Chapter 1: I studied finance...
1989, Hong Kong, Kau Lung Walled City.
This is a city shrouded in mysterious shadows. Viewed from above, the entire city appears square, its high-rise buildings densely packed and
layered, like a Rubik’s Cube cast in steel and concrete, abruptly situated in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong’s New Territories, incongruous with the surrounding relaxed architecture and modern elevated highways. This giant Rubik’s Cube covers less than three square kilometers, yet boasts over five hundred high-rise buildings and a population of nearly thirty thousand. The dense buildings block even the most intense summer sunlight, leaving
ninety-five percent of the city perpetually dark.
Its notoriety spread far and wide, even overseas. Due to historical issues inherited from the Qing Dynasty, this small town became a lawless black area, beyond the jurisdiction of Beijing, Hong Kong, and the British government, thus becoming a special “autonomous region.” Within this boundless darkness lay countless drug dens, casinos, brothels, dog meat restaurants, and unlicensed clinics. It was the largest distribution center for
heroin in the Asia-Pacific region at the time, and a gathering place for gangsters. Xia Liuyi, the top-ranking enforcer in Jiaolong City, a “Red Stick”
of the Xiaoji Hall, was skilled in wielding a pair of Green Dragon Double Swords.
The term “Red Stick” is colloquially known as the head of the thugs, responsible for beating people and leading beatings. In the gang, their status
is second only to the “Dragon Head (Mountain Lord)” and the “Deputy Hall Master (Deputy Mountain Lord),” and on par with “White Paper Fan” (in charge of finances) and “Straw Sandal” (in charge of communications). [Note 1] In terms of skill, Xia Liuyi isn’t the best in Jiaolong City.
Jiaolong
City is a mixed bag, with over a dozen gangs. Regardless of the hidden talents in other gangs, within the Xiaoqi Hall alone, his skill ranks second only to the Deputy Hall Master Xu Ying—supposedly a descendant of the
direct lineage of the Twenty-Eight Subduing Dragon Palms. However, in
terms of top-tier fighters, in the entire Jiaolong City, if he acknowledges second place, no one dares to claim first. The reason is simple—in a life-or-
death struggle, who cares about palm techniques, swordsmanship, or
lineage? Ruthless and ruthless, so ruthless that they don’t even care about their own lives! That’s the essence of gang fights! When Xia Liuyi was eighteen, during a gang war, to rescue the besieged gang leader Hao Chengqing, he single-handedly slashed down over forty people with two swords, carving a bloody path through three alleyways. After the incident,
nearby residents spent two days and two nights just scraping up the pieces of flesh from the walls and ground. This battle, known in the underworld as “Black Children’s Day,” is still talked about more than six years later. Hong Kong doesn’t have a “Children’s Day”; celebrating Children’s Day on June
1st is a mainland Chinese custom. Many residents of Xiaolong Walled City were migrants from the mainland, and because of Xia Liuyi’s fame, word spread, and the term “Children’s Day on June 1st” became widely known in
the walled city. The name “June 1st” terrified thugs; their greatest fear was being invited by Brother Liuyi to “celebrate Children’s Day.”
Fortunately, this ruthless Brother Liu Yi still had some sense of morality.
He
was neither arrogant nor domineering, basically adhering to the principle of “I won’t offend others unless they offend me.” Moreover, he was extremely
loyal to his boss, Hao Chengqing, and followed his lead without question. Among the various leaders of the walled city, Hao Chengqing was considered one of the more mild-mannered and cautious ones. Therefore, Xia Liu Yi’s sharp blade was obediently sheathed, and he rarely went on a killing spree.
Not only was Brother Liu too lazy to lift a finger, but he also rarely bothered
to carry his beloved knife. That day, when he arrived at the newly opened “Xiaoqi Film Company” under the Xiaoqi Hall, he was followed by Lai
Quan, a fan who carried his knife for him.
Lai Quan lost 20,000 yuan at a gambling den under the Xiaoqitang banner and attempted to run away without paying. He was fortunate enough to be personally chased down and brought back by Brother Liu Yi. He already foresaw his gruesome end, a bloody mess torn corpse, and was walking away, his face streaked with tears. He even wiped his nose as he cried, making sure it didn’t drip onto Brother Liu Yi’s knife.
