Chapter Thirteen: The Dragon Battles in the Wild (Part One)

The village had already disappeared from sight, and the rain grew heavier with no sign of letting up. My clothes were soaked through, and water streamed from my hair, blurring my vision. The air in the rain-drenched fields was remarkably fresh, and raindrops sent ripples across the pond's surface. I noticed a scarecrow made of straw hanging from a short wild pear tree, swaying in the wind and rain. I told Xiao Lianshan to stop; we would wait here.

Xiao Lianshan, having carried Yue Leiting for so long without showing any sign of fatigue, revealed just how strong he was physically. He asked me why I wanted to stop now when I had previously insisted we couldn't. Yue Leiting, seeing me out of breath, perhaps thought I was exhausted and told Xiao Lianshan to put him down so we could rest.

Xiao Lianshan set Yue Leiting down and surveyed our surroundings warily. We stood on a narrow ridge path, barely wide enough for two people to pass, flanked on either side by ponds swollen with rainwater. Xiao Lianshan picked up a small stone and tossed it into one of the ponds. With a deep plunk, it vanished beneath the surface. He spoke to me in a low, cautious voice.

“This isn’t a good place to stop. The path is too narrow, and there’s water on both sides. I just checked, the water’s deep. If Zhong Weiguo has people waiting up ahead to block our way, we’ll be trapped between two fronts. We should cross this ridge before resting.”

Leaning against the wild pear tree, I pointed to the scarecrow above and explained. “Brother Ting’s trigram is Kun. The Kun hexagram’s five Yin lines represent a yellow skirt—auspicious. Look at the scarecrow swaying in the wind. Doesn’t it resemble a yellow skirt?”

Though Yue Leiting followed my words without question, when it came to life-or-death struggles, his view aligned with Xiao Lianshan's. He said Xiao Lianshan was right; the terrain was against us. If Zhong Weiguo sent men to block us from both sides...

I waved him off before he could finish. “There’s no ‘if’. The hexagram I cast for you is Kun. The six Yin lines of Kun mean ‘the dragon battles in the wild, its blood black and yellow’. The dragon symbolizes the main and the opposing sides; the wild represents their relationship—mutual struggle for self-interest. That’s the dragon’s battle in the wild. It won’t be simple. Whether sooner or later, a fight with Zhong Weiguo is inevitable today.”

“Look, brother.”

Following Xiao Lianshan’s gesture, I saw shadows emerging on the ridge path, growing in number, forming a line like a black dragon slithering toward us. Turning to look back, I saw the same on the path behind.

We were surrounded on both sides. Xiao Lianshan gripped his wooden stick tightly; he and I stood before and behind Yue Leiting, sandwiching him between us.

The men on both sides brandished gleaming knives, their pale blades even more chilling in the killing rain. The group behind parted, and Zhong Weiguo emerged, his beady eyes glinting with malice.

“Qin Yanhui, let’s not speak in code. The whole scheme to recruit a son-in-law for the King of Hell was mine, and today’s Pixiu Fortune Trap is also mine. Originally, Yue wasn’t meant to live past his birthday, but you suddenly appeared. I was wary of you, but seeing you today, you’re nothing special. You saw through my Pixiu Fortune Trap, but you still can’t break it. Ha!”

I raised my voice. “Feng shui and fate are meant to bless people and guide them toward good. You use them to commit murder and theft. Heaven is watching—aren’t you afraid of retribution?”

“Retribution?!” Zhong Weiguo snarled, pointing at Yue Leiting. “If there’s retribution, it should come for him first. He’s committed enough murder, arson, and crime for a lifetime. Look at him now, living in comfort, wealth flowing endlessly—does that look like retribution to you?”

“You bastard, what did I do to you? Did I dig up your ancestors’ graves or kill your parents? We have no feud, yet you’re obsessed with my death.” Yue Leiting, hardened by decades in the underworld, sneered coldly.

“No feud?” Zhong Weiguo wiped the rain from his face and stretched out his hand. One of his men respectfully handed him a memorial tablet. Zhong Weiguo placed it by the path, lit three cigarettes, and stuck them in front of it. “Little brother, I’ve found your enemy. Today I’ll avenge you right here—watch from the afterlife.”

I glanced at the tablet. It bore the inscription: “Spirit of Younger Brother Li Jianglong.”

