Chapter 38: Coming…!

Na Lan Yan Rou stared defiantly at the Ghost Bear Clan members who were playing cards or drinking at several tables away from her. They were supposed to watch her, but with her tied up like this, she had no way of escaping. She was relieved that they had agreed to remove her blindfold, though. Spending several hours unable to see anything was terrifying to the point she thought she would have gone insane.

She glanced at Mu Zi Xing, who was also trussed up nearby. The two girls were restrained to their chairs and unable to move.

"Even if you do this, my family won't agree to this," she said.

Gui Xiong turned to her, taking a swig from his beer can. He inclined in his throne-like chair, his dark eyes fixed on her.

"You seem to have the wrong idea, my dear. This has nothing to do with your family. Hmm, or maybe it does?"

"What do you mean by that?" Na Lan Yan Rou glared at him defiantly.

"Our target is your future brother-in-law." Gui Xiong took another sip of beer. ���You're just bait to lure him here. I would have approached him myself, but I can't show up in the open…not without a bunch of cultivators from the Alliance descending upon me. And your brother-in-law has rudely refused all of the invitations I sent him, so I have to resort to more drastic measures."

"My brother-in-law?" Na Lan Yan Rou looked confused. "Do you mean Long Ao Tian?"

"Huh? No. Isn't your brother-in-law Shu Cong?" It was Gui Xiong's turn to look puzzled. He glanced at a hooded figure by the side of his chair. "What's going on, Han Sha?"

"The engagement hasn't happened yet. It will probably occur a few months later."

"How? Seems like Na Lan Yan Ran already has another fiancé! Are you sure your information is correct?"

"I do not have the details, but I assure you that is what happened. Trust me."

"I wouldn't trust him if I were you," Na Lan Yan Rou scoffed, tugging against her restraints. "And Brother Cong won't come. He's not even close to me. Why would he risk his life for a near-stranger?"

"Oh, he will." Gui Xiong chuckled as he shared a knowing glance with the hooded Han Sha. "He likes playing the hero. Wasn't he the one who saved you from being kidnapped the last time?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Na Lan Yan Rou replied. She sagged in her chair, knowing that Gui Xiong was right, but she continued to insist stubbornly. "I've only met Brother Cong once. We aren't that close for him to risk his life for me."

Gui Xiong threw his head back and guffawed. "Little girl, if you aren't that close, why are you addressing him as Brother?"

"That's…!" Na Lan Yan Rou stiffened.

"I did my research, you know." Gui Xiong leaned forward, resting his bearded chin on a hand. "I know what kind of person Shu Cong is. He's a nice guy…a hero wannabe. The type who will stand up for others, to protect people who are being bullied in front of him. Apparently, he had a few run-ins with those idiots from the Black Serpent Gang, just for a friend of his."

"Like I said, I'm not his friend…"

Na Lan Yan Rou swallowed, but met Gui Xiong's gaze. She opened her mouth, as if to say more, but no words came out.

"Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?" Mu Zi Xing asked, scowling in disgust. "Bullying a little girl like that."

"Honestly, this doesn't sit well with me too," Gui Xiong admitted, reclining in his throne. "I don't like resorting to such underhanded tactics, but it's not like I have a choice."

"You always have a choice," Mu Zi Xing said coldly.

"How naïve can you be, girl?" Gui Xiong snorted. "If only the world works as simply as you seem to think it does. But I guess it's only natural. Right now you don't have to bear responsibilities. You don't have an entire family of brothers to take care of. You don't need to worry about your precious subordinates being threatened because you refused to listen to a cultivator stronger than you."

He leaned closer.

"You understand nothing of our world, so don't come preaching to me about pretty ideals. You, who have lived a sheltered life, basking in the light your entire life. You don't know what my brothers and I have been through."

"I would rather not know," Mu Zi Xing replied defiantly. "But I know for sure that Si Nan will definitely come to save us. That this little sister's parents will come to save us."

"Don't get too carried away!" One of Gui Xiong's subordinates roared, striding forward to slap her. Mu Zi Xing spat out some blood, but she raised her head to glare defiantly at her assailant. He raised his hand again.

"Stop it!" Na Lan Yan Rou pleaded. "She have nothing to do with this! I'll stay as a hostage, but please let this big sister go!"

"But she's the one who wanted to come along," Gui Xiong replied flippantly. "Nobody forced her."

"You… !"

"You want to be punished too, little lady?�� the punk snarled, turning on her. Before he could swing his hand, however, he froze.

Gui Xiong was glaring at him.

"Bu Xia," he growled. "Did I give you permission to hit the girls?"

"N…no."

Cold sweat was pouring down Bu Xia's back. He gulped and backed away subconsciously, unable to meet his boss's glower. He immediately dropped to his knees and bowed, pressing his forehead to the ground.

"Please forgive me, Boss."

