Li Xiuwen silently recited the incantation and channeled the Armor-Binding Art.
A surge of blood-and-breath energy poured from his meridians into his skin membrane, tempering into streaks of dark-gold mystic veins that wove across his body like ancient rattan armor, wondrous and extraordinary.
He took a small hammer and struck himself with force. The skin indented slightly, then snapped taut, bouncing the hammer back.
Next, he drew a butterfly knife and pressed down with increasing force. It felt like trying to slice through thick pigskin with a dull, unsharpened blade—exhausting and barely making a dent.
Li Xiuwen murmured to himself, "If I run into an ambush like last time, with the attacker wearing brass knuckles and putting everything into a punch, it would only leave me with superficial flesh wounds. Below the second rank, I can practically walk unchecked. As for second-rank experts, though I've never fought one in reality, with the Armor-Binding Art's absurd defense, I should be able to withstand a full-force blow from a novice second-rank martial artist."
Still, he couldn't afford to be careless. Generally speaking, hard qigong always had a weak point.
If someone with malicious intent found out and targeted that weak point, his defense would be drastically diminished.
Having tested the potency of the Armor-Binding Art at minor success, Li Xiuwen felt a surge of reassurance.
After applying his tanning lotion, he set off for the martial arts hall.
***
At dusk, a fierce wind picked up over Xianghai.
Through the gaps between the tenement buildings, heavy leaden clouds layered across the vault of heaven, like an enraged Dragon King preparing to strike with divine lightning.
Inside Chen's Noodle Factory, his aunt and uncle shut the doors and windows tight.
His aunt said, "I heard that if Ah Wen can get into the Academy and do well, he can live in their family housing block. That place is supposed to be fantastic!"
His uncle replied, "Fantasizing again... You have to be content. Given Ah Wen's standing now, we've already climbed out of the bottom rung. We shouldn't ask for too much."
His aunt smiled wryly. "That's true. People are never satisfied... Back then, we never even dreamed Ah Wen would succeed in martial arts, and now he's far exceeded our expectations."
With a sharp creak, the wind blew a window open. His aunt stood up to shut it.
Out in the curtain of rain, a grotesque ghost mask suddenly lunged into view, sporting a crooked smirk.
His aunt gasped, stumbling back onto the floor, clutching her chest. "Who are you?!"
The figure behind the ghost mask pushed the door open and stepped inside, croaking in a falsetto laugh, "Li Ying, right?"
His aunt guessed that the forces behind Third Master had come knocking, so she asked, "What do you want?"
The ghost-masked man casually found a stool, sat down, and crossed his legs. "Who I am doesn't matter. Where is Li Xiuwen?"
Her heart sank, and she fell silent. Her husband, suppressing his fear, brought over a cup of tea with a forced smile and said, "Sir, Ah Wen is practicing his boxing at Four Seas Martial Arts Hall."
He emphasized the words "Four Seas Martial Arts Hall," hoping to intimidate the intruder.
"Oh, I'm so scared. Li Xiuwen isn't a Flood Dragon Muscle master, is he?" the ghost-masked man sneered.
Neither aunt nor uncle understood what that meant and merely exchanged bewildered glances.
His uncle said with an appeasing smile, "I wouldn't know what kind of master he is, but Master Huang thinks very highly of him."
The ghost-masked man remarked, "Is that so? Then once he gets back, I'll have to get a good look at this little brother."
Trembling, his uncle asked, "Sir, what business do you have with Ah Wen?"
From behind the ghost mask, a chilling gaze bore down on them. Coldly, he asked, "Do you know... where Brother Ji went?"
He watched the two ordinary mortals intently, searching for any emotional tell.
His uncle managed a smile. "Where Brother Ji went? How could we know? A man like him wouldn't report to us."
"He's dead... killed by Li Xiuwen," the ghost mask chuckled.
His uncle put on a look of bafflement. "Sir, why don't you ask around the neighborhood first? Ah Wen is famous for being timid."
His aunt quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes! Ah Wen wouldn't even dare to kill a fish. Everyone around here knows that."
