The calendar pages turned one by one, and the reputation of Xiao Qi Hall’s Crown Prince, Azure Dragon, gradually resounded throughout the Walled City. He possessed a maturity and steadiness that did not match his age; he was respectful toward elders, modest and gentle toward juniors, did not lay hands on women or children, did not bully the old or weak, yet he was decisive in killing and punishment, and he would repay any grudge. People on the road all said that he was exactly like his father, Hao Wei—Hao Wei valued righteousness and was famous on the road for his “three refusals”: he would not traffic women, he would not sell white powder, and he would not kill—but Azure Dragon was also more flexible than his father, and his hand was harsher. At the very least, he dared to kill, and was good at killing.
His number one mad dog under him, A’Ying, known in the jianghu as “Old Eagle,” was black-hearted and ruthless, and his moods were unpredictable. Fortunately, he was under Azure Dragon and restrained by him; otherwise, who knew what kind of evil, world-disordering vulture he would have become.
The two little cubs he raised at home could eat, drink, run, and jump, and under his care, they grew rapidly as though someone had inflated them like balloons, as if making up all at once for the nutrition they had lacked during those days when they had not had enough to eat or warm clothes to wear. In four years, Xiao Man had grown into a graceful, elegant, and moving young girl, a beautiful little maiden. As for Liu Yi, he had shot up in height, grown an Adam’s apple, passed through the voice-changing period, learned to shave by himself, and looked like a young handsome boy who had just begun to take shape.
The two siblings both disliked studying. Liu Yi hated it outright, fighting daily battles of wits and courage with the home tutors, raising chaos and disaster as he climbed over walls and skipped lessons. Xiao Man studied hard with meek resignation, writing until calluses formed on her fingers, lying over her notebook and dozing off during the moments when the teacher went to the bathroom, and still learning in a complete mess.
Azure Dragon could not bear to torment her anymore, nor could he bear to watch Liu Yi continue tormenting the teachers. Their Hao family had never been a scholarly household to begin with, and even he himself did not recognize more than a few baskets’ worth of characters—though at least he could calculate accounts and keep ledgers, which made him better than his old man. According to the two children’s interests, he arranged martial arts lessons and vocal lessons for them, and at all other times, he simply let them do as they pleased.
Once she no longer had to study, Xiao Man was still obedient, liking to study cooking, arrange flowers now and then, and do some needlework; as for Liu Yi, he was like a wild dog whose reins had been cut loose, darting all over the Walled City, becoming skilled at every kind of fighting and brawling, teasing cats, provoking dogs, and stirring up trouble from nothing, while his body grew taller and longer-limbed, and the small muscles on his waist and abdomen built up piece by piece. At night when he slept, he kicked both long legs out beyond the folding bed and slept sprawled on his back with all four limbs thrown wide. Azure Dragon secretly glanced at him while reading the ledger, feeling both sorry for him and amused, but there were only so many rooms in the house, no space for a second large bed, and truly no spare room for Liu Yi to sleep in alone.
Azure Dragon also did not have extra money to buy another big house, because Xiao Qi Hall’s accounts had not grown brighter and more impressive along with the expansion of the society and the increase in its members. Hao Wei’s “three refusals” were equivalent to giving up the two most profitable businesses in Kau Lung Walled City—white powder and chicken dens. At that time, Kau Lung Walled City was Asia’s largest distribution hub for white powder, and there were also many red-light districts full of wine, lights, and revelry. Added to that, the gang had no “General Manager,” Hao Wei had no concept of financial management, and father and son were both extremely generous toward their brothers-in-arm; money came in and went out, and throughout the year, there was never much surplus on the books.
This day was close to New Year’s Eve. Deep into the night, Azure Dragon still had not slept. A pair of glasses with very shallow lenses rested on the bridge of his nose as he flipped through the account books by the faint lamplight at the head of the bed. Liu Yi was sleeping on the little bed beside him, snoring softly, and when he turned over, his loose, drooping pants slipped down, exposing half of one buttock.
Azure Dragon followed that wheat-colored little buttock downward with his gaze and saw the same large stretch of thin, bony ankle exposed, then sighed inwardly: he had grown taller again, and all his clothes and pants would have to be replaced by several more sets.
Even a landlord’s family could not afford to raise such a money-burning foolish son. Little Landlord Hao had a bit of a headache and rubbed his temples.
The maid knocked softly outside. Azure Dragon looked at Liu Yi. Liu Yi, who was sleeping soundly, found the noise annoying and turned over while hugging the quilt, pressing the exposed buttock underneath him.
