, pale from soaking in water.
Liu Yi felt distressed. Wrapping his arms around his neck, he said, “Pain, fly away.”
Azure Dragon inhaled the clean, innocent scent of the boy, feeling an indescribable sorrow.
He could not always be a dutiful son, nor a calm and composed crown prince. A gang of only a few dozen men—calling himself a “crown prince” was laughable.
He had never wanted his father to bring back that large sum of money, nor to establish a gang. He despised the filthy women in brothels and the filthy men who laughed and played with them. He despised his own hands and body, which could never be washed clean.
But he knew his father had done it to save his gravely ill mother, and to support the brothers who had fought alongside him.
He also knew he was destined to walk the path of a gangster. His hands had never been clean—how much blood had they already stained since his youth?
A’Ying was right.
He was merely putting on airs.
He held Liu Yi tighter—and suddenly felt sorrow for the boy as well.
What difference did it make whether they changed their surname or not?
From the moment they entered this underworld household, their future would never be clean again.
……
The debtor returned obediently with the money to redeem his wife and children. The family clung together, wailing.
Azure Dragon called the man aside and glanced at his bandaged fingers.
“Go home and live properly with your family. Stop gambling. Stop borrowing high-interest loans,” he said.
“Yes, yes—thank you, Boss, thank you…” the man replied, not daring to lift his head.
Watching his hunched figure walk away, Azure Dragon suddenly felt his own words were hollow and laughable.
He knew people like this could never stop—like those addicted to white powder. He knew the money repaid today might have come from another loan. And he knew full well that his own wealth came from such vile dealings.
He was less honest than A’Ying.
A’Ying stood silently beside him, face still swollen, fiddling with a small pair of pliers—the same one Azure Dragon had thrown at him yesterday. The other lackeys sensed the tension and kept their distance.
Azure Dragon split the recovered money in half, pocketing one portion and handing the other to A’Ying.
A’Ying didn’t look up. He didn’t take it.
“The brothers are watching. Don’t ruin my reputation in the jianghu—saying I’m at odds with my sworn brother,” Azure Dragon teased, echoing his words from yesterday.
“Your damn reputation has nothing to do with me,” A’Ying muttered.
“How does it not? You’re my closest brother. It’s my fault—I was immature yesterday. I beat my brother’s handsome face into a pig’s head. I’m sorry.”
A’Ying’s lips twitched. “Who the hell is a pig’s head? I’m the second most handsome in the world.”
“Then who’s first?”
A’Ying looked up and grinned. “You!”
Then, seizing the moment, he lunged forward, wrapping an arm around Azure Dragon and planting an exaggerated kiss on his cheek. Snatching the money, he laughed, “Hey! You brats, what are you waiting for? Come get your share!”
The lackeys, sensing the tension had passed, rushed over eagerly, cheering and showering them with flattery.
Futile Devices Scans 
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