Xiao Wu listened intently, mulling over Yue San's words, but he still couldn't quite grasp everything. Helplessly, he asked, "Boss, do you mean that Liu Tian is one of the heirs from when Long Haotian divided the underworld business into four parts back in the day?"
"Liu Tian? Him?" Yue San sneered. "Back then, no one even knew where he was. Ten years ago, Long Haotian split his business into four equal parts — prostitution, drugs, gambling, and arms. Each was entrusted to one of his most loyal subordinates at the time: Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu. Liu Tian was nothing more than a low-level errand boy under Xuanwu. What qualifications would he have?"
"I heard Long Haotian is fifty-two now. So he retired when he was forty-two… then how did Liu Tian become the boss today?" Xiao Wu asked.
"A lot happened in these ten years," Yue San said, continuing his recollection. "For the first two years after Long Haotian's retirement, his four subordinates got along well enough. But later, because of profit disputes, disagreements arose. They repeatedly called on the retired Boss Long to mediate. At first, Long Haotian tried hard to settle their quarrels, but after too many times, he grew numb to it. Plus, he had already left the underworld — if he kept stepping back in, people would start talking. Eventually, he just stopped interfering altogether."
"And then what happened?" Xiao Wu asked, fully engrossed now.
"Then… heh, then things got even crazier," Yue San said. "They started killing each other to swallow up each other's turf for greater profits. The ones dying were just the little brothers who served them. Around that time, Liu Tian proved himself to be unusually fierce, earning the appreciation of his boss, Xuanwu. Everyone was killing with blood in their eyes. The slightly weaker Qinglong decided to hire assassins from the Black List to kill the other three bosses. That's when I first heard of the Black List — a terrifying organization. After that, things got even more chaotic.
"Liu Tian was very loyal to Xuanwu, but he was also highly ambitious. Since Xuanwu was in the arms trade, Liu Tian took a few of his closest brothers, armed themselves with heavy weapons, and secretly infiltrated Qinglong's home. They killed him while he was still basking in his victory. That one night made Liu Tian famous. Xuanwu's men began to rally around him. At that time, the underworld in G Province was in total disarray. Small factions were recruiting and fighting for territory. Liu Tian's abilities were limited, so he only managed to secure the two largest markets — arms and drugs. The rest, because his forces had suffered heavy losses, he couldn't take. Gradually, things settled into the situation we see today."
Yue San crushed out his cigarette as he finished speaking.
Xiao Wu nodded in understanding. "Then, didn't the police intervene at the time?"
"How could they? They were all so scared that they hid away like turtles in their shells. No one dared to throw their lives away. In the end, it was Long Haotian who stepped forward to help the police station take control of the situation, and only then did things gradually stabilize," Yue San replied.
"I see. Then, Boss, how did you get into the casino business?" Xiao Wu asked.
"Heh… I'm the younger brother of Suzaku. Back then, I was still young, about the same age as you are now. My big brother wanted to protect me, so he sent me abroad. By the time I got the news and returned, my brother had already been killed in cold blood. Later, I didn't stay here to build a name for myself—I went elsewhere, started from scratch, and eventually, after hiding my identity, I managed to make a name in another place. Only in recent years did I return to Province G. Now, I intend to take back everything my brother lost." At this point, Yue San gritted his teeth.
"I understand," Xiao Wu said. As Yue San's trusted aide, he was usually entrusted with handling all important matters.
"I'm tired. You can go now. Also, arrange a meeting with Liu Tian for me in three days. I think it's time we had a proper talk about business, hehe…" Yue San said with a sinister smile.
Xiao Wu acknowledged the order and withdrew.
When Shi Aotian returned to his place, he didn't mention the matter of earning money through boxing to Dongfang Qing, thinking it wasn't anything important and not worth bringing up. Dongfang Qing didn't notice anything unusual either, continuing to call him "Aotian" this and "Aotian" that as usual.
Shi Aotian didn't take the ring matches seriously at all. He felt they were easy and saw them merely as a way to make money. That afternoon, with nothing else to do, he even took a nap.
That afternoon, at Long Haotian's home—
"Dad, I'm back," came a crisp, lively voice, interrupting Long Haotian as he was reading the newspaper.
"Cai Ni, you're back. Come, sit here. I haven't seen you for such a long time," Long Haotian said with a smile, setting down his newspaper.
"Yes," replied a girl in her early twenties as she sat down beside him. She was Gu Caini, Long Haotian's adopted daughter—though in truth, she was the daughter of an old friend.
Gu Caini's father, Gu Ran, had been Long Haotian's sworn brother in life-and-death bonds. When they were young, the two had roamed the world together, and it could be said that half of Long Haotian's success was owed to Gu Ran. Later, when their enemies came to kill them, Gu Ran unhesitatingly took a fatal bullet for Long Haotian. With his dying breath, he entrusted his wife and daughter to him. Seeing his best brother die right before his eyes nearly drove Long Haotian mad with grief and rage. In his fury, he brought a storm of blood and chaos to the underworld to avenge Gu Ran.
After taking his revenge, he began to harbor thoughts of retirement.