“Come in,” Azure Dragon said.
The maid opened the door and lowered her voice. “Young Master, before Master left today, he instructed that a lobster be steamed tonight and said he was inviting Miss Chun Li to the house for dinner. But they didn’t come back at dinnertime, and even now, they still haven’t returned.”
Azure Dragon knew that Miss Chun Li. She was an unmarried woman in her forties, his father’s girlfriend whom he was about to marry. His father did not often stay out overnight; even if he did not come home, he would usually call to inform them. Tonight was truly unusual.
“You go sleep. I’ll make a few calls and ask around,” Azure Dragon said.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Azure Dragon took off his glasses and placed them at the head of the bed, then went down to the first floor to call the homes of several of his father’s trusted men—the gang’s Deputy Hall Master Uncle Yuan, the “Red Poles” Uncle Ge and Uncle Qiu, and the “White Paper Fan” Old Duan. He learned that Ge, Qiu, and Duan, those old brothers, had gone out together tonight to drink flower wine and had not returned to this day. Only Uncle Yuan had been married for many years, with an eldest daughter of five or six and a little son of three, and was honestly staying home to accompany his wife and look after the children. He answered the phone himself and said that he had seen Hao Wei that afternoon, and Hao Wei had said he was taking Miss Chun Li to the Cantonese opera theatre in Yau Ma Tei to listen to a night performance; beyond that, he knew nothing else.
The year was 1979, and BP machines, or pagers, had not yet become common, so being unable to contact someone after they went out was an ordinary matter; Hao Wei had many social engagements and also often stayed out all night; at every main intersection in the Walled City, Xiao Qi Hall had placed sentries, and even now, no major or urgent report had come in; not to mention that when Hao Wei went out, he had brought three tall, powerful bodyguards with him, so presumably no one would dare provoke such a big boss. Everything seemed calm and peaceful, yet Azure Dragon somehow felt a faint unease in his heart.
He returned to the bedroom. Liu Yi had once again slept himself into the shape of a long-legged frog, lying face down on the bed, his buttock completely exposed.
Azure Dragon truly could not bear to keep looking at it, so he moved lightly, intending to help him pull up his pants, but he had not expected that even such light friction would make Liu Yi wake instantly and spring up! In the chaos of waking, he grabbed the pillow and was about to smash it at Azure Dragon!
“It’s me.” Azure Dragon took one pillow-hit.
With one hand clutching the pillow and the other clutching his pants, Liu Yi was still badly startled, panting roughly as he took a long while to react. “Eldest?!”
He had recently been going through his voice-changing period, so his throat sounded like a broken gong and rotten drum, still carrying a bit of childish milkiness that had not yet faded. “What are you doing? You scared me to death.”
“Your butt was exposed. I was afraid you’d catch cold,” Azure Dragon said helplessly.
Liu Yi touched his butt and quickly pulled up his pants. Seeing that Azure Dragon had turned to get into bed, he completely ignored the fact that he was already over one meter sixty and nearly one meter seventy, and like a cannonball, with a “thump!” he sprang onto Azure Dragon again.
“What are you doing?”
“You scared me. I want to sleep with you!”
“It’s too cramped. Get down.”
“No. If I’m alone, I’ll have nightmares.”
Azure Dragon no longer struggled and reached out to tuck the quilt properly around him. Liu Yi was completely impolite as he wriggled himself into an extremely comfortable position beside him, hugged one of his arms, and closed his eyes happily. Before long, he started snoring softly again.
In the dead of night, the telephone in the living room suddenly rang. The “ring-ring-ring—” sound was exceptionally piercing and eerie in the deep darkness.
The maid sleeping in the servant’s room on the first floor yawned as she went out in the dark to answer the phone. The hand reaching toward the receiver was suddenly severed by a blade! Spurting fresh blood accompanied the maid’s abruptly rising scream, yet that scream lasted only an instant before quickly turning into the gurgling sound of blood flooding her throat.
In the room on the second floor, Azure Dragon opened his eyes. He pushed Liu Yi once. Liu Yi, dazed and muddled, was about to speak, but Azure Dragon covered his mouth.
There were four attackers, gliding up the staircase in the darkness without a sound. There were only two rooms on the second floor, and they moved toward the one closest to the stairs. The door was unlocked, and the one in the lead gently pushed it open. In the moonlight, they saw that apart from a large wardrobe, there were only two beds in the room, one large and one small, standing on the left and right, each with a human-shaped bulge beneath the covers.