"As long as you don't touch the girls again."

"Y…yes!

While Bu Xia scampered away, Na Lan Yan Rou glared at Gui Xiong.

"Please release the big sister. I'll stay here with you. Isn't that enough?"

"No."

"But…!"

"It's all right, little sister." Mu Zi Xing smiled reassuringly. "I will stay with you. I can't leave you here alone."

"This girl has guts!" Gui Xiong guffawed. "I like her more and more."

Mu Zi Xing looked disgusted and tried to inch away from Gui Xiong, but he raised a hand.

"Don't worry. I have no intention of touching you. None of my subordinates will do anything to you either. We just need you to behave until Shu Cong arrives."

"Will you really let us go after that?" Na Lan Yan Rou asked, her voice dripping with skepticism.

"Ye of little faith," Gui Xiong replied with a snicker. "Do you really have so little doubt about our honor?"

"I doubt you even have any honor to begin with," Na Lan Yan Rou said viciously.

The only response she received was raucous laughter.

*

"Do you seriously plan on charging into the bear's cave like this? Without any sort of plan?"

I shook my head and glared at Si Nan in exasperation. He shrugged.

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I have a plan."

"What's your plan?"

"We go in, beat everyone up, save the girls, and then get out of there." Si Nan smirked. "Simple enough."

It was so simple that I couldn't help but bury my face in my palm. Here I was, thinking that Si Nan was a smart fella. He was one of the highest scorers in our academic exams. If I recalled correctly, he was actually ranked first in school.

Now that I thought about it, wasn't Si Nan quite the impressive fella? Not only was he top scorer in the exams, he was also the ace of the basketball team. He reminded me of those Mary Sue male leads from a shoujo styled manhua. Perfect at everything except at socializing with the female main character.

I guess such an archetype was popular with girls. If this was a shoujo manhua, he might actually be strong enough to stomp into the Ghost Bear Clan's hideout and defeat every single one of them by himself.

Unfortunately, this was reality, and I wasn't going to gamble the safety of the two girls on banking that he was some unrealistic Mary Sue male lead who would never fail to save the female main character. Such nonsense simply didn't happen in real life.

"Do you seriously think the two of us can defeat about fifty or so adult gangsters by ourselves? Are you insane?"

"I'm sure it'll work out somehow. Didn't you beat like 5 or so Ghost Bear Clan gangsters a few months ago? One of them is even a professional boxer."

"Yeah, but I had the honor of fighting the boxer one-on-one. Also, it's one thing to fight five or so gangsters, but it's another to fight fifty or more. And I'm being conservative. I have no idea how many members there are in the Ghost Bear Clan."

I couldn't help but be cautious. Thinking back to the duel against Ying Quan, I remembered how formidable a foe he was. Thanks to him, my Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths had progressed by leaps and bounds. I had gained an epiphany to the whole concept of soft countering hard during the fight. Even so, I wasn't enthusiastic about facing him again. Not only that, Ying Quan wouldn't be the only one present. Surely he would be backed up by a lot of veterans who spent most of their lives brawling.

Shaking the gloomy thoughts out of my head, I returned to the present and focused on the road ahead. "You said the place is around…here?"

"Yeah. That way." Si Nan navigated through the roads, pointing the way. I was surprised, but I allowed him to continue leading the way. Good thing he came along, or I would have been completely lost in this area.

Si Nan's friend had given us an address in the red light district, and as we stepped into it, I could see hostesses waving from the entrance of their establishments in an attempt to draw male customers. There were a few hotels too, their exterior decorated sleazily.

Not to mention a few pachinko parlors. Definitely a great place for a gang's hideout.

"You seem to be pretty familiar with this neighborhood."

Si Nan hesitated for a moment, and then looked away.

"There was a period of time when my mom worked as a hostess, so…"

"Oh, that's why." I nodded in understanding. Si Nan glanced at me, taken aback when he saw that I had no intention of judging his mother or looking disgusted.

"My mom…is a single parent. My dad died when I was a baby, and she refused to get married. My grandparents – especially my grandmother – didn't approve of it, and tried to pressure her, but she remained loyal to my dad. So she had to struggle really hard. A few years ago, she lost her job, and to make ends meet, she temporarily worked as a hostess here, until…she found another job."

"That makes sense." I nodded. "My dad was the same. His business failed when I was in elementary school, and he nearly went bankrupt. In order to survive, he would do all sorts of odd jobs, from delivery to driving taxis."

Si Nan's eyes widened, and the corners of his lips tilted upward slightly from relief. Probably at finding a kindred spirit.

"My mom managed to find a new job at a subsidiary of a big corporation. She's doing much better now."

"Yeah, things never stay awful for long. You just have to keep going and take one step at a time. My dad also found employment at another business, and we're also doing better now." I scratched my head. "What is it that they said? No matter how dark the night is, the sun will always rise again. The night is darkest just before the dawn."

