1989, Hong Kong, Jiaolong Walled City.
This was a city shrouded in mysterious shadows. Viewed from the sky, the entire Walled City was perfectly square, its high-rises densely packed and stacked layer upon layer, like a Rubik’s Cube forged from reinforced concrete. It stood abruptly in Kowloon City District in Hong Kong’s New Territories, completely at odds with the loosely spaced buildings and modern elevated highways surrounding it.
This enormous cube covered less than three square kilometers, yet contained more than five hundred high-rises and a population of nearly thirty thousand. The dense buildings blocked out even the fiercest summer sunlight. Ninety-five percent of the city remained in darkness all year round, never seeing the light of day.
At the time, its infamy had spread far beyond Hong Kong.
Because of historical issues left over from the Qing dynasty, this tiny patch of city had become a lawless black zone under the jurisdiction of none of the three parties. Beijing, Hong Kong, and the British government all lacked authority over it, turning it into a special kind of “autonomous region.”
Hidden within this boundless darkness were countless drug dens, gambling houses, brothels, dog-meat restaurants, unlicensed clinics, and other such establishments. At the time, it was the largest distribution hub for “white powder” in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as a gathering place and hiding ground for triad organizations.
Xia Liuyi was the foremost gold-medal enforcer in Jiaolong Walled City, the “Red Pole” of Xiaoqi Hall, and was accustomed to wielding a pair of Azure Dragon twin blades.
In plain terms, a “Red Pole” was the leader of the enforcers, responsible for beating people and leading others to beat people. Within the gang, his rank was second only to the “Dragon Head Boss,” also known as the Mountain Master, and the “Deputy Hall Master,” also known as the Deputy Mountain Master. He ranked equally with the “White Paper Fan,” who managed finances, and the “Straw Sandal,” who handled communications and liaison work.
In terms of martial skill, Xia Liuyi was not the strongest person in Jiaolong Walled City.
All kinds of people mingled within the Walled City, and there were more than a dozen gangs of various sizes. Leaving aside the hidden experts concealed among the other organizations, even within Xiaoqi Hall alone, his abilities ranked below those of Deputy Hall Master Xu Ying, who was said to be descended from the direct lineage of the Twenty-Eight Dragon-Subduing Palms. Xia Liuyi could only settle for second place.
But when it came to being a gold-medal enforcer, if Xia Liuyi called himself second in the whole of Jiaolong Walled City, no one dared call himself first.
The reasoning was perfectly simple.
When people were fighting for their lives, who cared about what palm technique or blade technique you used, or which master or lineage you came from?
A black heart and ruthless hands, ruthless enough that you did not even care about your own life. That was the true essence of gang warfare!
When Xia Liuyi was eighteen, he fought in a gang melee to rescue his surrounded boss, Hao Chengqing. Alone and armed with his twin blades, he cut down more than forty men and forcibly carved out a bloody path stretching through three entire alleys.
Afterward, the nearby residents spent two full days and nights merely scraping fragments of flesh from the walls and ground.
That battle became known in the underworld as “Black Children’s Day.” More than six years had passed since then, yet people still spoke of it with relish.
Hong Kong had never traditionally celebrated “Children’s Day.” Celebrating Children’s Day on June 1 was a mainland custom. Many residents of Jiaolong Walled City had drifted over from the mainland, and because of Xia Liuyi’s name, the expression “June 1 Children’s Day” spread by word of mouth until it became widely known throughout the Walled City.
Petty criminals turned pale whenever they heard the words “June 1.” What they feared most was being invited by Brother Liuyi to “celebrate Children’s Day.”
Fortunately, although Brother Liuyi was cruel and ruthless, he still observed a certain code of honor. He neither ran rampant nor bullied others without cause. His general attitude was that if others did not offend him, he would not offend them.
He was also unswervingly loyal to his boss, Hao Chengqing, and obeyed his every command.
Among the various gang bosses in the Walled City, Hao Chengqing was considered relatively mild-tempered and cautious in his methods. As a result, the sharp blade that was Xia Liuyi remained obediently sheathed and rarely had occasion to embark on a killing spree.