The attackers split into two groups and moved to the sides of the two beds, raising their blades and stabbing straight down one after another. With several “puchi” sounds, however, all they brought out were several sprays of cotton wadding. They looked at one another in shock and suspicion! At the same time, the wardrobe door beside the large bed opened with a “clang!” Azure Dragon, holding his blades, crashed into the backs of the two attackers beside the bed, driving his twin blades into their bodies from left and right!
The two attackers screamed miserably as they gripped the blades protruding from their own abdomens. Azure Dragon could not pull the blades free, so he shoved hard and threw them down onto the bed. Immediately after, he bent at the waist to avoid the chopping blades of the other two attackers, rolled on the spot to the side of the little bed, and with a loud shout, lifted the folding bed to block the two men!
“Take Xiao Man and go!” he shouted in a spare moment.
Liu Yi, who had also been hiding in the wardrobe, said nothing, and sticking close to the wall, ran away with extreme speed. He ran into the second-floor corridor and saw several more pitch-black figures moving downstairs. He quickly called in a low voice while knocking open the door to Xiao Man’s room next door, and the siblings held hands as they ran to the stairway entrance, only to see several tall figures climbing the stairs. He pulled Xiao Man and turned to run, running back into Xiao Man’s bedroom and locking the door. The two children worked together and pushed the bed against the door to block it.
“Thump!” “Thump!” The door was slammed and rammed hard, accompanied by the men’s curses and the sounds of fighting. In the darkness and the clamor, they pressed close together, desperately holding the door shut.
“Eldest, Eldest…” Xiao Man cried out softly. Eldest was alone, fighting all the murderers outside.
“I’m going to save him!” Liu Yi shouted, wanting to drag the bed in the opposite direction.
“No, no!” Xiao Man hugged him and cried out, “A’Hao! Don’t go! You’ll die!”
“I’m not called A’Hao, I’m called Liu Yi! They want to kill Eldest! I’m going to kill them all!” Liu Yi said instead, and ignoring his sister’s attempts to stop him, he began dragging the bed. Xiao Man was pushed to the floor by him, and while crying, she crawled back up and felt around the room, finally finding the large scissors she used for cutting cloth and gripping them in her hand.
“Fine! We’ll go together!” she said, crying.
The two children, one holding the large scissors and the other having broken off one of the bedposts, spent a tremendous effort before finally dragging the bed away again. The door was knocked open from outside, and they stared in surprise at A’Ying, who stood drenched in blood and blocking the doorway of their room.
“Fuck, you two troublesome little brats! Hurry up and go!” A’Ying said. He tucked the still-dripping dagger back behind his waist, grabbed Xiao Man and Liu Yi one in each hand, and dragged them out.
The corridor was full of collapsed bodies, and the stench of blood surged to the sky. Azure Dragon charged at the front, chopping down all those who still struggled to stop them. A’Ying pulled Xiao Man and ran behind, while Xiao Man’s other hand held Liu Yi. The two young men led the two half-grown children out of the small building that had already become a living hell and sprinted forward along the dim, cramped alley.
“What exactly happened?” Azure Dragon asked A’Ying while running. “How did you get here?”
“Your dad is dead! Car accident!”
Azure Dragon abruptly stopped in his tracks, staring at A’Ying in shock and disbelief.
“It’s true,” A’Ying said urgently. “Those sons of bitches from the Lei Family Gang got the news before we did and want to take the opportunity to wipe out Xiao Qi Hall and seize our territory. Tonight, I was originally with Uncle Ge and the others drinking flower wine, but they were also attacked and hacked up. I don’t know whether they’re dead or alive right now. I’m a small fry, so nobody noticed me, and I jumped out the window and ran to find you. On the way, I heard their people say Boss Lei has put out a reward: whoever kills you gets two hundred pounds sterling… Watch out—!!”
He lunged forward and shoved Azure Dragon away. A long blade thrust out from the side in a sneak attack and stabbed straight into his body! Yet he glared viciously, seized the blade in a death grip, and with a “chh!” his dagger drove into the other man’s chest.
“A’Ying!!” Azure Dragon roared from beside him and swung his blade back in a counterstrike! Four Lei Family Gang thugs lying in ambush here surrounded the two of them, blades clashing, sparks flying everywhere!
Liu Yi picked up a brick from the ground and joined the fight as well, but with his adolescent build and the little ability he had from teasing cats and provoking dogs, he was kicked to the ground by a young thug within a few moves. Fortunately, even after falling, he did not forget to fight with his life on the line, smashing the brick onto the strong man’s instep. The strong man cried out miserably and bent at the waist, and Azure Dragon stabbed him through from behind.