The ghost mask laughed. "Martial arts are courage for the poor... Once someone learns to fight, who knows what they're capable of? The two of you can wait with me. Don't try any little tricks.
"All I want is to take Li Xiuwen with me and get some clear answers. I won't lay a finger on you. If he didn't do it, he'll naturally be released."
With that, the ghost-masked man sat in silence.
Mr. Ming had personally laid down two ironclad rules for gang members in the Walled City.
Not even the Dragon Heads of the four major branches or the various gang factions dared violate them.
First, disputes in the underworld should prioritize peace.
If violence was necessary, it had to be settled in private gang fights or laid bare upon the life-and-death ring, never spilling over to harm the innocent.
Second, without justifiable cause, martial fists do not kill civilians.
This was the bottom line. If broken, Changle would launch a relentless investigation.
The ghost-masked man intended to make a living in the Walled City and climb the ranks; naturally, he believed that avoiding trouble was better than courting it.
***
Time ticked by.
His aunt and uncle didn't dare make a move, anxiously watching the storm outside.
The rain poured heavier and heavier. Holding a stack of books, Li Xiuwen dashed through the sheets of rain and slipped into the noodle factory.
"I'm home."
He called out, but the room was dead quiet.
Looking closer, he saw his aunt and uncle huddled in a corner, their eyes wide with terror.
On a chair sat a black-clad man wearing a ghost mask, staring straight at him.
Li Xiuwen narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
The ghost-masked man chuckled. "Who I am doesn't matter. Come with me."
"For what?"
"To look into something."
"And if I refuse? You want to haul me off without cause, and I don't even know what I'm accused of."
"My patience is limited, kid. You'd better just come along quietly."
The ghost-masked man clenched his fists. His blood-and-breath energy surged, making his robes billow, and the fine dust beneath his soles swirled into the air.
Li Xiuwen felt a slight shock in his chest. Only an expert who had stepped into the second rank possessed blood-and-breath powerful enough to kick up dust with sheer presence.
Thoughts raced through his mind. Looking toward his uncle, he smiled. "Then I'll go with him. You two stay home."
"Put out your hands. Let's tie up your arms first, and don't try any tricks," the ghost-masked man said with a smirk.
"Sir, once everything's cleared up, I can come right back, can't I?" Li Xiuwen asked, feigning innocent naivety.
"Yeah..." The ghost-masked man gave an outward nod while sneering inwardly, binding Li Xiuwen's hands securely with thick, oil-cured hemp rope.
He rapped Li Xiuwen on the head and nudged him forward.
"Move, kid... Don't try anything clever. Within seven paces, even if you had a gun, I could kill you first."
"Wait for me to get back." Li Xiuwen glanced at his uncle and aunt, then stepped out into the rain.
The ghost-masked man turned back toward his aunt and gave a sinister chuckle. "I cut the telephone wire. Don't try playing smart with me."
***
On the torrential, rainy night, the muddy streets were completely deserted.
Li Xiuwen's hands were wrapped tightly in coarse hemp rope by the ghost-masked man.
A hood favored by kidnappers had been pulled over his head.
He walked ahead of his captor.
Li Xiuwen asked with a light laugh, "Sir, you must know I practice boxing under Master Huang, right?"
The ghost-masked man laughed. "Trying to use Master Huang to pressure me? He won't even know who took you."
Once he handed this brat over to Brother Ming, the kid certainly wouldn't live past tomorrow.
Come nightfall, they would dump him in the sewers to feed the crocodiles; even the gods wouldn't know who did it.
Li Xiuwen silently recited the formula, channeling the Armor-Binding Art. Beneath his robes, dark-gold mystic veins flickered faintly across his skin, primed and ready to strike.
Back in the Illusionary Realm of the Great Void, when sparring against Gaojiao Qi, who was also at the second rank, Li Xiuwen had been no match for him.
But that was without the Armor-Binding Art.
In reality, bolstered by the defensive power that rivaled a second-rank powerhouse, even across an insurmountable gap, he might just find a chance to turn the tables and kill his captor.
Chapter 55