Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 18: The Companion Appears

Editor: Larbre Studio

There was a moment when Li Yan wondered, “Is this woman playing me?”

But the woman’s expression was dead serious. Seeing Li Yan not speaking, she moved closer to him, bringing with her a whiff of alcohol, and squinted as she patted his shoulder.

“Yes, the Taishuai you’re thinking of,” she said.

“Taishuai… is a woman?”

Li Yan asked incredulously.

Yu Shu chuckled lightly, “Even if it’s surprising, you should still introduce yourself first.”

“His name is Li Yan, right? Does the Taishuai of Kowloon City not even recognize his own fighters?”

A voice full of allure rang out.

The click-clack of high heels grew from a distant echo to a close presence. The woman was dressed in a plain white long-sleeve shirt, striding on beige high heels, her black capri pants sleek and slender. With casual gold-rimmed glasses, she was the spitting image of an urban beauty.

Judy approached with a hearty smile, seamlessly linking her arm with Li Yan’s. She turned to Li Yan and asked sweetly,

“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me in the stands, why did you come here?”

“There were no seats in the stands, so I came here. Do you know Judy?”

Li Yan inquired.

“Your boss’ boss, huh. Didn’t Red Ghost introduce you?”

Li Yan looked at the young face that seemed about his age, hesitant.

“This…”

“People from Fuyi Building call me Taishuai, you can call me that too. So you’re the new blood of Red Ghost, I thought you were some playboy who came to Kowloon to have fun.”

Li Yan nodded and said, “Taishuai.”

Turning to Judy, Yu Shu said, “It’s been a long time, Mrs. Deng.”

Judy’s face paused, but she still forced a smile and said, “It’s been a long time, Taishuai. You’re still as beautiful as ever, but as a woman, we should always learn to dress up.”

“Mrs. Deng is right, I’ll keep it in mind. Do recommend me some suitable makeup if you get a chance, Mrs. Deng,” Yu Shu said.

“Certainly… I’ve got an appointment with Yan and have to leave now,” Judy replied, hastily.

Yu Shu watched the two leave and could not resist saying, “Take care, Mrs. Deng.”

A server named Zhen, carrying a fruit platter, walked over, not seeing Li Yan anywhere.

“Where is he?”

“Looking for something?”

Zhen jumped in surprise before turning around and seeing Yu Shu’s face.

“Taishuai…”

“Shush~”

Yu Shu grabbed a slice of orange from the platter and popped it into her mouth, asking with her mouth full, “Why aren’t you attending to the guests? What are you doing here?”

“Right, I’ll get on it now,” said Zhen, as she quickly scurried away. Yu Shu looked up to see Li Yan and Judy enter the private room, chewing the fruit in her mouth thoroughly before shaking her head slowly.

“Stupid woman.”

…

“This bastard, she did it on purpose,” Judy said, her anger barely contained as she slammed her handbag onto the sofa. She caught a glimpse of Li Yan, who was silent, and nudged his trouser leg lightly with her high heel.

“Dammit, are you laughing at me?”

Li Yan’s eyes curved into crescent moons. He shook his head, “Judy, although we haven’t known each other for long, this is honestly the first time I’ve seen you so flustered.”

Judy observed Li Yan for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Have you never met Yu Shu before?”

“Never,” replied Li Yan, shaking his head. In his mind, the Taishuai, one of Kowloon City’s five executives, should be a shady old man over forty, just like Si Lizheng from the public security team that Red Ghost had introduced him to after the incident with He Andong.

Li Yan had already strategized about Kowloon City’s five big shots, but the young woman with a ponytail sipping on white liquor somehow threw him off his game.

“She good looking?”

Li Yan, serious, said, “As my background boss of course she’s good looking, but she can’t compare to you, Judy.”

Judy didn’t say anything, but her mouth curled up, clearly pleased.

She tilted her head, sizing up Li Yan, finding him more and more agreeable.

Red Ghost is a fine horse, and if Taishuai can have someone as good as Red Ghost be utterly devoted, I can do the same.

“By the way, did you know, Kowloon City has seen quite a few new faces recently, fierce ones at that.”

“Are you talking about Zhou?” asked Li Yan.

“I’m afraid not only him,” Judy said, nodding toward the fighting ring.

Li Yan glanced casually and saw the end of a fight.

A menacing, scar-crossed, bald man lay stagnant on the stage, his neck wound flipped outward, gushing blood through his hands that desperately clutched his throat. The blood soaked his hands in a rampant flood, quickly staining the entire ring red.

The opponent was not very tall, around one meter seventy, wearing a ferocious blue Evil Ghost mask with a dripping weapon in hand.

In his grasp was a smoking pipe with a steel edge on the outside of the bowl and two sections made of iron; the middle was mottled Xiangfei bamboo.

“This is…”

Li Yan’s mouth curled up with interest.

“Lanmian Sou!”

Lanmian Sou is a unique weapon from the northern leg-flicking boxing style, closely resembling a smoking pipe, yet it is undoubtedly a lethal weapon.