To fulfill the promise he made to Gu Ran, Long Haotian adopted Gu Caini as his goddaughter. Not long after Gu Ran's death, Gu Ran's wife was killed in a car accident. Having lost both parents, Gu Caini became increasingly quiet. Long Haotian doted on her twice as much, even more than on his own biological daughter. Under his care, her personality gradually became more cheerful. With the companionship of Long Haotian's biological daughter, Long Minmin, she slowly recovered from the pain of losing her parents.
"Has school life been tough?" Long Haotian asked, gently stroking Gu Caini's long hair.
"Not at all. And the dorm isn't far from home, Dad. Don't worry—I'll come back often." As she spoke, she leaned into Long Haotian's arms like a spoiled child.
Long Haotian chuckled. "Alright, you're all grown up now, and still acting spoiled."
Gu Caini lifted her head from his arms and asked, "Has Minmin come back yet? I don't have classes this afternoon, and I want to chat with her."
"Minmin's at school. She's taking the college entrance exam next year, so the school's keeping a tight schedule. She'll be home tonight—you can talk then," Long Haotian replied.
"I see… but I have class tonight, so I'll have to leave early." Gu Caini was disappointed—she had been hoping to tell Long Minmin about someone she had recently fallen for at first sight.
Although Long Minmin was two years younger than Gu Caini, the two were closer than real sisters and shared all their secrets.
"Dad, I'll go to my room and change clothes first. I'll come back down later to keep you company," Gu Caini said with a smile as she got up.
"Go ahead. You've been away for so long—this time you'd better have a long chat with your dad," Long Haotian replied. Watching her walk upstairs, he shook his head with a fond smile before returning to his newspaper.
Gu Caini entered her room, lay down on her bed, and couldn't help thinking of Shi Aotian, occasionally smiling to herself in a daze.
After Shi Aotian left—inside Yue San's office—
"Boss, did you see anything?" Xiao Wu asked.
"He's good," Yue San said, savoring his cigarette. "Judging by his moves, he's definitely not an ordinary person. But thinking it over… killers from the Black List rarely expose their identities in advance, so I can't be sure. Still… we can take a gamble."
Yue San smiled cunningly. "Whether he is or not, we should act first. Xiao Wu, use the same method as last time—contact a killer for me. This time the reward is ten million—buy both Liu Tian's life and that kid's life. Better to kill by mistake than let them slip away."
"Ten million? Isn't that a bit much?" Xiao Wu exclaimed. "Does it really take that much to deal with Liu Tian? We've already swallowed up nearly two-thirds of his drug market. What's there to be afraid of?"
"Xiao Wu, you don't understand. Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. Liu Tian's been quiet lately—maybe that kid was sent by him. We have to be careful. This time we want the very best killers. I won't risk losing everything over something small. Understand?" Yue San's tone turned vicious, his inner ambition swelling.
"When do we make our move?" Xiao Wu asked calmly. "And… will Long Haotian get involved?"
Yue San already had a plan in mind. "Whether he wants to get involved or not, I won't give him the chance. When the time comes, gather some capable brothers to kidnap his two most beloved daughters. He's a businessman now—if something like that happens, he'll have no time or mood to interfere with our affairs. Once everything's over, we can find a chance to 'rescue' his daughters for him. He'll definitely be grateful to me then. With his favor, I don't think any other force will dare to touch me. That way, we just sit back and enjoy the spoils."
Yue San couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, a low, cold, and sinister laugh, like a blade in the darkness.
"I understand. I'll get it done. When should we take action?" Xiao Wu asked crisply.
Yue San hesitated for a moment, then said, "On the 23rd, all plans will be carried out at the same time."
"Understood. I'll get right on it." Xiao Wu walked away.
The 23rd just happened to be Dongfang Qing's birthday. They had chosen this day to execute their plan.
Entertainment Club, Liu Tian's office.
"Boss, I've got everything ready," said a man in black.
"Good. Yue San, that old fox, thinks that by swallowing up two-thirds of the drug market, he's got me cornered. He's underestimated me. Don't alert him just yet—let him enjoy himself a little longer. With Long Haotian's influence in the underworld, I doubt he'll dare to go too far. Stick to the original plan. Go and get to work."
Having bottled up his anger for a long time, Liu Tian had already made his own arrangements.
The subordinate in the black suit responded and left.
All the conspiracies were unfolding in secret. But the results that followed would be far beyond their expectations—because in the middle of all this was Shi Aotian, a man whose true strength no one could gauge.
Over the past few days, Shi Aotian had been frequenting Yue San's underground boxing casino, taking payment of only 50 yuan each time. In his heart, he had always kept one thing in mind—it was almost Dongfang Qing's birthday. He wanted to earn enough money to buy her a jade rabbit pendant, just as if he were giving it to his late sister with his own hands. In his whole life, he had never given his sister anything—not because he didn't want to, but because he never had the chance. So he entrusted this chance to Dongfang Qing, because she had always treated him like family—at least, that was how Shi Aotian felt. But in Dongfang Qing's heart, it was different—she had truly fallen in love with him.