“Brother Liu Yi!” The henchman guarding the door puffed out his chest and stood ramrod straight. [Note: Henchman, also known as a lackey.]
Xia Liuyi took the cigarette he offered and turned her head to let him light it.
“Brother Ma is waiting for you inside,” the henchman reported seriously. Xia Liuyi glanced at him, raised her chin, and gestured, “Take him to the photography studio and keep an eye on him.”
“Yes!” the henchman replied in a booming voice, then turned and kicked Lai Quan. “What are you looking at! Get out of here!”
" return.”
“Does Brother Liu Yi have any further instructions?” ” knife.”
The henchman kicked him again, yelling, “Hurry up and give the knife back to Brother Liu Yi!” Xia Liu Yi walked into the room, closed the door, plopped down on the desk, and started smoking. His trusted subordinate,
Xiao Ma, with a scarred face and a stylish slicked-back hairstyle, was kneeling on the ground with several thugs in a tiger-landing stance. Xiao Ma waited for a long time without hearing him speak, so he furtively looked up.
“I’ve never seen that guy at the entrance before,” Xia Liuyi said. “Brother Xu transferred him yesterday, said he’s quick-witted. If you don’t like him, Brother Liuyi, I’ll find an excuse to replace him tomorrow!” Xiao Ma said crisply, with a fawning expression that was completely at odds with his fierce appearance. “Damn it, Xu Ying…” Xia Liuyi pondered, taking a puff
of smoke from his mouth and slowly exhaling, “Book a private room at He Xiang Lou tomorrow night, I want to invite A Da to dinner.” The “A Da” he was referring to was none other than Hao Chengqing, the head of the Xiaoqi Gang, known in the underworld as “Green Dragon Boss.”
“Yes! I’ll go book a table right away!” Xiao Ma sprang up deftly. Xia Liu flicked his cigarette ash, “Go back.” Xiao Ma, looking miserable, slumped back down.
Xia Liu pointed to her toes.
Little Ma looked dejected, holding up a thick wooden stick with both hands. The thugs obediently lowered their heads and lay prone, sticking their buttocks out and biting their sleeves.
Xia Liuyi leisurely stubbed out his cigarette, tossed the scabbards from his waist and back onto the table, rolled up his sleeves, and took the wooden stick. —And then came a brutal beating, a relentless thud! Crack! Crack!
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
He used half his strength, and in a few swift strokes, he whipped his men until their buttocks were swollen like monkey backsides. These burly men, their faces contorted with pain, dared not utter a sound, biting their sleeves
desperately, silently wailing for their lives. Finally, feeling he had whipped
them enough, he casually tossed aside the wooden stick and sat back down at the table. Xiao Ma struggled to his feet, limping over to light his cigarette.
“Do you know you were wrong?” Xia Liu asked.
“Yes, yes!” Little Ma quickly replied, and the burly men nodded vigorously in agreement. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Uh...hehe...”
Xia Liuyi, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, turned around and reached for the stick again.
Seeing the situation was turning against him, Xiao Ma lunged forward and grabbed Xia Liuyi’s leg, letting out a pitiful and lingering scream, “Brother Liuyi! You can’t hit him anymore! If you hit him again, he’ll be crippled!”
Xia Liuyi swung his hand and mercilessly slapped Xiao Ma’s swollen buttocks again! Xiao Ma howled in pain, and the burly men turned their faces away in horror.
“What am I doing keeping a bunch of useless trash around?” he finally roared, “Damn it, we can’t even catch a scoundrel, and I have to go out and do it myself?”
“Brother Liuyi,” Xiao Ma said, covering his backside with a mournful face, “I don’t understand, Lai Quan only owes 20,000 yuan, why is it necessary to make such a big fuss about arresting him…”
“You don’t understand!” Xia Liuyi slapped his messy slicked-back hair. “Your brain’s in your ass! Of course you don’t understand!” Xiao Ma squatted on the ground, clutching the large bump on his head, feeling both pain and grievance. Xia Liuyi sat back down with a cold face. “Lai Quan has a younger sister, did you know that?”
“I know, Lai Sanmei, a notorious slut.” What has she been up to lately?