Brother Liuyi was not merely too lazy to fight. Most of the time, he was even too lazy to carry his beloved blades himself.
That day, when he arrived at the newly opened “Xiaoqi Film Company,” which operated under Xiaoqi Hall, a powder addict named Lai Quan followed behind him, carrying the blades on his behalf.
Lai Quan had lost twenty thousand dollars at one of Xiaoqi Hall’s gambling houses, then tried to renege on the debt and flee. He had been granted the great honor of being personally captured and brought back by Brother Liuyi.
By now, he had already foreseen the miserable fate awaiting him, being reduced to a bloody mess without even an intact corpse. He cried so hard as he walked that his entire face was smeared with tears and mucus.
Even so, he did not forget to wipe his nose while crying, lest anything drip onto Brother Liuyi’s blades.
“Brother Liuyi!” The lackey guarding the entrance puffed out his chest and stood ramrod straight.
[Note: A ma zai is a junior gang member or underling.]
Xia Liuyi accepted the cigarette he offered, then turned his head slightly and allowed the lackey to light it for him.
“Brother Ma is waiting for you inside,” the lackey reported solemnly.
Xia Liuyi glanced at him and raised his chin in indication.
“Take him to the film studio and keep a close eye on him.”
“Yes!” the lackey answered in a strong, resonant voice.
He turned and kicked Lai Quan.
“What are you staring at? Move!”
“Come back.”
“Does Brother Liuyi have further instructions?”
“The blades.”
The lackey kicked Lai Quan again.
“Hurry up and return Brother Liuyi’s blades!”
Xia Liuyi entered the room, closed the door, and dropped himself onto the office desk. He lowered his head and smoked.
His trusted subordinate, Xiao Ma, was kneeling and sprawled on the floor with several fierce-looking enforcers in what could only be described as the posture of a tiger prostrating itself upon the ground.
Xiao Ma had a scar across his face and wore his hair in a fashionable, slicked-back style. After waiting for a long time without hearing Xia Liuyi speak, he secretly raised his head and stole a glance at him.
“I’ve never seen the one standing at the door,” Xia Liuyi said.
“Brother Xu transferred him here yesterday. He said the kid was quick-witted. If Brother Liuyi doesn’t like him, I’ll find an excuse to replace him tomorrow!” Xiao Ma replied smoothly, wearing a fawning expression completely at odds with his vicious appearance.
“Fucking Xu Ying…”
Xia Liuyi fell into thought. He held a mouthful of smoke, then slowly exhaled it.
“Book a private room at Lotus Fragrance Restaurant tomorrow night. I’m inviting Ah Da to dinner.”
The “Ah Da” he referred to was none other than Hao Chengqing, the Dragon Head Boss of Xiaoqi Hall, known throughout the underworld as Boss Qinglong.
“Yes! I’ll go reserve the table right now!”
Xiao Ma sprang nimbly to his feet.
Xia Liuyi flicked the ash from his cigarette.
“Get back down.”
Xiao Ma’s face crumpled miserably, and he lay back down.
Xia Liuyi tapped the tip of his foot.
Looking deeply dejected, Xiao Ma raised a thick wooden club with both hands.
The other burly men automatically lowered their heads and flattened themselves against the floor. Their backsides stuck high into the air as they bit down on their sleeves.
Xia Liuyi unhurriedly stubbed out his cigarette. He tossed the scabbards from his waist and back onto the desk, rolled up his sleeves, and accepted the wooden club.
Then came a vicious flurry of blows across their heads and backsides!
Crack! Smack! Crack! Smack!
He used only half his strength, yet within a few strikes, he had beaten the whole group’s backsides as red as monkeys’.
The burly men were in such pain that veins bulged across their faces, but none dared make a sound. They desperately bit down on their sleeves, inwardly wailing for their fathers and mothers.
Once Xia Liuyi felt he had beaten them enough, he casually tossed the club aside and sat back down on the desk.
