C14 Fate Gathering

Although it was his first time taking a life, Chen Xiaozhi remained eerily calm. For one, he lived in tumultuous times and had long braced himself for such a day. Secondly, he had steeled his mind to prevent any second-guessing, simply pretending he was dispatching foes in a video game.

That night, after ingesting a large tonifying pill and wind meridian powder, Chen Xiaozhi realized that unlocking the hundreds of acupoints in his body hinged heavily on the power of these medicines. His physical strength already surpassed that of his martial peers, but it had its limits. After downing ten tonifying pills, he managed to open another acupoint. This time, the transformation affected his hair which, within fifteen minutes, had grown over ten centimeters and become as tough as cured leather.

Chen Xiaozhi couldn't even fathom the astounding transformations awaiting him if he were to unlock all four hundred-plus acupoints.

"Is this the area your group oversees?" The following day, having finished breakfast and donned plain clothes, Chen Xiaozhi joined Zhao Qi on a street in the southern part of the city known as Killing Bull Lane, notorious for its slaughterhouse. The southern district couldn't compare to the bustling city center; the street was desolate, save for a couple of breakfast vendors and a scattering of passersby.

The Green Bamboo Gang, organized into groups of ten, patrolled their respective territories daily, and Killing Bull Lane fell under the jurisdiction of Zhao Qi's group. Today, Zhao Qi had brought Chen Xiaozhi here to introduce him to their boss, the team leader, marking Chen Xiaozhi's official induction into the Green Bamboo Gang.

"Yes," Zhao Qi confirmed with a nod, guiding Chen Xiaozhi through a small side door and into a Flower House. The establishment reeked of heavy perfume, which Chen Xiaozhi found quite off-putting. Despite its modest size, a mere two-story building, the Flower House was bustling with activity. Even in the early hours, the rooms echoed with a cacophony of laughter and moans. They navigated through the maze of corridors and arrived at a secluded courtyard where a man sprawled on a wide tiger skin chair, swigging from a bottle of liquor, his gaze blurry with inebriation, and a disheveled beauty draped over his lap.

"Brother Dog," Zhao Qi greeted the man with deference.

Mad Dog peered at Chen Xiaozhi through half-closed eyes, revealing a grin of yellowed teeth, "Is this the friend you mentioned?" Zhao Qi nodded.

"Kid, since Little Qi vouched for you, you're now part of my Green Bamboo Gang," Mad Dog declared, shoving the woman aside and striding over to give Chen Xiaozhi a hearty slap on the shoulder. He exuded the air of a protective elder brother. His expression shifted to surprise upon feeling Chen Xiaozhi's solid frame. "You're pretty sturdy. Have you had some training?" Mad Dog gave Chen Xiaozhi's shoulder a squeeze.

"A bit, trained for a year," Chen Xiaozhi responded with a smile.

"What's your name, and how old are you?"

"Chen Xiaozhi, just turned sixteen," he replied truthfully.

"Like a young bull unafraid of tigers, only the brave venture into our world," Mad Dog chuckled, thrusting the wine bottle into Chen Xiaozhi's hands. "You haven't savored the company of a woman yet, have you? Today, I'll take care of you. I'll find you a girl to brighten your day, a welcome gift from your new brother. From now on, we'll share our fortunes and face our trials together, united in life and death!"

"Three Slashes! Go tell Mrs. Xu to pick out a fresh one for our new brother," Mad Dog barked.

At the stone table, where nine people were deeply engrossed in a dice game, a short man stood up, cursing under his breath as he walked off. He shot Chen Xiaozhi a resentful glare, clearly displeased with the task. Xiaozhi remained silent, his gaze calmly scanning the courtyard's assembly. Aside from Mad Dog, they were mostly ordinary folks with no real skills, their unsteady steps betraying their excesses.

Zhao Qi, by comparison, seemed decent enough.

After a brief chat, Mad Dog sauntered off to resume his dalliance with a woman. As the leader, he had airs to maintain. Xiaozhi, smooth as ever, joined the gamblers, chiming in before casually tossing a silver leaf into the mix. He quickly blended in, his easy familiarity impressing even Zhao Qi, who might have mistaken him for a seasoned hustler if he didn't know better.

Several games in, Xiaozhi had nearly lost all his money, much to the delight of his winning companions, who warmed up to him considerably.

His losses were strategic, a means to glean information about the Green Bamboo Gang through casual conversation.

"Brother Dog!"

Not long after, Three Slashes, who had been sent to find a woman for Xiaozhi, came running back, panic-stricken. He tripped upon entering, landing in a heap.

"What's the matter?" Mad Dog's face twisted with annoyance.

"Fate Gathering's here for the liquor money!" Three Slashes exclaimed.

