Chapter 5: Farewell

As the crowd went wild, Li was still standing on the stage. His breath was heavy, and his body was exhausted. Despite winning, it seemed like even the slightest breeze could knock him over. 

"Lean on me, kid." 

Looking to the side, he saw Jhin offering his shoulder. 

"Don't get used to it." 

And he found a rare smile on the old man's face. Similarly, the same was reflected on his own face, but not the same as before. Now, it was more akin to the expression of someone finishing a long period of work. Perhaps a smile of satisfaction or relief. 

Either way, it was accompanied by a long sigh, releasing all the burdens he carried from his body. 

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU DID, KID!?" 

Tai Lung, who until that moment was processing what had just happened, stormed towards the arena, heading for Jihan. 

"Mr. Lung, are you sure you want to cause this commotion in the middle of so many people?" 

Jhin intervened before the man could lay a hand on Li. 

"Mean... there's no reason for you to act this way, after all, it was a beautiful victory for the house champion..." 

Looking around, Tai Lung realized that the crowd was watching him, trying to understand what was going on. As the experienced man he was, he quickly regained his composure. Acting as if everything was fine, he straightened his suit, grabbed the microphone, and announced: 

"THE CHAMPION OF TONIGHT... IS LEOPARD LI JIHAN!" 

After finishing speaking, glaring at Li sideways, he hurried off the stage. 

And only then did the memory snap in his head, he had broken the agreement with his "father". 

"It's okay, he can't touch you right now... people like to talk, and rumors spread fast..." 

Jihan nodded, still absorbing the situation. 

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, kid... here, it should be enough to pay off everything you owe and then some, you have to start somewhere when you leave here." 

Jhin handed him one of the betting tickets. 

"There's nothing stopping you from betting on yourself, you shouldn't have any problem cashing out the money." 

"I... don't deserve this, please, keep something for yourself at least!" he insisted. The old man just laughed in response. 

"Just be thankful, kid. Besides, this isn't the only bet I made... this old man still must have some fun before kicking the bucket," he joked. "Now go, sort out your life quickly." 

Li bowed. 

"I'll never forget this, not even if I die. Thank you, sir!" 

And after collecting the money from his victory, he headed towards the office. Upon reaching the door, he heard shouts coming from inside. 

"What the hell is this!?" 

"Tai Lung?" 

"You told me there was no mistake! That man was more than enough to deal with the kid!" 

He seemed to be raging with anger. 

"Do you have any idea of the loss I've taken? How dare you deceive me like this? Do you know who you're dealing with!?" 

"We were really confident, and we apologize, Mr. Lung," another voice, unfamiliar to Li, replied. "However, victory or defeat, we have nothing to do with it. We are only here for business." 

"BUSINESS!? Do you think there's any chance we'll keep the deal!?" 

"Hahaha, I suspect that's no longer in your hands..." 

"YOU BASTARD!" 

BAM 

Tai Lung's scream was heard, followed by a loud thud. Li quickly opened the door, finding a scene he never imagined. 

The big man was on the floor, immobilized. His arm twisted almost to the breaking point. All this done by a man a little shorter and slimmer than Li himself. 

"Don't overdo it, Mr. Lung," said the blond man, as he removed his feet from atop the ex-yakuza. "We respect those who respect us, and we collect from those who don't, multiplied and with interest... I hope this doesn't happen again." 

The young man turned to the door. 

"Ah, Mr. Li! What a pleasant surprise... it was a great fight, I must admit I underestimated you, didn't expect you to have such skill..." 

Jihan stared at the man. His hair, light eyes, and pale white skin resembled a foreigner. However, for some reason, he felt much more threatened by the man in front of him than by the giant he had just defeated. 

"Well, I'd like to stay and chat," he continued. "But, as you have matters to attend to with the guy on the floor, I'll take my leave... however..." 

Passing by Li, the man put a card in his pocket. 

"I'll keep in touch..." 

And he left the office. A few seconds later, the tension in the room dissipated. Li then put his hand in his pocket and looked at the card. On it, there were only two words: "Erebus", written in golden font, and a name just below. 

"Michael?" Li read, whispering. The name seemed slightly familiar. 

"What do you want, kid? You've got a lot of nerve showing up in front of me after what you did today," Tai Lung said. 

"I didn't do anything I should regret," he retorted seriously without hesitation. 

"GUHR! I should strangle you for this!" Lung raised his voice, but he didn't back down. "After everything I've done for you! Is this how you repay me!?" 

Li remained silent. 

"I should have left you to rot on the streets! A waste of time, money, you're not worth a penny of what I spent to keep you here!" 

Jihan threw a large package at the old man's chest. 

"What's this?" 