Xiao Ma struggled to his feet and limped over to light another cigarette for him.
“Know what you did wrong?” Xia Liuyi asked.
“We know, we know!” Xiao Ma hurriedly replied.
The other men vigorously nodded along with him.
“What did you do wrong?”
“Uh… Heh-heh…”
With the cigarette clenched between his lips, Xia Liuyi turned around and reached for the club again.
Realizing that the situation was taking a turn for the worse, Xiao Ma suddenly hurled himself forward and wrapped both arms around Xia Liuyi’s thigh.
He released a mournful, lingering wail.
“Brother Liuyi! You can’t hit us anymore! If you keep going, we’ll be crippled!”
Xia Liuyi swung his palm and mercilessly smacked Xiao Ma’s swollen backside again.
Smack!
Xiao Ma let out an agonized howl. The other burly men turned their faces away, unable to bear the sight.
“What the hell am I keeping a bunch of useless bastards like you for?” Xia Liuyi finally opened his precious mouth to curse. “You couldn’t even catch a fucking Lai Quan, and I had to personally go out and do it?”
“Brother Liuyi,” Xiao Ma said miserably, clutching his backside, “I don’t understand. Lai Quan only owes twenty thousand dollars. Was there really any need to make such a huge show of catching him…?”
“You don’t understand!”
Xia Liuyi slapped the back of his disheveled slicked-back hair.
“Your fucking brain grows out of your ass! Of course you don’t understand!”
Xiao Ma crouched on the floor, clutching the enormous lump on his head. He was both hurt and aggrieved.
Xia Liuyi sat back down with a cold expression.
“Lai Quan has a younger sister. You know that?”
“I know. Lai Sanmei. She’s a famously shameless slut.”
“What has she been doing lately?”
“Uh, I heard she got together with Fei Qi, one of the bosses of Wo Sheng Society.”
“Ah Da wants to open a nightclub on Portland Street in Mong Kok, right next to Yau Ma Tei. Yau Ma Tei belongs to Wo Sheng Society, so they’re bound to come looking for trouble.”
“Now that I’ve caught Lai Quan, Fei Qi will have to call Ah Da and ask him to release his brother-in-law. I always obey Ah Da, so of course I’ll immediately show Fei Qi some respect and let the man go.”
“Then Fei Qi will owe Ah Da a favor. When the nightclub opens later, won’t he have to be a little more accommodating?”
“Oh! Ohhh!”
Xiao Ma cried out in sudden enlightenment, indicating that this time he truly understood.
Xia Liuyi struck his backside once more.
“Grow a brain!”
“I will! I definitely will! It’ll grow immediately! I’ve followed Brother Liuyi for three years, and it’s been growing every single day. Really, really!”
Clutching his backside, Xiao Ma hastily showered him with flattery.
“Get lost!”
Xiao Ma gleefully scrambled to his feet, retrieved the wooden club, and prepared to flee.
He had nearly slipped through the doorway when he remembered something. With a tearful expression, he turned and crept back.
“Brother Liuyi, there’s one more matter concerning the new film.”
At the beginning of the year, Xia Liuyi and Cui Dongdong, Xiaoqi Hall’s “White Paper Fan,” had been ordered to establish this “Xiaoqi Film Company.” Its purpose was to launder money for the “head office.”
Cui Dongdong was responsible for moving the money through the accounts. Xia Liuyi, meanwhile, served as the supervising “general manager.” He also had to arrange for several films to be genuinely produced so that the business would look legitimate on the surface. That was why he occasionally came here to hold court.
They had already filmed several Category III movies. Their returns had been neither particularly good nor particularly bad.
Now, Boss Qinglong wanted to change direction and properly produce a gangster romance.
Xia Liuyi shot Xiao Ma a razor-sharp glare.
Xiao Ma immediately began trembling.
“N-no, this isn’t anything serious either! We already have a director! I found the popular male star Liu Xiaode to play the male lead. He lost five hundred thousand dollars gambling at Brother Xu’s club.”
“As for the female lead, Boss said to let Sister-in-law play the role.”