Si Nan was silent for a moment, and then he chuckled.

"You and Xiao Xing are really similar."

"Hmm? Mu Zi Xing?"

"Yeah. That optimism. That refusal to give up, no matter the odds." Si Nan shook his head in slight amusement. "I always reprimanded her for being naïve, for being…stupid. But you're almost the same as her."

"You saying I'm stupid?"

"Perhaps." Si Nan chuckled. I was surprised. I had rarely seen Si Nan smile, never mind laugh. He always struck me as the brooding type. He lowered his head. "Xiao Xing is very precious to me. While I was always…worried about my mom, and doing my best to help her out, to be a good boy, she would teach me how to have fun. How to…relax."

He exhaled wearily.

"If it weren't for her, I think I would have…burned out a long time ago. Retreat within a shell, and become unable to interact with anyone normally."

"We'll definitely save her," I promised. "And Na Lan Yan Rou too."

"Speaking of which, we are here." Si Nan stopped right in front of a pachinko parlor. I raised an eyebrow, glanced at the address that was sent to my smartphone and confirmed that they were the same.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped through the double doors, which automatically slid open to allow us access.

The first thing that hit me was the noise. Someone was playing music in the background, so loud that my ears almost hurt. I gagged on the thick fog of cigarette smoke that settled onto the place, wrinkling my nose at the stink. In the distance, hoodlums and thugs jeered or swore when they failed to earn whatever money they wanted to.

"This is the place?" I repeated incredulously. Si Nan nodded.

"No doubt about it."

"But where are they…?"

The two of us wandered about, only for two burly muscle-heads to appear in front of me. Si Nan tensed, but I held out a hand to stop him. I sensed no aggression or hostility from the two huge bouncers. Yet I could tell that they were here for us.

"Our boss has been waiting for you," one of them said, and I nodded. The two of them turned about sharply and led us toward a door at the back of the parlor.

Si Nan and I followed them wordlessly, but we cautiously kept an eye out for any tricks. Good thing I practiced Heavenly Flow and Earthly Paths, so I could keep track of the location of every single person within this establishment and detect a trap before it was sprung upon us.

We went through the door, which led to a flight of stairs that descended toward what I presumed was the basement. I exchanged a silent glance with Si Nan, but the both of us knew we had no choice but to proceed forward.

The bouncers led us to yet another door, but this time it was a heavy, metallic door that seemed several inches thick. They knocked on it, and then stepped back to wait for the set of doors to swing back. Without a word, they gestured for the two of us to step inside.

"Well, well. Look who's here. And you are right, high school lady. Looks like your boyfriend decided to come to save you."

The massive guy at the back of the room, lounging in a heavily jeweled chair that resembled a throne, rested his head on his hand as he watched Si Nan and I enter the cavernous space below the pachinko parlor. He puffed on a cigarette smoke and then expelled a cloud of gray fumes that almost took the resemblance of a bear.

I couldn't help but be disgusted when I saw the cigarette and empty beer cans that lay scattered messily around the throne.

Smoking and drinking alcoholic drinks…such indulgences will affect one's cultivation negatively. Not that I was going to tell the man that, of course. The worse his cultivation, the better my chances.

"Si Nan!" Mu Zi Xing cried out. Her childhood friend nodded at her.

"We're here to save you."

"Impressive. Impressive!" the gigantic fellow inclined in the throne clapped his hands. He then turned to a sagging Na Lan Yan Rou. "What did I tell you? He'll definitely come to save you."

Na Lan Yan Rou met my eyes, looking guilty.

"You shouldn't have," she said quietly. I shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. I would have come eventually." I then turned to the enormous giant on the throne. He must be the leader, so I addressed him directly. "Couldn't you have been a little bit more patient? I would have accepted your challenge eventually. I told you to wait until after the Gao Kao, didn't I? I wanted to focus on my exams first."

"Ah, forgive me for being so impatient." The leader of the Ghost Bear Clan shrugged. "But put yourself in my position. What if you were just using the exams as an excuse to avoid fighting us? Did you really think I could just take your word for it?"

"It's not like you had anything to lose by waiting," I replied venomously. "Unless your hideout or your whole gang will suddenly disappear after the exam or something."

"Perhaps not, but we've no obligation to wait for you until after your exams."

"And I have no obligation to listen to you either," I retorted. The goliath laughed.

"True, true." Then he leaned back in his colossal chair. "Ah, right. Where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. I'm the leader of the Ghost Bear Clan, Gui Xiong. As you probably already know, I've called you here to settle the matter between us once and for all."

"Matter? What matter?"

"This matter." Gui Xiong snapped his fingers.

At his signal, a few dozen massive guys emerged from all around Si Nan and me, forming a circle and surrounding us from all sides.

And a good number of them were armed with knives.