“Uh, I heard he’s working with ‘Fat Seven,’ a big shot at the Hesheng Association.”
“Ah Da wants to open a nightclub on Portland Street in Mong Kok, right
next to Yau Ma Tei. Yau Ma Tei is the territory of the Sheng Hui, and they’re bound to cause trouble. Now that I’ve arrested Lai Quan, Fat Seven will have to call Ah Da to ask for his brother-in-law. I always listen to Ah Da, so of course I’ll give him face and release him immediately. Fat Seven owes Ah
Da a favor, and he’ll have to be lenient with things at the nightclub in the future...”
“Oh! Oh, oh, oh!” Little Ma exclaimed in sudden realization, indicating that he really understood this time. Xia Liuyi gave him another slap on the butt, “Use your brain!”
“It will definitely grow! It will grow soon! I’ve been following Brother Liuyi
for three years, and I’ve been growing every day, really, really!” Little Ma covered his butt and quickly flattered him.
" roll!”
Little Ma scurried up, grabbed the wooden stick, and prepared to run away. But as he slipped to the door, he remembered something and came back, looking tearful. “Brother Liu Yi, there’s something else about the new movie.” Earlier this year, Xia Liu Yi and Cui Dongdong, known as “White
Paper Fan” in the gang, were ordered to open this “Xiaoqi Film Company” to launder money for the “head office.” Cui Dongdong was in charge of the
accounts, while Xia Liu Yi, as the “general manager,” also had to arrange for the actual production of several films, just to make a show of it. So he would
occasionally come here to sit in the office. They had already made several Category III films, with mediocre profits. Now, Qinglong wanted to change the market and seriously make a gangster romance story. Xia Liuyi shot Xiao Ma a sharp glare, and Xiao Ma immediately trembled. “No, no, no, it’s
nothing serious! The director is already here! I found the popular actor Liu Xiaode for the male lead; he lost 500,000 gambling at Brother Xu’s club. As for the female lead, the boss said to let his wife play the role. But that director only makes Category III films, things like ‘Flaming Woman,’ ‘Midnight Diner,’ and ‘The Mistress of the Brothel’... He said he wants to find
a screenwriter who can write serious stories, but... I don’t know a single screenwriter...”
“Damn it, just find someone who can read! If not, you write it!” Little Horse’s face fell. “I didn’t even graduate from middle school, Brother Liu Yi!”
“Then find someone who graduated from high school!” He kicked him.
Little Ma screamed and ran away, clutching his backside, but was called
back after taking two steps. Xia Liuyi lowered his head, smoking a cigarette, resuming his lazy and pretentious demeanor, and recalled, “Two years ago, a college student came out of the city walled village. We set off firecrackers. Look for him.”
" clear!”
……
A group of thugs, their backsides swollen, ambushed He Chusan, who was returning home from studying, in an alley at 10:35 PM. They sacked him and carried him back to their “company” in fifteen minutes. Who was He Chusan? He was the first contemporary college student in the history of Jiaolong City, a feat equivalent to a top scholar emerging from a remote, impoverished mountain village in ancient times. His mother, Shen Peipei,
was once one of the most beautiful women in the city, but unfortunately, she
lost her sight and married a powerless, penniless gangster, claiming it was true love, but really just because he was handsome. The two were deeply in love, and Shen became pregnant before marriage. In her fourth month of pregnancy, the gangster was hacked to pieces in a dark alley. Fortunately, he retained his head, which was enough to help him identify the body.
Unable to accept any comfort, Shen Liangnu, in a moment of despair, jumped into the sea while heavily pregnant and attempted suicide. She was
pulled from the water shortly after sinking by an unlicensed dentist passing by. The dentist, surnamed He, was not handsome, but honest. His wife had run off with someone else, and he didn’t mind being someone else’s adoptive
father. Shen Liangnu lay listlessly in Dr. He’s clinic for six months, giving birth to her child and then passing away. Before dying, she held Dr. He’s hand, pleading, “The child will take your surname, He. Don’t let him get involved in the underworld.” Dr. He, unable to even remarry, diligently raised his adopted son. Because he was born on the third day of the Lunar New Year, his formal name was He Chusan (He the Third), his nickname
was A-San (A-San), and his other nickname was Indian A-San. Little Indian A-San was obedient and sensible. From childhood to adulthood, no matter how much he was mocked, teased, provoked, harassed, or beaten, he never fought back, gradually becoming a pure, gentle, and academically excellent individual in Jiaolong City. This oddball, who completed primary and secondary school on scholarships, received an admission letter from Longgang Polytechnic University, adding an extremely eerie touch to the dark and gloomy Jiaolong Village.
