"Greetings, Master Hu. What brings you to this filthy place so late at night?" Xu Yang hunched over and lowered his head, trying his best to prevent Li Hu from noticing the changes in his body.
It was dark, so Li Hu truly couldn't make out any changes in Xu Yang.
He strode forward, stopping three paces from Xu Yang. "The old madam's birthday is approaching," he said, "but the He Shicai family still hasn't paid their birthday money. I'm going over to see what gives them the nerve to disrespect her."
His tone was gentle, as if he were just chatting about everyday things.
But his words made Xu Yang's heart sink.
He Shicai's family lived not far from him. They were a family of five who had been able to make ends meet, but two months ago, He Shicai had been attacked by thugs while he was out. Not only was he robbed, but he was also beaten half to death and had been bedridden ever since.
With the family's breadwinner down, they struggled just to eat. Where would they find any extra money?
"They probably just forgot!"
"Enough of this nonsense. These peasants are just a constant headache; they're all asking for a beating." Li Hu changed the subject. "I hear you've made it big, kid. Found a connection to get a job in the city."
'So extorting people's life savings is just a "nuisance" to him.'
While mentally cursing Li Hu's entire female lineage, Xu Yang forced a smile. "You jest, Master Hu. I'm just slaving away for others to make a living. I'm a nobody compared to you."
"Don't be so modest. Your uncle is an accountant for the Huang Family—a powerful position. You think the job he set up for you would be anything less than great?"
With a wide grin, Li Hu clapped a heavy hand on Xu Yang's shoulder. "My luck's been rotten lately, and I've lost quite a bit," he laughed. "Since you've made it big, kid, how about lending Master Hu a few taels of silver to tide me over? I'll pay you back when I have the money."
He had originally sent a man to the mines to kill Xu Yang. It was only after his man was in place that he learned Xu Yang no longer worked there. A few inquiries later, he discovered Xu Yang had found work in the city.
His main reason for coming today was to find an excuse to make trouble for Xu Yang, and he planned to use the situation with He Shicai's family to intimidate him.
Of course, if Xu Yang could cough up a few taels of silver, he would let him live a few more days.
"You must be joking, Master Hu. If you were asking for a few copper coins, I might be able to help. But several taels of silver? I've never even seen that much money in my life."
Xu Yang knew the trouble had arrived. Li Hu was starting to put the screws on him.
'This was the Sanhe Gang's usual method. First, intimidation. If that failed, they'd secretly resort to ruthless tactics to destroy your family.'
"So what you're saying is... you refuse to show me any respect? You refuse to lend me the money?" Li Hu's smile vanished, his voice turning cold. "Ah Yang, you need to understand something. No one has ever refused Master Hu. Me asking to borrow money from you *is* an honor."
The two lackeys behind him stepped forward in unison, cracking their knuckles and looking ready for a fight.
"Yes, yes... Of course I know it's an honor that Master Hu would ask to borrow from me, but I really don't have it."
Xu Yang took a deep breath. "How about this, Master Hu? Give me a few days. I'll ask my uncle to borrow it. He should be able to lend me several taels of silver."
The smile returned to Li Hu's face. "I knew you were a good kid, Ah Yang, that you'd help Master Hu out. I'll come back in a few days to collect the money."
"There's no need for you to come in person, Master Hu. Once I get the money, I'll deliver it to your home."
Li Hu was even more pleased. "Excellent, excellent! If everyone was as understanding as you, Ah Yang, my life would have far fewer troubles."
With that, he and his two lackeys strode away.
"Master Hu, can that kid really borrow several taels of silver?" one of the lackeys asked.
Though they acted high and mighty, several taels of silver was a huge sum of money to them as well.
Most of the money extorted by the Sanhe Gang went straight into the Gang Leader's pockets; they were just getting by.
"His uncle works for the Huang Family and makes two taels of silver a month. A few taels is nothing to him," Li Hu instructed. "Leave the kid alone for now. We'll bleed him for a bit before we make a move. And keep this to yourselves.
"If the gang finds out, we won't get a damn thing out of it," Li Hu warned.
Xu Yang was a coward. As long as his sister, Xu Qing, wasn't involved, he would always back down.
"Don't worry, Master Hu. We're not idiots. We wouldn't tell anyone about a good thing like this."
...
'Several taels of silver. Aren't you afraid of choking on that much greed?'
He barely had enough money for his martial arts training as it was; there was no way Xu Yang could come up with several taels of silver.
He watched Li Hu's group until they were out of sight before heading home.
'The only reason I call him Master Hu is because of the Sanhe Gang's power. Within the gang, Li Hu is just a minor enforcer who collects protection money—he's just a regular guy.'
'His family is from a village near Bai Shi Workshop. He grew up poor and only managed to join the Sanhe Gang by being ruthless when they first established their turf here. He's no big shot, and he's definitely not a Martial Artist.'
'If I'd wanted to, I could have killed all three of them right then and there. But this isn't the right place.'
A short while after he got home, he heard cries and the sound of things being smashed from not too far away.
Li Hu and his two men had utterly destroyed He Shicai's home, leaving only after spewing a torrent of vile curses.
As they passed Xu Yang's door, Li Hu casually reminded him not to forget his promise, clearly using the incident at He Shicai's house as a warning.
"Brother, what did you promise him?" Xu Qing asked, her face pale.
The cries of He Shicai's children had terrified her; they were her playmates.
"I promised to pay next month's protection fee early."
Xu Yang gave a noncommittal answer and told Xu Qing to stay quietly inside as he headed over to He Shicai's house.
He Shicai's door had been torn from its frame, and their bed was smashed to pieces. He Shicai himself was unconscious on the ground. His wife was there, hair disheveled, blood trickling from her nose and mouth, her cheeks swollen from who knows how many slaps.
Their three children, all under the age of ten, were huddled in a corner, trembling and crying in terror.
Neighbors who had rushed to the scene began to help. Some comforted the children, while others worked to reassemble the bed and clear away the shattered pottery from the floor.
The door was beyond repair.
After helping clean up, Xu Yang returned home and collapsed into bed. He was utterly exhausted from the long day.
In the middle of the night, he was jolted awake by a burst of wailing. When he opened his door, he found the sound was coming from He Shicai's house.
He Shicai, who had been bedridden for two months, was dead!
Word was that after being revived, the sight of his destroyed home caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood and pass out again. He clung to life until midnight, and then he was gone.
Xu Yang didn't go over to help this time. Instead, he had Xu Qing scoop two bowls of brown rice from their pot and deliver them. Then he went back to sleep, conserving his strength.
'I don't know if I'm partly to blame for what happened to He Shicai,' he thought, 'but Li Hu has bared his fangs. I can't just sit here and wait for death.'
The next day, He Shicai was buried without any ceremony.
They couldn't even afford a cheap coffin, not even a straw mat to wrap the body. In the end, a neighbor who couldn't bear the sight donated a mat, finally giving He Shicai a proper shroud.
Xu Yang went to Weiyuan Hall as usual, but he only trained until the afternoon. Then he stopped, found a cool, shady corner, and went to sleep.
Everyone assumed he was giving up and secretly shook their heads, surprised that he would be the second person to quit.
When it was time for dinner, Zhang Hong woke him, and the two went to the dining hall together.
After eating, Xu Yang returned to Bai Shi Workshop and went back to sleep.
During the second watch of the night, a figure shot out of Xu Yang's house and vanished into the darkness.