Moving

Under the eaves, Xiao Laba took an interest in Li Xiuwen. Just as she was about to invite him to a cha chaan teng for a bite, Li Xiuwen spoke up, his mind on his aunt and uncle. "Big sister, give me your number. I'll treat you to a meal another day." Seeing what was on his mind, Xiao Laba said, "I'll go home with you first. As for the martial arts hall, I'll just give Master Huang a call." She pulled out a bulky black walkie-talkie, dialed Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, and said with a grin, "Master Huang, your handsome young disciple is being picked on." *** Chen's Noodle Factory. Xiao Laba leaned against the wall at a distant street corner, a lollipop dangling from her mouth. Li Xiuwen ran over and pushed open the door. Seeing his aunt safe and sound, he let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "I'm back." His aunt asked, "They didn't do anything to you, did they?" Li Xiuwen shook his head. "I'm fine... Where's Uncle?" Before his voice had even faded, his uncle hurried in, with Huang Sihai following right behind. "Ah Wen, are you all right?" his uncle asked, running over. "I'm fine. Uncle, head inside first." Once his aunt and uncle had calmed down, Huang Sihai called Li Xiuwen outside. Lowering his voice, he asked, "Tell me the truth. Did you cross anyone lately?" Li Xiuwen thought for a moment and said, "A few days ago, a Black Membrane martial artist with a gold tooth ambushed me. I killed him." Huang Sihai frowned. "A gold tooth... There are too many people like that. Nothing else? Do you know his school? Why did he ambush you?" Li Xiuwen shook his head helplessly. "No idea." Gold Tooth was just too ordinary and held no real status. Li Xiuwen had investigated quietly, but he still couldn't determine which faction the man belonged to. Puzzled, Huang Sihai asked, "Why would he ambush you? Have you offended a gang?" "With my personality, how would I dare cross a gang...?" After a pause, Li Xiuwen told the truth. "Though I did kill a few punks." "Who?" "The Thirteen Taibao of Longjin Road... Third Master, Brother Ji, and Viper. I killed all three of them. They were terrorizing the neighborhood and trying to force me into making drugs. The higher-ups wouldn't step in, so I had no choice but to kill them." Hearing this, Huang Sihai came to an abrupt realization and laughed. "So that's how you had the money to buy fish balls... I was wondering how a noodle factory could turn such a profit." Li Xiuwen remained silent. It appeared the shrewd Huang Sihai had already guessed as much. Huang Sihai reassured him, "Don't worry. In this Walled City, killing a few punks is no different from snatching a couple of dogs for a hot pot. Nobody's going to care." In the Walled City, two kinds of people drifted along the margins; if they died, Changle wouldn't even investigate. One kind was the street punks who belonged to no gang, and the other was the dragon-chasers. These two sorts were also the least likely to follow Changle's rules. Or rather, they had no rules at all. They cared only about the immediate present and never about the future, dead pigs that feared no boiling water. Pondering, Li Xiuwen asked, "The Thirteen Taibao belonged to the Tong Gang. Could it be them?" Huang Sihai cut him off. "Those brats in the Tong Gang act without thinking of the consequences. They wouldn't be this cautious, wearing a mask just to take someone out. It's clearly one of the gangs inside the Walled City." Li Xiuwen sank into thought, eager to enter the dreamscape and see who the mastermind was. Huang Sihai was no deity; he couldn't guess the culprit either. Waving a hand, he said, "In any case, be careful from now on." Li Xiuwen said, "I'm not afraid for myself, but I'm worried about my aunt and uncle. I fear the mastermind might be driven into a corner and abandon all limits, ignoring Mr. Ming's rules." Huang Sihai paused. "How about this? Ask your uncle. If he's willing, I can find a place for them near the martial arts hall. You'll have to pay the rent yourselves." Old Huang owned a small building on the martial arts hall's street that he leased out. A look of delight appeared on Li Xiuwen's face. "Thank you, Master! I can make that decision! I'll pay the rent!" Huang Sihai replied coldly, "Don't celebrate too soon. I'm not your family bodyguard. Living near the hall is only comparatively safer; I'm not making you any promises. You still have to figure out how to keep your family safe on your own. Actually, breaking out of your current predicament is simple enough: become a Tiger and Elephant expert, and that'll keep you clear of ninety-nine percent of the wretched nonsense in this Walled City. Besides, you know how expensive rent is along Martial Arts Street—Longjin Road can't even compare. With your family's situation, you really need to find a way to earn money. Let me make this clear upfront: if you can't pay the rent, I won't do you or your family any favors just because you're my disciple. You'll be packing your bags immediately." Li Xiuwen nodded. "I understand... Master, if I can test into the Academy next year, I'll move them to the Central District." Huang Sihai laughed. "The Academy? If you can actually get in, most of the gangs in the Walled City wouldn't dare mess with you anyway. It wouldn't matter where you lived." This kid still didn't understand just how prestigious the Academy was, or how difficult it was to get in. After a pause, Huang Sihai said: "Ah Wen, your progress lately has been quite good, but you also know how many fish balls you've consumed. "Taking fish balls lets you train fast in the early stages, but once you break into the second rank, their efficacy drops dramatically. In the end, it still comes down to grueling training. "With your innate physique, trying to enter the Academy... it's hard. "Thirty crossing spots each year might sound like a lot. "But twenty-six of those spots are reserved for youth prodigies under sixteen competing in the Crossing the River tournament, like Gaojiao Qi. "They have potential and are far more worth nurturing. "At your age, you can only compete with everyone between seventeen and twenty-five for the remaining four young adult spots. You can imagine how brutal that competition is. "What's more, our Four Seas Martial Arts Hall only gets two recommendation spots for the Crossing the River tournament each year. "You'll have to beat the other second-floor disciples before you even have a chance at a pass to participate." Seeing Li Xiuwen fall silent, Huang Sihai sighed and lowered his voice: "Of course, don't be too discouraged. I'm not trying to crush your spirits. "After all, that does nothing to help me earn your money. "I'm simply being responsible by lowering your expectations, "so you won't take it too hard if you can't join the tournament. "When accumulated medicinal toxins enter the body, a person's temperament easily turns obsessive and extreme. "To put it bluntly... it leads to qi deviation. "Reaching the Black Membrane stage in four months, even while pumped full of fish balls, is still quite an achievement. It proves your internal physique is decent. "And your comprehension—I've seen it with my own eyes, and it truly is remarkable. "Among all the disciples I've taught, you'd rank in... the top ten. "But expecting to ascend to the heavens in a single leap and take part in next year's Crossing the River tournament? To be frank, there's virtually no chance. "Still, you have three years left. What the hell are you rushing for? "With your potential and a bit of luck in this life, you still have hope of entering the Tiger and Elephant realm and making Red Pole in one of Changle's branches. "As for passing the Three Gates... that's not something you should be thinking about. "Keep your feet on the ground, cultivate steadily step by step, and don't aim for the sky before you can walk! "Don't ruin your potential by over-consuming fish balls just to rush your progress, only to end up failing to even reach the second rank, let alone the Tiger and Elephant realm. Why bring that on yourself?" Li Xiuwen nodded. Seeing this, Huang Sihai struck while the iron was hot, asking, "Martial artists always say that every medicine carries three parts toxin. Do you know what those three parts are?"