When Dr. He heard the news of his son’s acceptance, he was so excited that he set off a string of firecrackers in the street, making it known throughout the entire village. While it certainly brought glory to the family, unfortunately, his son’s life was ruined by that one firecracker.
On this night of tragedy, He Chusan had just spent the entire day cramming his brain with dense English formulas. He was walking along a familiar, dimly lit alleyway with his schoolbag when suddenly his mouth and nose were covered, and everything went black! He was thrown sideways, flying about for an unknown amount of time, then suddenly, everything was bright!
He immediately saw a handsome young man ahead, wearing a tight black
tank top that revealed his healthy, tanned, well-defined arms and shoulders.
His long legs, tightly encased in jeans, were crossed and propped up on a table. This young man had striking, aloof features and star-like eyes, naturally exuding a cold and distant aura. Yet, his expression was relaxed and languid as he ate a skewer of beef offal while intently watching television.
The black-and-white television was showing “The Godfather.” Marlon Brando stood by the bed, smoking a cigar and speaking in broken English.
This was a completely novel experience for He Chusan, who grew up in the slums and had only ever seen a television in a shop window. He immediately focused his attention on it!
The two of them stared intently at the screen for a while, but Xia Liuyi, who didn’t know many words and couldn’t keep up with the changing subtitles, finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Xiao Ma!” A young man with a scarred
face and greasy slicked-back hair limped in from the next room. “Hey! Brother Liuyi!”
“Where’s the Chinese dubbing?”
“Sigh, that’s it for this video, no dubbing!” “……”
“Hehehe.” Little Horse gave a fawning smile. “Get lost!” “Yes!” Little Ma scurried off.
" return.”
“Yes!” He quickly returned.
“Who is this?” Xia Liuyi raised his chin.
“Screenwriter, you asked me to arrest him this afternoon,” Xiao Ma said proudly, puffing out his chest. Xia Liuyi frowned and looked He Chusan up and down. “This...is he an adult?”
“Hurry up and tell Brother Liu Yi how old you are?!” Xiao Ma’s expression immediately changed, and he shouted fiercely. “Twenty-one,” He Chu San obediently replied.
Xiao Ma kicked him in the back of the knee, and He Chusan cried out in pain as he fell to his knees. “Damn it, what do you mean ‘twenty-one’? Sixteen is more like it! Talk to me honestly!” He Chusan looked down to touch his schoolbag, and Xiao Ma thought he was going to grab a weapon. He kicked him two meters away, picked him up to beat him, but Xia Liuyi raised his hand to stop him.
He Chusan clutched his chest, coughing violently from the kick, and pulled his ID card from his schoolbag with trembling hands. Xiao Ma snatched it and checked the date of birth; it was indeed twenty-one.
“Damn it!” Xiao Ma cursed. This kid’s arms and legs are as thin as a chick’s, and his face looks so young. How can he be twenty-one?
He Chusan clutched his chest, remaining silent. He knew that people in the underworld didn’t follow reason, and he didn’t yet know why they had captured him, so silence was golden.
Xia Liu waved his hand, completely shooing Xiao Ma away. He gestured with his chin for He Chusan to sit down, then turned back to watch television intently.
He Chusan felt a silent pain in his chest for a while, but his attention was drawn back to the television. The two watched in silence for about ten minutes, then Xia Liuyi, who had missed the subtitles again, frowned. “What did he say?”
“He said, ‘I’ll give him a condition he can’t refuse.’” Xia Liuyi whistled, giving him a look of complete agreement. “What about this one?”
“Treat your enemies more kindly than your friends.” This time, Xia Liuyi raised an eyebrow.
After watching for a while, he picked up a skewer of offal and continued eating, pushing the plate towards He Chusan. “No need, thank you,” He
Chusan said.
“Damn it! Just eat what Brother Liu Yi tells you to eat!” A burly man guarding the door suddenly roared like thunder.