In the blink of an eye, several more bodies were rolling and groaning on the ground. Azure Dragon threw away the twin blades that had already been hacked dull, carried A’Ying, who had become a man of blood, on his back, and shouted toward Liu Yi, “Hurry and take your sister away!”
Liu Yi scrambled and rolled up from the ground, then hurried to pull at Xiao Man, who was hiding at the corner of the alley—Xiao Man had already been so frightened by this life-and-death struggle and its exceptionally bloody scene that she had fallen sitting on the ground and curled into a ball.
“Don’t hit her! Don’t hit her! You beat Mom to death!” she cried out in terror, enveloped by the bloody, dark memories of her childhood. She saw Liu Yi’s face appear before her, and her screams grew even more heart-rending as she shouted at the air, “Don’t hit A’Hao! A’Hao is still little! Don’t hit him! Hit me! Hit me!”
“Sis, hurry and go!” Liu Yi forcibly dragged her up, following Azure Dragon as they ran forward.
A’Ying had taken a blade for Azure Dragon and was gravely wounded, blood flowing without stop. Liu Yi, running behind them, stepped in his blood with every step. Behind Liu Yi, Xiao Man bent at the waist, crying and screaming at the same time. She had already been frightened out of her senses and was moving forward entirely by being dragged by him.
The night was dyed the color of blood as they ran toward the depths of Kau Lung Walled City, hoping that the layers upon layers of airtight high-rises and the complex, crisscrossing alleyways could shelter them. But more and more people were giving chase, more than a dozen men waving machetes and shouting behind them. They crashed into a nameless narrow alley, and Azure Dragon kicked away the miscellaneous objects blocking the path ahead—bamboo baskets, winnowing trays, iron shovels, and the like—but he tripped over a hemp rope and fell to the ground together with A’Ying on his back.
“You go!” A’Ying shoved at him. “Don’t worry about me, go…”
“Shut up!” Azure Dragon said, struggling to climb up and still trying to carry A’Ying on his back. But Liu Yi and Xiao Man, who were running slowly, had already been caught by someone. The one in the lead grabbed Xiao Man’s long hair and yanked her backward, and Xiao Man let out an even more terrified scream. Liu Yi howled as he swung his brick and smashed it at the man, blocking the hand with which the man held his blade.
Azure Dragon picked up an iron shovel from the ground, charged back, and drove the shovel into the man’s head. After lifting Liu Yi and Xiao Man up and shoving them toward A’Ying’s direction, he roared wildly as he brandished the iron shovel. The alley was so narrow that only one person could pass through at a time. Holding the pass alone, he actually forced the enemies before him to be unable to advance even a single step for the moment.
“You all hurry and go!” he roared without turning his head.
“I’m not going!” A’Ying’s hoarse shout came from behind him. “Brothers die together! Have you forgotten the oath we swore?!” Supporting himself against the wall, he barely managed to stand, then laboriously picked up a hoe from the ground. Pushing Liu Yi and Xiao Man aside, he propped himself up with the hoe and staggered back to Azure Dragon’s side, panting, “We do not ask to be born on the same day, but we ask to die on the same day.”
Azure Dragon could not turn his head. His hands gripped the iron shovel tightly as he watched the swarming enemies ahead with vigilance. “What a good same-day death,” he panted as well. “Brothers again in the next life?”
A’Ying laughed hoarsely. “Of course.”
Liu Yi knelt on the ground, covering Xiao Man’s ears with both hands and shielding her head in his arms. Xiao Man had fallen into hysterical terror, her mouth letting out crazed murmurs, her whole body convulsing so badly she could not even stand. Liu Yi held her tightly and turned his head toward the direction of Azure Dragon and A’Ying—those two brothers stood shoulder to shoulder, facing enemies ten times their number with crude weapons—and his heart was filled with guilt and grief: Azure Dragon had saved him, raised him, while he was only a troublesome, burdensome little brat. He had no strength to protect Azure Dragon, and did not even have the ability to stand beside Azure Dragon like that.
Behind the crowd, strange sounds of fighting suddenly rang out, and the young-and-dangerous boys packed at the alley entrance began to retreat backward like the tide. Azure Dragon wiped with difficulty at the blood and sweat pasted over his eyelids. His line of sight passed through the fleeing backs of the crowd, and he saw Uncle Yuan and Uncle Ge arriving with a large group of men.
He let out a breath. The iron shovel in his hand fell to the ground, and immediately afterward, he caught A’Ying in time as A’Ying fainted and slipped toward the ground.