“But that director only knows how to make Category III movies. Everything he’s filmed is stuff like Blazing Woman, Midnight Canteen, and The Mistress of the Pleasure Quarters…”
“He says he needs a screenwriter who can write a proper story. But this screenwriter… I don’t know a single one…”
“Fuck, just find someone who knows how to read and write! If you can’t, write it yourself!”
Xiao Ma’s face collapsed.
“I didn’t even finish middle school, Brother Liuyi!”
“Then find someone who did finish middle school!”
Xia Liuyi kicked him.
Xiao Ma screamed, clutched his backside, and fled.
After taking only two steps, he was called back again.
With his head lowered as he smoked, Xia Liuyi returned to his lazily affected posture and searched his memory.
“Two years ago, there was a university student in the Walled City. Someone set off firecrackers for him. Find that one.”
“Understood!”
…
A group of fierce-looking men with swollen backsides carried out a roadside abduction.
At ten thirty-five that evening, they blocked He Chusan in an alley as he was returning home from evening self-study.
A burlap sack came down over his head. Fifteen minutes later, they carried him back to the “company.”
Who exactly was He Chusan?
He was the first modern-day university student in the history of Jiaolong Walled City.
His significance was comparable to a scholar from some impoverished, treacherous mountain village in ancient times placing first in the imperial examinations.
His mother, Shen Peipei, had once been one of the greatest beauties in the Walled City. Unfortunately, she had blindly fallen for a low-level triad enforcer with no power, influence, or money.
She called it true love, but in reality, she had merely been taken in by his handsome face.
The two loved each other deeply and were inseparable. Before they could marry, the beautiful Shen became pregnant.
When she was four months along, the low-level enforcer was hacked to pieces in a dark alley.
Fortunately, an intact head remained, allowing the corpse to be identified. That could at least be considered a small consolation.
The beautiful Shen did not find it consoling.
That very night, unable to think her way past her grief, she threw herself into the sea while still pregnant.
She had not been underwater for long when a passing unlicensed dentist pulled her out.
The dentist’s surname was He. He was unattractive but honest. His wife had run away with another man, and he did not mind becoming a ready-made father to someone else’s child.
The beautiful Shen lay weak and sickly in Dentist He’s clinic for six months.
She died on the day she gave birth.
Before her death, she held Dentist He’s hand and told him, “Let the child take your surname, He. Whatever happens, never let him become involved with the triads.”
Dentist He did not even bother marrying again. He conscientiously and painstakingly raised the little bargain son who had taken his surname.
Because the child had been born on the third day of the Lunar New Year, his formal name was He Chusan. His childhood name was Ah San, and his nickname was Indian Ah San.
Little Indian Ah San was obedient, sensible, and well-behaved.
From childhood to adulthood, no matter how people mocked him, played tricks on him, provoked him, teased him flirtatiously, or beat him, he never once fought back.
Gradually, he became a rare oddity in Jiaolong Walled City, pure and gentle, with excellent conduct and academic achievement.
This rare oddity relied on scholarships all the way through primary and secondary school. Eventually, he received an acceptance letter from Longgang Polytechnic University, adding a strangely incongruous glimmer of brilliance to the sunless Jiaolong Walled City.
When Dentist He heard the news of his admission, he became so excited that he set off an entire string of firecrackers for his son in the middle of the street.
The whole Walled City learned of it.
There was nothing wrong with bringing honor to the family. Unfortunately, that string of firecrackers ended up ruining his son’s entire life.
On the night this tragedy befell him, He Chusan had just spent an entire day stuffing his brain with densely packed English formulas.
With his little schoolbag on his back, he was walking through the familiar, dim alleyways when someone suddenly covered his mouth and nose.
With a rustle, his vision went black!
Still dazed, he found himself lifted horizontally and “flying” through the air.
He bounced up and down, hurtling along for an unknown length of time.
Then, with another rustle, everything before his eyes suddenly became bright.
At first glance, he saw a handsome young man seated before him.