As a result, Xia Liuyi swung her long leg and kicked the entire plate of beef offal at him, yelling, “Shut up, get lost!”
The big man rolled away swiftly.
Xia Liuyi turned back to watch TV, casually handing the surviving half-skewer of beef offal to He Chusan. He Chusan hesitated, not daring to take it. Xia Liuyi, without turning her head, kept staring at the TV, simply waving
the beef offal skewer in her hand and said gently, “Eat it.”
He Chusan was like a stray dog who had wandered into a mansion, was scolded by the servants, and was then gently petted by the master. He obediently took the beef offal and took a bite. He realized that it tasted like
the snack shop next to his father’s clinic, Fat Sister’s Snack Shop.
The naive He Chusan immediately realized that this underworld boss was unlike any he had seen or heard of before—young, handsome, mild-mannered, and approachable; he seemed reasonable enough to reason with him. He subtly shifted his position to relax, feeling confident he might leave
safely that night. He finished his skewer of beef offal, read the subtitles, and
finally, at Xia Liuyi’s instruction, turned off the television. This “mild-mannered” underworld boss then lazily began to discuss business with him, “Do you know why I’m looking for you?”
He Chusan obediently shook his head. Have you ever heard of “screenwriter”? He continued to shake his head.
Xia Liuyi patiently explained to him, “I want to make a movie, and I need you to write a story for me within three days.”
He Chusan blinked, finally understanding. But as a young man from a colonial era with his head full of English formulas, he had absolutely no idea
how to begin. “I studied finance...” he began. —I can’t write stories.
Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Ma, who had gone out earlier,
came back in cursing, “Brother Liu Yi! I called Lai Sanmei to ask for money, and she said that she and her brother had long since severed ties, and whether Lai Quan lives or dies is none of her business!”
Xia Liuyi raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”
“Damn it, his sister even dared to hang up on me!” Xiao Ma added angrily. Xia Liuyi, however, remained calm, turning his head to light a cigarette, his expression leisurely. “Bring him in.” In less than ten seconds, Lai Quan, his face bruised and swollen, was dragged in by several burly men. He Chusan
was covered in cold sweat, watching helplessly as Xia Liuyi, cigarette dangling from his lips, picked up a stool and beat Lai Quan until he was unrecognizable! Finally, he had someone force him to a table, pull off his socks to gag him, and use pliers to pull out his fingernails one by one!
“Don’t know what to do? Do you want Brother Liuyi to help you think of something?” Xia Liuyi stubbed out his smoking cigarette on Lai Quan’s bloodied and mangled finger. “Think for yourself, one finger. Brother Liuyi will help you think of something, three fingers.”
“Waaaah!” Lai Quan cried incessantly, biting his smelly socks, his head shaking so hard it almost flew off.
Xia Liu waved his hand, and Xiao Ma stepped forward and ripped off his smelly socks. “I... I called my mother and begged her to beg her,” Lai Quan said weakly, his voice trembling with tears.
“Good boy,” Xia Liuyi patted his head approvingly, “one.” Little Ma responded and went for it, snapping it cleanly and crisply! A heart-wrenching scream rang out! “Eee ...
He Chusan’s young and delicate heart, along with his very soul, was utterly shattered by that final, resounding cry! He stared blankly as the limp Lai Quan was dragged away by several burly men. Xiao Ma bandaged up his
severed finger, instructed one of his men to take it to Lai Quan’s elderly mother, diligently wiped the blood-stained tabletop clean himself, and then swiftly rolled away.
Xia Liuyi sat back down at the table, crossing her long legs again. “What did you just say?” He Chusan clicked his tongue blankly. “I studied finance...”
" Um?”
“I can write stories.” “Good, good boy.”
Anti-slip tips:
The Kau Lung Walled City is actually the now-demolished Kowloon
Walled City. Due to the addition of fictional elements and slight differences in its setting, it was renamed Kau Lung Walled City to distinguish it.
In Hong Kong’s triad system, titles such as “Mountain Master,” “Deputy Mountain Master,” “Red Pole,” “White Paper Fan,” and “Straw Sandal” are often abbreviated using specific numbers. For ease of reading comprehension, these will be omitted in this article.p
