From Chen Jia, Li Xiuwen confirmed that the ghost-masked man was indeed the Ninth Master he had heard about.
People usually called him Za Jiu, and he was one of Daoyou Ming's confidants.
The man practiced the Leigong style, specializing in a kicking technique known as the Whirlwind Leg.
The Leigong style was also an orthodox martial arts school, roughly as well-known as the Sea Sand style.
All in all, Za Jiu's strength was considered mediocre within the Snake Muscle realm.
Given his advanced age and lack of superior medicine, he would likely struggle to ever break through to Python Muscle.
Li Xiuwen probed indirectly about Za Jiu's relationship with the Thirteen Taibao, but Chen Jia did not know either, so he let the matter drop.
It hardly mattered anymore. The man had tried to harm him; Li Xiuwen was not about to sit and wait for death.
His only real worry was Daoyou Ming.
Za Jiu watched over venues for Daoyou Ming, and that was where the headquarters of Leigong Shed was located.
To kill Za Jiu without anyone being the wiser would require careful planning.
***
In the evening, after martial arts practice, Li Xiuwen made an appointment with Xiao Laba, reserving a private booth at Jixiang Tea Restaurant.
Xiao Laba arrived as promised, accompanied by two lackeys. Stationing her underlings outside on guard, she walked into the private room alone.
"Handsome, pretty generous of you! This place isn't cheap," Xiao Laba teased with a grin.
"Compared to the great heroine saving my life, this is nothing." Li Xiuwen handed her the menu with a smile. "Order whatever you like."
Xiao Laba glanced over the menu and chuckled. "I've already eaten. Just get me a cup of silk stocking milk tea. I'll save you some money so you can buy fish balls."
Li Xiuwen burst out laughing. "Deal."
Once the milk tea arrived, Xiao Laba happily slurped it through a straw, her legs swinging from the high stool. She looked just like an ordinary young girl.
It was hard to imagine that she was a Second Gate expert who had scared off Za Jiu.
"Do you know who that guy was yesterday?" Xiao Laba asked.
Li Xiuwen shook his head. "No. Could you tell what school his kung fu came from?"
"Couldn't tell," Xiao Laba said. "He was deliberately using rough street-boxing—common, dime-a-dozen moves. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had his right arm snapped by a single punch from me."
Li Xiuwen's expression stirred. "You broke his right arm?"
Xiao Laba rested her cheek on her hand, beaming with smug pride. "An old fossil like him whose potential has completely dried up is no match for me even in the same realm. Not to mention, I've mastered the Diamond Lion Palm passed down to me by Sister Fo. When we clashed fist-to-fist, he was lucky to have kept his arm at all! Too bad you turned down my offer before, turning your nose up at the low pay... Sister Fo has her pride, so she probably won't take you now."
Li Xiuwen merely smiled without offering a word.
What thrilled him was the revelation that Xiao Laba had actually broken Za Jiu's arm.
Although a martial artist at the Second Gate was strong enough to heal, a bone injury would take at least a month or so to recover.
During this period, a one-armed martial artist would struggle even to practice normally unless they possessed special techniques designed for the physically disabled, let alone make any progress in strength.
His overall combat prowess would be drastically reduced.
This was Li Xiuwen's golden opportunity to kill Za Jiu!
At his current rate of progress, he would reach the peak of the Black Membrane within half a month, and then he could attempt the gate.
Li Xiuwen's mind raced. He had to seize this chance.
Having finished her milk tea, Xiao Laba asked with a smile, "Handsome, how about I keep you? I heard you moved, and the rent around Four Seas Martial Arts Hall isn't cheap."
When Xiao Laba said "keep you," she did not mean it in the modern sense Li Xiuwen knew from his past life. She was actually inviting him to work for her.
"Work for you? Do you have an opening?" Li Xiuwen asked. Membership quotas in a gang were decided by the Red Poles and the Dragon Head; a Straw Sandal had no authority to recruit.