The man wore a close-fitting black tank top that exposed healthy, wheat-colored arms, shoulders, and back with beautifully defined muscles.
His two long legs, tightly wrapped in denim, were crossed and propped on the desk.
The handsome man had elegant, cool features and eyes that shone like stars.
His face naturally carried an air of coldness and distance, yet his expression was exceptionally lazy and relaxed.
He was eating a skewer of beef offal while watching television with complete concentration.
The black-and-white television was showing The Godfather.
Marlon Brando stood beside a bed smoking a cigar, speaking indistinct English.
To He Chusan, who had grown up in the slums and had only ever seen television sets displayed inside shopping-mall windows, this was an extraordinarily novel experience.
His attention immediately became fixed on the screen as well.
The two of them watched intently together for a while.
Xia Liuyi, who did not know many written characters and could not keep up with the speed of the subtitles, finally lost his patience.
“Xiao Ma!”
A young man with a scarred face and an oily slicked-back hairstyle limped over from the next room.
“Yes! Brother Liuyi!”
“Where’s the Chinese dubbing?”
“Uh, this movie is just like that. It doesn’t have any dubbing!”
“…”
“Heh-heh-heh.”
Xiao Ma gave him a placating smile.
“Get lost!”
“Yes!”
Xiao Ma swiftly departed.
“Come back.”
“Yes!”
He swiftly returned.
“Who’s this?”
Xia Liuyi raised his chin.
“The screenwriter. The one you told me to catch this afternoon.”
Xiao Ma puffed out his chest proudly.
Xia Liuyi frowned and looked He Chusan up and down.
“This… is he an adult?”
“Hurry up and tell Brother Liuyi how old you are!”
Xiao Ma’s expression instantly changed as he barked ferociously.
“Twenty-one,” He Chusan answered obediently.
Xiao Ma kicked him behind the knee.
He Chusan cried out in pain as his knees hit the floor and he collapsed.
“What the fuck do you mean, twenty-one? You look sixteen at most! Speak honestly!”
He Chusan lowered his head and reached toward his schoolbag.
Thinking he was trying to pull out a weapon, Xiao Ma kicked him two meters away. He hauled He Chusan up and was about to beat him when Xia Liuyi raised a hand to stop him.
He Chusan clutched the place where he had been kicked in the chest and coughed desperately.
With trembling hands, he pulled his identity card from his schoolbag.
Xiao Ma snatched it away and checked the birth date.
He really was twenty-one.
“Fuck!” Xiao Ma cursed.
This kid had thin arms and legs like a little chicken, with a face full of youthful innocence. How could he possibly be twenty-one?
He Chusan remained silent while clutching his chest.
People who lived in the underworld never listened to reason. He understood that much.
For the moment, he still did not know why they had abducted him, so silence was golden.
Xia Liuyi waved his hand and finally drove Xiao Ma away for good.
He lifted his chin, indicating that He Chusan should sit, then turned back and resumed watching the television with complete concentration.
The pain in He Chusan’s chest silently lingered for a while, but soon his attention was drawn back to the television.
The two watched together in silence for roughly ten minutes.
Having missed another subtitle, Xia Liuyi frowned.
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.’”
Xia Liuyi whistled and looked extremely approving.
“What about this line?”
“Keep your enemies closer than your friends.”
This time, Xia Liuyi raised his eyebrows.
After watching for a while longer, he picked up another skewer of beef offal and continued eating. He also pushed the plate toward He Chusan.
“No, thank you,” He Chusan said.
“Punk! If Brother Liuyi tells you to eat, then eat!”
A burly man standing guard at the door suddenly released a thunderous roar.
Xia Liuyi swung out one of his long legs and kicked the entire plate of beef offal toward him.
“You’re too damn noisy. Get lost!”
The burly man swiftly rolled away.
Xia Liuyi turned back to continue watching television.
Without thinking much of it, he handed the surviving half-skewer of beef offal to He Chusan.
He Chusan hesitated and did not dare accept it.
Xia Liuyi did not even turn his head. He remained focused on the television and merely shook the skewer in his hand.