Shi Aotian had done the math. By the 23rd, he had earned a total of 550 yuan, enough to buy the pendant. He was especially excited—this was his first bucket of gold.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu had already turned Yue San's orders into a Black List mission. On the mission board in the Black List database, it was still ranked among the top ten—after all, ten million was no small sum, at least for an individual assassin.
"I'll take this job." A woman, seated before the computer, glanced at the mission details, then clicked the "Accept Mission" button with her mouse, muttering to herself.
The person who accepted the mission was the agent of Aka, the number seven ranked assassin on the Black List. Aka was known as the "Gun God"—every bullet he fired was a guaranteed hit, making him the undisputed holder of the title. In addition to his skill with firearms, he was also an exceptional Taekwondo expert, another reason he had never failed a mission.
Of course, Liu Tian wasn't an idiot—he had long wanted Yue San dead. The only reason he had tolerated him for so long was to see Yue San's joy turn into tragedy. Liu Tian's assassination order had already made it onto the Black List, though the person who took the job wasn't as famous as the Gun God Aka. He was merely a killer not yet ranked among the top 100. Since many assassins on the Black List were adept at concealing their true strength, there was no way to tell yet whether this one was a ferocious "Tiger Head."
Completely unaware of any of this, Long Haotian was still busy with his business, not realizing that danger was creeping ever closer to his daughter.
Shi Aotian, too, continued his boxing matches. To him, it might not have even counted as real fighting, but he was determined to earn 500 yuan as quickly as possible. That's why he went to the hotel every night.
Before a great earthquake, there is always a brief moment of calm. Things continued like this until the night of the 22nd. After finishing his fight at the hotel, Shi Aotian walked out with the 500 yuan he had finally earned. For some time now, he had been going out at night and returning home before Dongfang Qing got back. This way, he kept his activities hidden from her—he simply wanted to give her a surprise.
Shi Aotian walked into the jewelry shop again.
"Welcome!" the shop assistant greeted warmly.
He pointed at a jade rabbit pendant inside the glass display case. "I'd like to buy this."
"Certainly." The assistant smiled and took the pendant out. "It's 500 yuan in total—crafted from fine cold jade. Sir, please pay over at that counter."
Shi Aotian went to the counter, paid, then came back and slipped the packaged pendant into his pocket.
"Please come again," the assistant said with a constant smile.
Walking out, Shi Aotian felt much lighter at heart—he had finally achieved his goal and happily headed home.
At that moment, the dismissal bell rang. Many students poured out of the school, most heading out for a late snack or an evening stroll. Since it was the weekend, Gu Caini planned to go home. After class, she left the school gates and got into a taxi, which sped off.
After a while, she looked outside and frowned. "This isn't the way to my house. Driver, you've taken the wrong road."
The driver ignored her and kept driving. Realizing the route still wasn't changing, a wave of unease washed over her. She called out nervously, "Stop the car! This isn't the way to my house! Stop! If you don't, I'll jump out!"
The car suddenly braked. Gu Caini hurriedly opened the door to get out, but before she could step down, two strange men rushed over and shoved her back inside. They climbed in quickly as well. Her heart sank—something was very wrong—and she immediately cried out for help.
One of the men swiftly pulled out a mask soaked in ether and pressed it over her mouth. Seeing this, her face turned pale with terror. She struggled desperately and called out a few times before gradually losing consciousness. The car started up again and sped away.
Perhaps no one else heard her cries, but by coincidence, Shi Aotian was passing nearby. He sensed something was wrong and rushed over—only to find that the car was already gone without a trace.
No wonder he was a "wild man" who had trained in the primitive forest for ten years.
Shi Aotian took a deep breath, identified the faint smell of gasoline lingering in the air, and immediately followed its direction.
Tracing the scent, Shi Aotian arrived at an abandoned factory in the suburbs.
To avoid alerting the enemy, he leapt onto the roof of the factory, hung upside down from the eaves, and quietly peeked inside.
"It's her."
Shi Aotian was startled when he saw several unfamiliar men dragging the unconscious Gu Caini into a corner of the factory wall.
A moment later, another man dragged in a young woman he didn't recognize, also unconscious, and tossed her next to Gu Caini.
"Heh, didn't expect these two girls to be so beautiful. Really makes a man's heart race," said Man A as he walked over and stroked the unconscious Gu Caini's face.
"What the hell are you doing? Get away from them! You want to touch them? Are you tired of living? Did you forget the boss's orders?" Man B strode over and stopped him.
"What's your problem? Can't I even touch them? What a waste… with girls like these, just looking makes me itch all over." Man A shook his head.
"They're Long Haotian's daughters. If you don't want to die, you'd better listen to the boss," Man C said coldly.
Still hanging silently from the eaves, Shi Aotian listened to their conversation.
The girl beside Gu Caini was indeed Long Haotian's own daughter, Long Minmin.
Although Shi Aotian didn't know Long Haotian or Long Minmin, he did know Gu Caini—student of Dongfang Qing—and he also understood that these men were criminals.
He was about to make his move, but after hearing their later words, he decided to hold back and wait to "catch the big fish."
"Call Brother Wu and tell him the job is done," Man C said.