Judy sat down next to Li Yan and whispered, “His stage name is Wu Erlang, his real name is unknown, ha, he truly is an odd one.”

“Judy, you have time to pay attention to this guy, do you actually want to support his fight?”

Judy glanced at Li Yan, “Are you jealous, hehe.”

Li Yan smiled and said nothing, sometimes it’s not bad to let a woman’s imagination run a little.

Taking off her glasses, Judy said coolly, “The one supporting his ringside is He Changhong, I’ve disliked that idiot for quite some time. I don’t care about winning or losing a fight, but losing to him is unacceptable. This Wu Er has been quite popular lately, hey, Yan, give me the real deal and I won’t blame you, how confident are you facing him?”

With a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, Li Yan said, “If it’s about making Judy unhappy, then I definitely have a 120% chance of having this loser carried off the ring.”

Judy let out a snort of laughter and punched Li Yan in the chest, seriously saying, “I’m talking serious with you, he’s up for another fight later, I have the recordings of his regular fights, take a look.”

As she reached for the top videotape from a tall stack on the table, Li Yan pressed down on her hand.

His face was close to Judy’s, his gaze cold as floating ice on the ocean.

“Judy, if I say I have 120%, then I definitely have 120%.”

Judy looked at Li Yan, blinked, and suddenly pecked Li Yan’s face like a dragonfly skimming water, leaving Li Yan stunned.

Judy stepped back and muttered under her breath, “Idiot, thinking you can charm me, no chance.”

Li Yan felt his mouth dry and his chest suddenly burning, when a deep and hoarse voice suddenly rang in his ear.

“The position of the Sink Hook Chen Record Book has been reported, please stand by to receive!”

Now?

Li Yan frowned at first, but then his pupils contracted sharply and he rushed to the glass, looking down beneath the ring.

Beside the ring, Wu Erlang had just removed his green Evil Ghost mask and was hiding his face under a cloak; he suddenly looked up, his hand on his chest, his eyes unbelievably trained on Li Yan behind the fourth-floor box glass!

“Hello,” Li Yan mouthed with a smile on his face.

His eyes beheld a face that was excessively young and tender, belonging to the youth known by the stage name Wu Erlang.

“A Fleeting Glimpse, activate!”

“A Fleeting Glimpse, activate!”

Both were startled.

“You have discovered a fellow traveler!”

“You have discovered a fellow traveler!”

…

“Well done!”

In another box, a young man in a sharp suit with a twisted face laughed heartily.

“Uncle Lei, it seems the fighter I backed has the upper hand, tonight you’re going to splurge.”

Sitting opposite was a middle-aged man with thinning hair, his complexion not so good but he still barely maintained his composure, wiping sweat from his forehead as he forced a smile.

“The new blood on the ring sure is fierce. Tony is the oldest veteran favored in the sixth ring, and I didn’t expect him not to last twenty rounds against this kid. Mr. He, your eye for talent is exceptional.”

The deceased Tony was naturally not in the middle-aged man’s considerations.

The young man’s smile could not be hidden as he motioned with a hook of his finger, and a Black Swallowtail approached, bowing and asking, “Mr. He?”

“Give Wu Er 200,000 and tell him it’s for late-night snacks on me.”

“Certainly, Mr. He.”

The Black Swallowtail strode out of the box quickly.

“Uncle Lei, winning and losing in the ring doesn’t matter much; what’s important is to have fun. I, He Changhong, am not a petty man. As for the Dali Commercial Firm issue, I will talk to my pops, there won’t be a problem.”

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man’s face lit up, as he calculated his profits and was inwardly delighted.

“With Wu Erlang being so formidable, Mr. He must have made a fortune lately.”

“Just pocket money. You don’t know, but the number of fighters willing to go against Wu Er has dwindled. Even if I’m willing to be the bookie, no one is willing to bet.”

Meanwhile, the door of the box suddenly opened, and a flirtatious woman with a coquettish voice entered, followed by Wu Er who had taken off his mask.

The woman was above average in looks but had a voluptuous figure and revealing clothes which left men thirsty.

Surprisingly, Wu Er had a rather delicate face; if not for the prominent Adam’s apple, one might mistake him for a pretty schoolgirl. But the boy’s thin, tight lips and the occasional cold glint in his eyes sent chills down the spine.

“Mei, what brings you here?”

He Changhong’s arms were casually stretched across the back of the sofa as he spoke in a laid-back tone.

“Mr. He, Wu Er said he wanted to come personally to thank Mr. He for the snack money.”

The woman said with a seductive smile.

Wu Erlang nodded gently, “Mr. He.”

“Oh, Wu Er, come take a seat,” invited He Changhong, handing the youth a glass of sparkling wine.

“You fought brilliantly!” He Changhong praised the youth with a beaming face.

“Mr. He,” the youth suddenly spoke up.

“What is it?”

Interrupted, even by his own favored fighter, He Changhong felt a bit displeased.

“I’ve heard there’s a famous Dashuihou Judy in Kowloon City, and she doesn’t get along with Mr. He…”

In the youth’s eyes, there seemed to be deep ravines.

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