Chapter 45: Knowing One's Mistake

"In that case, taking a beating was getting off easy," I said, scratching my head.

"What else did you expect?" my senior brother said. "From what you told me about that underground casino on the third floor of the restaurant, even the waiters were kept in the dark. That implies this Ah Wang is extremely cautious. A man like that would never allow any unexpected variables. If I am not mistaken, the three of you were likely followed on your way back, and Ah Wang's men might even be right outside the door. He needs to make sure there are no loose ends here."

"So cautious?" I frowned.

"Anyone who survives in this line of work needs to have eight hundred tricks up their sleeve. A pure-operating casino cares most about its reputation. Once the reputation is ruined, the business goes under. If you were in his shoes, you'd probably be even more cautious."

Just as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open.

Walking at the very front was Ah Wang.

Behind him were two men: the first was Cheng Yi, the expert from earlier today, and the second was a short-haired man. He was not tall, very thin, with tiny yet piercing eyes. With both hands shoved into his pockets, he was sneering as he looked at me.

Subconsciously, I stepped forward to shield my senior brother behind me.

My reckless bluffing had already completely derailed our original plan. And now, I had even led these dangerous people straight to my senior brother.

I had already made a grave mistake; under no circumstances could I let my senior brother be implicated by me.

"Brother Wang, what is the meaning of this? The beating is already over, are you still refusing to let up?" I asked.

Ah Wang cast a cold glance at my way. "When Long Hui came to report to me yesterday, he was scared out of his wits, and it gave me quite a shock, too. I wondered what kind of big shot failed to make the proper arrangements before barging in. Turns out, it was just a half-baked greenhorn. But your senior brother here actually has some insight. You guessed right—taking a beating was getting off lightly. Ten years ago, you would have already been dropped to the bottom of the Guqiao River with a stone tied to your neck."

My senior brother stood up, intentionally or not shielding me behind him. He cupped his fists at Ah Wang, executing the traditional greeting gesture of the Thousand Gates underworld, and said, "Big Brother, my junior brother here is newly entering the pugilistic world and doesn't know the rules. He has already suffered the beating he deserved. The mountains don't turn, but the rivers do; with your great magnanimity, I hope you can cut him some slack."

Ah Wang looked at my senior brother's hands.

Softly, he said, "Brother, you seem to know the ways of the road. What should I call you?"

My senior brother shook his head. "Just a nobody. I wouldn't dare claim brotherhood with a boss like you."

"You won't even deign to give your name, yet you expect me to give you face? If anyone could just ride roughshod over my head, I wouldn't be able to survive in this business anymore. But having said that, even though your junior brother spoke rather arrogantly, he didn't actually go and cause trouble at my establishment. Still, he terrified my brother Long Hui and left him restless all night. I even had to send two thousand yuan as a 'calming gift' to soothe him. We can't just let it rest at that. How about this? Get my brother twenty thousand yuan for his trouble, and we'll call it even," Ah Wang said casually.

Twenty thousand?!

Selling me wouldn't fetch twenty thousand.

Just as I was about to speak, Cheng Yi sneered and took a step forward.

This was the first time I had ever felt such utter powerlessness.

Before this, I always believed that as long as you used the proper underworld jargon and reported your affiliations, everyone could keep the peace. I thought people walking the jianghu would always give each other some face. But I had never considered that not everyone plays by the rules, nor is everyone easy to reason with!

"Brother Wang, my brother and I don't have that kind of money," my senior brother said. "Since you aren't willing to settle this peacefully today, whether you want to kill us or carve us up is entirely at your whim. But we are all just travelers on the road and boats in the water—having more friends means more paths, while having more enemies means more disasters. I’m not afraid to lay my words out right here: if you have the ability and the guts to finish off both of us today, the worst that happens is we cross the Naihe Bridge ahead of you. But if you fail to finish us off—well, the King of Hell is easy to deal with, but petty ghosts are a nightmare."

Hearing this, Ah Wang bared his teeth in a vicious smile. "I'd like to see what kind of waves the two of you can possibly stir up! Cheng Yi, no need to hold back. As you said yourself, this kid has a fierce glint in his eyes. Until we beat him into absolute submission, none of us will sleep soundly."

Cheng Yi nodded and stepped forward.

My senior brother blocked my path.

Cheng Yi's punch was too fast. With just a single blow, my senior brother doubled over, clutching his stomach and dropping to his knees, veins bulging on his forehead.

Seizing the moment, I grabbed an ash tray and hurled it straight at Cheng Yi's head. It grazed past his scalp. I picked up a wooden stool and smashed it down, but Cheng Yi simply raised his arm and blocked the impact directly. My fighting style had always relied solely on reckless ferocity, but in front of a trained martial arts expert, that bit of ruthlessness was utterly worthless.

In the blink of an eye, Cheng Yi closed in on me. This distance was his absolute domain for close-quarters combat. He delivered three rapid, heavy blows to my shoulder, chest, and stomach. After those three punches, I collapsed onto the floor, paralyzed and unable to move from the agony.

Cheng Yi squatted down, pinched my chin, and said, "Do you know why I didn't want to let you off? That look in your eyes is truly infuriating."

"What will it take for you to let us go?" I asked through clenched teeth.

"Call me 'Master' and admit you were wrong," Cheng Yi said.

"Master, I was wrong," I blurted out immediately.

Cheng Yi froze.

Ah Wang froze as well. He pointed at me and laughed, "Cheng Yi, is this the kid you said had a look that could kill? I think this brat is just full of hot air! Running his mouth and scaring Long Hui into giving a calming gift, taking a beating from you and glaring to make you lose sleep—from the way you described him, I thought he had some backbone. Turns out he's just a spineless coward!"

Frowning, Cheng Yi asked, "Do you really know you were wrong?"

"I really know it now, Master," I said.

Cheng Yi nodded. "Good. Then I'll assume you've learned your lesson."

The three of them left just as stylishly as they had arrived.

My senior brother and I slumped against the wall. We used to mock ourselves by calling each other dogs, but only now did we truly feel like stray curs driven from a home.

In just a single day, I had gone from burning passion and grand ambitions to near-despair. Only moments earlier, I had been painting grand pictures for Wang Chuyi about how we were going to make a fortune and get rich.

With red-rimmed eyes, I said, "Senior brother, I'm sorry. Your junior brother has disgraced you. You should leave."

My senior brother smiled faintly. "What is this? Is shouting 'Master' more torturous than having your wife and children murdered before your eyes? Ah Cheng, no one's path in the jianghu is ever smooth sailing, least of all in the lower strata of the underworld. Only by learning to play the role of the grandson can you eventually become the grandfather again. If you truly have backbone, you shouldn't be feeling too ashamed to face people right now—you should be figuring out how to pay back the humiliation you suffered today. Your original goal was just to break into the third floor, right? Do you want to change your target now and take over the entire restaurant?!"

I swallowed the bloody taste in my mouth.

Take over the entire restaurant?

"No, I want his life!" I said.

"Now that sounds like the junior brother our master chose," my senior brother said.

I stood up and asked my senior brother, "Are you alright?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine."

I helped him up and we walked downstairs. At the landing, Uncle Yong sat quietly. Seeing me descend, he pointed to a small wooden stool and said, "Sit."

I sat down. Uncle Yong must have known about Ah Wang and his men going upstairs; he might even have been tipped off by them beforehand. Yet, he hadn't stopped them, choosing instead to let events run their course.

"Do you resent me?" Uncle Yong asked.

"No," I replied.

Uncle Yong nodded. "Go ahead and do what you must."