"I'm paying you back, with interest," he replied. "Now we're even. I'm leaving here." 

The old man smiled at the package, but upon hearing the 'farewell', he scoffed. 

"Leaving? HAHAHA! Where to?" he mocked. "You have nowhere to go, kid!" 

"You're right... I don't have... but I'll find... anywhere is better than here." 

Li didn't let himself be affected for a second. Sensing the attitude, Tai Lung wouldn't let it go easily. 

"You can leave! HAHAHA! I don't know how you got this money, but I'll be waiting for your return. When you lose all your money in this stupid addiction of yours and come crawling back, I'll be here to feed you a little more!" 

Looking at the old man's face, Jihan only expressed a certain disgust. 

"How did I ever see you as a father? I must have been really screwed up." 

He was as calm as ever. Turning towards the door, he said: 

"So, I guess we'll never see each other again. See you... Tai Lung." 

And he walked out the door, leaving only the man in the company of his own insanity. 

Gathering the little he kept in that place; Li went to bid farewell to another person he considered a friend. 

"See you later, big guy," Li punched Gordon in the chest. 

"Who would've thought, huh, kid? I always told you never to come back here... but I never thought this day would come..." 

"You're not the only one..." 

"Geez, I guess I'm getting old..." 

"Maybe you should consider leaving here too, you know? Find a girlfriend and start a family... I'm sure you'd be a grumpy dad!" 

"Oh, you!" 

Gordon pulled him close and gave him a playful punch before letting go. 

"By the way, have you seen Jhin?" 

"Hm... he just left, maybe if you hurry, you can still catch up to him." 

"I have to hurry then." Li started climbing the stairs. "See you another day!" leaving the man looking at his back. 

"I'll miss you, kid." 

His eyes welled up, and for a second... a small second, as he saw Jihan turn the corner of the hallway, Gordon could swear those were the back of the child who first walked in here. 

"Maybe he's not wrong..." 

Outside, it was raining heavily. As he stepped out of the establishment's door, Li recognized the old man at the nearby bus stop. 

"Jhin! Wait!" he shouted, running towards him and, already out of breath, catching up to him. 

"Losing your breath so easily?" he teased, smiling. "I thought I trained you better than that..." 

"Cut me some slack, it's not even been two hours since I won that fight, I'm still exhausted!" 

"If I gave you a break every time you asked, you could probably make a living for free..." 

"Where are you going?" he interrupted. 

Jhin rubbed his chin. 

"Good question... I don't know... maybe travel around... you know, kid, it's always been my dream to have a little house in a small town... work enough to have something to eat and spend my days building things... yes... building things..." 

A tear easily mistaken for a raindrop rolled down Jhin's cheek. It was the first time since they met that Li saw him cry. 

"I used to be a very bad person, Li... I did many things I regret... and destroyed many lives in the process..." Turning his face towards the sky, he closed his eyes. "I like the rain, because when I'm in it... maybe I can drown in something other than my own thoughts..." 

The old man looked at him. 

"I want to spend the rest of my years helping someone instead of harming... I'm glad you were the first..." 

"Can I go with you?" Li asked sincerely, his voice weak. The old man chuckled. 

"Our paths diverge here, kid." Jhin put his hand on Jihan's shoulder. "You're destined for great things, boy, don't let an old man like me hold you back... conquer the world, and maybe, if the universe allows it, we'll meet again... tell me, Li, what do you really want to be?" 

Tears filled Li's eyes. Between sobs, he replied: 

"If it's not too much to ask... in people's lives... I want to be the part that doesn't hurt..." 

Jhin widened his eyes for a moment and then opened a wide smile. 

"I'm sure you will, you're a good person, Li..." 

Then, he pointed to the corner. 

"It looks like my bus is here." 

As Jihan turned his head to see, the old man hugged him. 

"Thank you, kid. It was an honor to be part of your life..." 

Without hesitation, Li hugged him back with all his might. 

Jhin was the person who had always been there for him. Even complaining. Even asking too much. Every day. Five hours a day. Seven days a week. Thirty days a month. Every day. 

Despite all the circumstances, the old man never stopped believing in him for a second. 

"I should be the one thanking you!" 

Taking two steps back, with his eyes still full of tears, Jihan bowed with all his will. 

"Thank you, teacher!" 

"It was a pleasure, kid." Jhin then got on the bus that had just stopped and with a final wave of his hand, he left. 

A few minutes after the farewell, Li's cell phone rang. 

"An unknown number?" 

Answering it, the voice on the other end immediately greeted him. 

"Mr. Li... I warned you I would get in touch... I have a proposal for you, and I think you'll be very interested... would you be willing to listen?" 

On the other end of the line, Michael spoke.