"What?! Brothers, grab your weapons!" The haze of inebriation lifted from Mad Dog's face as he rose, cursing furiously. He directed Xiaozhi and the others to arm themselves with large blades and charge out. Xiaozhi's mind raced; he hadn't expected trouble on his first day with the gang. The southern part of the city was hardly lucrative and not under Fate Gathering's control, but he knew they dominated Crowfield's illicit liquor trade. Every establishment selling their bootlegged spirits, including the Flower House, had to kick back a share of profits each month. Moments later, they stormed into the Flower House's main hall with a menacing air.

Inside, the old madam was ingratiating herself with a group of seven or eight men.

The visitors were unimpressed, one even shoving the madam to the floor.

"Master Dog, thank goodness you're here..." The madam, heavily made up and past her prime, scrambled to her feet and approached with a look of distress.

"Shi Qing, so it's you!" Master Dog acknowledged Mrs. Xu with a nod, signaling her to be at ease. But his bravado faltered upon spotting the leader of Fate Gathering.

"Look who it is, the little cur himself," the man said, his voice dripping with contempt, clearly younger than Mad Dog but sparing no disrespect.

"This is Killing Bull Lane, Green Bamboo Gang territory. You think you can just stroll in and demand liquor money? You looking for trouble? We've already paid our protection dues..." Xiaozhi noted the shift in Mad Dog's demeanor, a facade of toughness barely concealing his weakness.

"Anyone dealing with my Fate Gathering has to pay up—that's the rule! In Crowfield, if Fate Gathering declares something, who dares to contradict us?" Shi Qing and his cronies sneered with contempt.

"You're trying to stir up trouble between our gangs?" Mad Dog growled.

"Ha! You flatter yourself, punk! Think your Green Bamboo Gang can take on Fate Gathering? Just you lot?" Shi Qing's eyes swept over Chen Xiaozhi and his underlings, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Even if I wiped you out today, what could you possibly do? A few nobodies like you—would the Green Bamboo Gang really risk Fate Gathering's wrath for your sake?"

Mad Dog's voice faltered.

"Beat it, or else..." Shi Qing's smile was laced with malice.

Caught between advancing and retreating, Mad Dog hesitated, not daring to confront Shi Qing directly. Deep down, he was already considering a retreat. Shi Qing was a notorious hard case within Fate Gathering, and more importantly, a martial artist.

"You little runt, trying to show off in front of our Brother Dog? You're dead meat!" Just then, a grating voice cut through the quiet of the room. Mad Dog blanched; he hadn't anticipated his own men would cause trouble. Whirling around, he saw Chen Xiaozhi's face, feigning solidarity, and cursed inwardly. He wanted to rip the kid's mouth off.

He'd been set up!

Predictably, Shi Qing's face turned stormy upon hearing the outburst.

"Attack!" he bellowed.

The Fate Gathering enforcers charged forward. With no other choice, Mad Dog steeled himself and rushed into the fray with his saber. The hall erupted into chaos as the two factions clashed, sending girls and patrons screaming and scrambling for the exits.

The clash of weapons and cries of pain filled the air. Within moments, one of Xiaozhi's men was down, bleeding heavily. Mad Dog and Shi Qing grappled fiercely, but Mad Dog was losing ground, his face a mottled mix of green and red from the blows, pain rendering him unsteady. Soon after, another man's arm was slashed open, flesh gaping. As Fate Gathering's blades bore down on him, he turned tail and fled through the front door in terror.

A table shattered with a loud crack as Shi Qing's boot connected with Mad Dog's chest, sending him sprawling. A sweet taste of blood rose in his throat. His chest burned, his breaths coming with difficulty. As Shi Qing approached with a cold sneer, Mad Dog clenched his teeth, rolled to his feet, and abandoned his knife to make a break for the door.

He wasn't about to die here.

These underlings had never mattered to him.

To Mad Dog, Chen Xiaozhi and the others were nothing more than expendable muscle.

"Brother Dog!" A member of the Green Bamboo Gang cried out, incredulous. No one had expected that, in a critical moment, their leader, Mad Dog, would desert them.

Such was the way of the martial world.

"Ah!" A scream of agony filled the air as a member of the Green Bamboo Gang was impaled through the abdomen, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

"Finish them off. Today, these blind fools of the Green Bamboo Gang will come to understand the might of Fate Gathering," Shi Qing declared with a smug chuckle. He paid no mind to the mad dog; after all, he was nothing but a coward. However, his attention shifted as he caught sight of a young man—the very one who had just insulted him by calling him a wimp.

Shi Qing paused, taken aback. Unlike the others embroiled in the melee, this young man was an anomaly.

Somehow, the youth had found a spot to sit to the side, legs crossed, seemingly enjoying the chaos as if it were a theatrical performance. In his hand, he casually held a small bunch of melon seeds, cracking them open with an air of nonchalance.

"Nice moves," Chen Xiaozhi remarked with a toothy grin, catching Shi Qing's eye.

At his feet lay the lifeless body of a Fate Gathering member.