Xiao Laba laughed. "I'm not asking you to join the gang. I'm inviting you to be a resident enforcer for my family! A flat thousand in pocket money every month, plus bonuses."
A resident enforcer was essentially a private retainer kept by the wealthy patrons of large companies, major gangs, or prominent clans.
As far as Li Xiuwen knew, many disciples on the martial arts hall's second floor worked as resident enforcers for large corporations outside the Walled City.
Such positions were usually very leisurely, yet brought in quite a decent sum each month.
For instance, Ding Sheng's family business, Chunqiu Press Group, was a giant in the media industry; rumor had it that those invited into their home as resident enforcers were all Tiger and Elephant powerhouses.
Evidently, Xiao Laba's family background was quite impressive as well.
After a moment of thought, Li Xiuwen said, "I have to focus on my cultivation. I can't afford to waste too much time on trivial chores."
Xiao Laba nodded. "Don't worry. As a resident enforcer, you might not even have to lift a finger a few times a year. You can just practice at the martial arts hall like normal. Besides, you're still too weak and need grooming, so we won't give you anything dangerous for now, let alone use you as cannon fodder. If there comes a time when you do need to step in, you'll get extra pay that month depending on your performance."
Li Xiuwen weighed the proposition. This compensation was on par with what reserve Straw Sandals earned in major gangs.
Most importantly, he wouldn't have to join a gang or be tied down by their rigid rules.
The inheritance Third Master had left behind was nearly exhausted.
Starting next month, if he wanted to buy fish balls and other resources, he would have to earn the money himself.
With the added burden of rent, this resident enforcer position was just what he needed to resolve his pressing crisis.
He reached out his hand and smiled. "Alright. From now on, I'm following you, boss."
Xiao Laba giggled. "Call me pretty girl! 'Boss' sounds way too old."
After finishing the milk tea, Xiao Laba called her lackey inside, took out an old-fashioned mobile communicator—resembling a brick phone, only cruder—and handed it to Li Xiuwen.
"Handsome, you've probably heard how expensive these things are. It costs enough to rent a whole apartment in the Walled City for a long time... Take it so I can reach you. Just remember not to let the bill run overdue.
"If someone ever hunts you down, use this to call me or your master or whoever, so you don't end up dead in the street with no one to collect your corpse."
Li Xiuwen took the communicator, feeling a whirl of mixed emotions as he stood there stunned.
Assuming he was just an unsophisticated country bumpkin from Sheng who had never seen such technology, Xiao Laba smiled smugly. "What's wrong? Don't know how to use it? I'll teach you!"
She gave him a thorough walkthrough on how to turn it on, shut it down, dial numbers, pay bills, and so on.
"Thanks," Li Xiuwen said with a wry smile.
He hadn't thought much about it before holding one, but now that he did... he realized just how much better the smartphones from his previous life had been.
Comparison really was the thief of joy.
In this world, such communication devices were still in their infancy, affordable only to wealthy bosses and formidable martial artists.
The monthly service fee alone was thirty yuan—enough to feed someone at the bottom of the Walled City for an entire month.
Not to mention that making and receiving calls cost extra, putting it far out of reach for regular people.
Xiao Laba was truly generous!
Who was Huang Sihai again?
Never heard of him.
"Do you have time right now? I'll take you to meet my dad. After all, the enforcer's salary comes out of his pocket," Xiao Laba asked.
She was exceptionally strong, but she practiced martial arts full-time, relying completely on her family's support. The cuts she took from the gang weren't nearly enough to fund her lavish lifestyle of delicacies and reckless spending.
"Sure." Li Xiuwen was also curious about what kind of family could nurture such a youthful prodigy.
He followed Xiao Laba into the prime real estate of the Central District.
They stopped before a three-story detached house in a serene neighborhood, fronted by a small bamboo grove and a flower garden.
Two burly security guards stood by the entrance. Judging by their imposing presence, they were clearly trained fighters.
Chapter 60