“Go ahead and eat,” he said mildly.
He Chusan was like a little stray dog that had accidentally wandered into a grand mansion, been harshly scolded by the servants, then gently petted by the master of the house.
He obediently accepted the beef offal and took a bite.
He discovered that it tasted exactly like the food from Fat Sister’s Snack Shop beside his father’s clinic.
Inexperienced in the ways of the world, He Chusan immediately became even more convinced that this underworld boss was different from all the others he had previously seen or heard about.
He was young and handsome, mild in his manner, approachable, and probably someone who could be reasoned with.
He secretly shifted his backside and relaxed a little.
He felt that there was a chance he might leave safely tonight.
He finished the skewer of beef offal and read the rest of the subtitles.
At the end, following Xia Liuyi’s instructions, he turned off the television.
This underworld boss with the “mild manner” began lazily discussing business with him.
“Know why I had you brought here?”
He Chusan obediently shook his head.
“Ever heard of a ‘screenwriter’?”
He continued shaking his head.
Xia Liuyi patiently explained, “I want to make a movie. I need you to write a story for me and give it to me within three days.”
He Chusan blinked and finally understood.
But as a modern colonial youth whose entire head was stuffed with English formulas, he had absolutely no idea how to begin writing such a thing.
“I study finance…” he began.
I don’t know how to write stories.
Before he could say the latter sentence aloud, Xiao Ma, who had left earlier, returned while cursing loudly.
“Brother Liuyi! I called Lai Sanmei and demanded the money, but she said the two of them cut off their sibling relationship a long time ago. She said whether Lai Quan lives or dies has nothing to do with her!”
Xia Liuyi raised an eyebrow.
“Mm?”
“Fuck her mother, his sister even had the nerve to hang up on me!” Xiao Ma added furiously.
Xia Liuyi was in no hurry.
He tilted his head and lit a cigarette, looking utterly at ease.
“Bring him in.”
In less than ten seconds, Lai Quan was dragged in by several burly men, his face bruised and swollen.
Cold sweat soaked He Chusan’s entire back.
Right before his eyes, Xia Liuyi lounged there with a cigarette between his lips, picked up a stool, and beat Lai Quan until he no longer looked human.
When he was finished, he ordered his men to pin Lai Quan against the desk.
They removed one of Lai Quan’s socks and stuffed it into his mouth. Then they used a pair of pliers to pull out his fingernails one by one.
“Don’t know what to do?”
Xia Liuyi pressed the smoking tip of his cigarette against Lai Quan’s mangled, blood-covered finger.
“Want Brother Liuyi to help you think of something?”
“If you think of it yourself, you lose one finger. If Brother Liuyi has to think for you, you lose three.”
“Mmmph! Mmmph! Mmmph!”
Biting down on the foul-smelling sock, Lai Quan cried continuously and whipped his head from side to side so violently that it looked ready to fly off.
Xia Liuyi waved a hand.
Xiao Ma immediately stepped forward and yanked the stinking sock from Lai Quan’s mouth.
“I… I’ll call my mother and beg her to go plead with my sister,” Lai Quan said weakly, his voice full of tears.
“Good boy.”
Xia Liuyi patted his head approvingly.
“One finger.”
Xiao Ma immediately stepped forward.
With one clean, efficient movement, there came a sharp crack.
Then came a heart-rending scream.
“Aaaaoooooow!”
He Chusan’s young, delicate little heart, together with his seven ethereal souls and six corporeal spirits, was completely scattered by that final shrill cry.
He stared dumbly as the limp Lai Quan was dragged away by several burly men.
Xiao Ma wrapped up the severed finger and instructed one of his subordinates to deliver it to Lai Quan’s mother.
Then he eagerly wiped the blood-covered desk clean with his own hands before rapidly rolling away.
Xia Liuyi sat back down behind the desk and once again propped up his two long legs.
“What were you saying just now?”
Still dazed, He Chusan smacked his lips.
“I study finance…”
“Mm?”
“I can write stories.”
“Very good. Good boy.”