Yue Leiting’s brow furrowed as he pondered the name. “Li Jianglong was your brother?”

“So you remember. He was my half-brother—died by your hand. Murder must be paid with murder, debt with repayment. That’s justice.”

“All a bunch of scum,” Yue Leiting spat, sneering. “So you’re Li Jianglong’s brother? No wonder! Li Jianglong was pure poison in life, and his death was a blessing. The two of you are well matched—he was venomous, you’re sinister. Together, you’re nothing but treacherous snakes.”

Zhong Weiguo laughed indifferently. “As long as you remember my brother, that’s enough. Save your words for later—you can tell him yourself when you meet in hell.”

“Ting, did you really kill his brother?” I asked.

“A rat like that could die a thousand times and it wouldn’t be enough. Years ago, Li Jianglong brought heroin to me, trying to forge a partnership. I’ve dabbled in everything, but not that filth. I warned him—no one sells that poison on my turf.”

“Heroin?” I asked, confused.

“It’s what they call ‘Number Four’—heroin, plain and simple.”

Xiao Lianshan shot Zhong Weiguo a contemptuous look. “So your brother was a drug dealer. He deserved to die.”

“Li Jianglong ignored my warning and sold drugs behind my back. Liu Hao caught him in the act and tried to apprehend him. I just wanted to break his arms and teach him a lesson, but as he fled, he ran into the street and was hit by a car—killed instantly.”

“That’s retribution—good riddance!” Xiao Lianshan chuckled.

Zhong Weiguo’s face darkened, his teeth clenched. “Today, I’ll send all three of you down to talk to my brother. Retribution or not, you won’t survive.”

As soon as he finished, the men on both sides charged with knives raised. I clenched my fists, but Yue Leiting grabbed me by the collar and pulled me behind him.

“Fighting isn’t your job. Stay behind me and be careful.”

Xiao Lianshan readied himself, but even managed a laugh. He suddenly realized that the terrain wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. Had we already crossed the ridge, we would now be completely surrounded, facing enemies on all sides. There were at least thirty-four men, each armed with a knife. If they attacked from all directions at once, even if he could hold them off, Yue Leiting and I would stand no chance.

But here, though we were blocked at both ends, the ridge path allowed only two attackers at a time, with deep water on both sides. With his skills, dealing with two at a time would be a breeze.

Yue Leiting pulled me behind him as the first two from the front charged. One slashed straight at his head, the other aimed a knife at his chest. I worried if Yue Leiting could withstand the attack—he was over fifty, after all, and had grown soft in recent years. There was nothing on the ridge but loose stones for defense. With two blades striking from above and below, and my back against Yue Leiting, there was nowhere to retreat.

But as soon as Yue Leiting made his move, all my doubts vanished. He stepped forward with his left foot, right foot following into a left bow stance. His right hand formed a phoenix-eye fist, striking with lightning speed at the first attacker’s right temple. That man, focused solely on the attack with no guard, was sent sprawling unconscious with a single blow. Without pause, Yue Leiting drove his left palm into the second man’s right ribs—there was a sharp crack as bone snapped.

The second attacker’s knife was nearly at Yue Leiting’s chest, but despite his bulk, Yue Leiting moved with surprising agility. He twisted aside, letting the blade graze past his left chest. His right foot stepped across, left foot dragging behind into a right bow stance. With his left hand, he swept aside the knife, his right fist hammering down on the man’s head.

After a short, agonized cry, Yue Leiting’s right hand locked onto the attacker’s wrist like a steel clamp, immobilizing him completely.

From the moment Yue Leiting attacked to when both men fell, barely ten seconds had passed. He showed no sign of fatigue, still gripping the man’s wrist tightly. The first attacker was unconscious on the ground. Yue Leiting leaned forward, his eyes fierce, exuding a presence that belied his age.

I watched as his grip tightened, making the man howl in agony until his knife clattered to the ground. Yue Leiting’s face was cold as he dropped to one knee onto the man’s outstretched elbow—another crack, and the attacker’s arm bent grotesquely at a right angle.

Yue Leiting’s ruthless efficiency left the men in the rear horrified. The attacker knelt before him, face drained of blood, his arm grotesquely twisted, skin and muscle barely holding it together. All who witnessed it trembled with fear.