The Heir to the Seven Killers in the City

Chapter 35: Prelude

Yang Yong and Luo Jiang were still the only two people on the small island. Neither of them seemed to mind; Luo Jiang had no choice, but he was willing to go along with it. Yang Yong felt that without a large entourage to wait on him hand and foot, he’d actually be more comfortable on his own. The morning sun shone on Yang Yong’s face. Having just finished his morning workout, a light sheen of sweat glistened at his temples. Luo Jiang walked up beside him and said, “Yesterday, Qin Yu and Lin Hao met in downtown Jiangcheng. Not long after, the two of them walked out together. It seems the assassination plan is no longer feasible.” “Is that so? Did I push him too hard, causing him to suddenly defect to the enemy?” Yang Yong didn’t seem to think much of it and continued to joke. Luo Jiang, however, was growing anxious. He knew full well just how devastating a single Qin Yu could be, and he couldn’t understand why Yang Yong still seemed so unconcerned. “Do you really think I let him go so he could assassinate Lin Hao? Using his family and friends as leverage—I, Yang Yong, am no saint, but if there’s a way to avoid doing something like that, I’ll do my best to avoid it,” Yang Yong explained to Luo Jiang. “I’m not killing him because he can’t die—at least not at my hands,” Yang Yong continued. “What do you mean by that, Big Brother?” Yang Yong pondered for a moment before saying, “This goes back a long time—you should know about it. When I was young, I was obsessed with our country’s martial arts. I traveled to many famous mountains and sacred sites to study, and I gained an understanding of the teachings of various schools.” “And a large part of the martial arts described in wuxia novels actually existed in reality; they’ve simply been lost to time. As for the power described in those novels, while it’s all exaggerated, it’s not entirely untrue.” As Yang Yong spoke, Luo Jiang also sank into his own memories. Of course he remembered—he recalled that back when he was being hunted down, the Yang Yong who came to his rescue wasn’t the current underworld boss, but a relatively young, passionate, and righteous hero. “Are you saying that Qin Yu possesses such power because he’s cultivated these so-called lost martial arts techniques?” Luo Jiang asked doubtfully. Yang Yong shook his head. “It’s not quite that simple. What he’s cultivated is even more powerful—as if bestowed by heaven itself. And as far as I know, there’s more than one person like him today, though they’re still few and far between. That’s why a secret organization has been protecting them behind the scenes. I didn’t kill Qin Yu because if I had, that organization wouldn’t have spared us either. Nobody wants to be hunted down by a whole gang of Qin Yu’s men, do they?” Thinking about what Yang Yong had said, Luo Jiang felt a chill run down his spine. To them, he, Yang Yong, and the current members of the Fire Scorpion Gang would likely be nothing more than a piece of cake. “So are we just supposed to stand by and watch as Lin Hao uses Qin Yu as his weapon, with nothing we can do?” Luo Jiang asked. Yang Yong flashed a calm smile and said, “I’m confident I’ve got this under control. If you trust me, no one will be able to help Qin Yu this time—and he’ll be in serious trouble himself.” Luo Jiang trusted Yang Yong’s words, so he felt reassured and didn’t ask any further questions. “So the biggest problem right now is that old man Lin Hao. He’s a sly old fox, and on top of that, our Fire Scorpion Gang isn’t as powerful as it used to be.” At this point, Yang Yong clenched his jaw and continued, “When I think about all this, I feel like we’re really letting that kid Qin Yu off easy. I hope Lin Hao kills Qin Yu—that way, we’ll win without even fighting.” “Of course, I’m just joking. By the way, let’s not use the brothers who are still part of the Fire Scorpion Gang for now—you never know, some of them might be that old man’s moles.” Luo Jiang nodded but pressed further, “But if we do that, our Fire Scorpion Gang will effectively be nothing but a name. Do you think we should ask the company for help?” “How could I ask for help? Both that old guy and I work for the same company. He’s been there longer than I have—who knows who’ll end up helping whom when the time comes.” “What are you worried about? Don’t you trust me? Lin Hao has been building his career overseas all this time—what does he think I, Yang Yong, have been doing? I can certainly do just as well as he can!” Yang Yong said smugly. At that moment, Qin Yu was facing the biggest challenge of his life. Sitting face-to-face with Zhang Qiqi, he felt as if his tongue had gone numb—it was so difficult to utter even a single syllable. For some reason, Zhang Qiqi’s cheeks were flushed with embarrassment, and tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes. Zhang Xiaofei and Zhang Qiqi had moved into a new home in a luxurious neighborhood in downtown Jiangcheng—a spacious three-bedroom apartment of nearly 200 square meters. Zhang Xiaofei invited Qin Yu to come live with them. To be honest, this apartment was originally meant for Qin Yu, and since he’d been homeless for a while, living there was the best possible arrangement. But now that he finally had to face Zhang Qiqi, Qin Yu realized that avoiding her indefinitely wasn’t a solution, so he decided to confront the situation head-on—though he had clearly overestimated his own resolve. “I…” Zhang Qiqi spoke first, her voice hoarse and sounding quite pitiful. “I’m sorry,” Qin Yu blurted out, then bowed—but the angle of his bow was so extreme that it startled Zhang Qiqi. Zhang Qiqi smiled dreamily and said, “Brother Qin, what are you doing? You gave me a start.” Qin Yu realized his behavior had been silly, but then thought that perhaps this silly gesture had actually helped ease the current awkwardness, so he laughed along with her. Zhang Xiaofei came out of his room. He’d originally intended to break the ice and ease the awkwardness between the two, but when he stepped out, he saw them standing there smiling at each other. This left him completely baffled, but he figured it couldn’t be a bad thing, after all. “Hey, you two seem to have plenty of free time. Are you going to move the luggage or not? Oh, right—Qin Yu, you’re traveling light—you’re even wearing my clothes—so how could you possibly have any luggage? Then hurry up and help my Zhang Qiqi carry her luggage; it’s really heavy—perfect for you.” Seeing that the two didn’t seem to have anything else to do, Zhang Xiaofei started chattering on and on. “Do you think I’m a good-for-nothing like you? I’m already done carrying them,” Qin Yu said. “Qiqi, your big brother’s really done right by you, hasn’t he? I’ve got you living in a big house—and in the most expensive part of Jiangcheng’s downtown. Your big brother’s a real man, isn’t he?” “Bro, how can you be so shameless? This house clearly belongs to Brother Qin Yu. If you keep talking like this, aren’t you afraid Brother Qin will kick you out?” Even Zhang Qiqi couldn’t stand listening to Zhang Xiaofei anymore, and he said with a mix of laughter and exasperation. “Ding-dong, ding-dong.” Just then, the doorbell rang. “You little brat, you don’t appreciate your big brother’s kindness, do you? Go answer the door first. How come people are already looking for us so soon after we moved in?” Zhang Qiqi paid no further attention to her brother and opened the door. Standing there was a beautiful young woman she’d never seen before. The two young women exchanged glances and both froze for a moment, sizing each other up with the same intense gaze. “Hello, is Qin Yu home?”