Chapter 108: Li Fayuan

(1)

“Hehe, so? How about it? Isn’t your Zhao Er-ye’s Er-ye impressive?”

“…Second-rate, very impressive…”

“Take it! Fifteen hundred bucks!”

“…Er-ye, I’m nineteen this year, not as valuable as last year. Just fourteen hundred will do.”

“The extra hundred is just a tip!”

“Er-ye, you’re really a great man.”

“Haha—”

“If you have time, come by often.”

“Don’t talk about often or not often.”

Zhao Lao’er pulled up his pants and tossed the filthy red tissue onto the nearby cement ground.

“If you really think your Zhao Er-ye is that good, why not just marry me?”

The young, beautiful woman paused slightly.

“Eighty thousand yuan as bride price—is that enough?”

She suddenly smiled again, without a trace of mockery in her expression.

“Er-ye, I see one client a day, that’s over forty thousand yuan a month.”

“Women nowadays are so gold-digging. I knew you’d think the money was too little.”

“I still have debts to pay.”

“Knock knock…”

Just then, the door was suddenly knocked.

Zhao Lao’er lazily opened it and saw a girl outside, wearing red leather shoes and neatly dressed.

She was holding a dirty, curly-haired stray cat and excitedly shouted to the woman inside, “Mom! I found a beautiful big kitty! It’s so well-behaved!”

“Your daughter?”

Zhao Lao’er asked with a surprised look.

“Tsk tsk, how old is she?”

“Still in kindergarten…”

“Really pretty. When she grows up, she’ll definitely look like you.”

“Er-ye, she’s not for sale.”

“I know. Your Zhao Er-ye has no interest in underage girls!”

Zhao Lao’er spat on the ground.

“I despise those who like little girls the most in my life!”

“Mom, mom, can we keep it?”

“No.”

The young woman looked sternly at the little girl.

“It’s too dirty. We can’t keep it.”

“Then, if we clean it, can we keep it?”

“Its fur is too messy.”

“Then trim it! I’ll go find a barber!”

The little girl grabbed the broken umbrella, held the orange cat, and ran outside.

The sound of her footsteps soon faded into the rain.

“Why aren’t you on that street anymore?”

Zhao Lao’er draped his coat over his shoulders, pulled out a fresh pack of ‘Da Qianmen’ cigarettes from inside, and leisurely tore open the plastic.

He happily lit one.

“That requires a cut… half of it…”

“Oh, you have regular customers and channels now, so you’re working solo?”

“Yeah, and it’s freer this way. People around here are more decent, and I’m the only one selling. I don’t worry about running into thugs at night.”

“What about during the day? You’re nowhere to be seen.”

“Working…”

“What? Isn’t that enough for you to earn?”

“Need to pay debts.”

The woman repeated what she said earlier.

“And I can’t sell forever. I have to find a steady job…”

“Tsk tsk.”

Zhao Lao’er took a drag of his cheap cigarette.

The acrid smoke made the young woman cover her mouth and cough.

“See you next time, Er-ye.”

“Got time today?”

“Have to work tomorrow…”

“Staying up late at night won’t hurt, right?”

“Er-ye… again?”

“No more!” Zhao Lao’er waved his hand firmly.

“Come have a drink with me.”

The woman hesitated.

So Zhao Lao’er held up a finger.

“One hundred!”

“~…But…”

“Dollars!”

***

(2)

The gloomy rainy night.

Although the streetlights were on, the whole world still felt pitch black.

A scream pierced the night, making Li Fayuan, who was sweeping up the pile of orange fur inside his shop, slowly look up.

It was the shout of the girl in red leather shoes from earlier.

The small city’s security wasn’t great, but this area rarely had incidents.

After all, though the apartments were old, they weren’t like the urban villages where all kinds of people mixed.

Those living in the apartments were mostly young people with jobs, not idle troublemakers.

So why such a scream?

Li Fayuan figured it was probably because the rain made the road slippery and someone had fallen.

Though it wasn’t really his concern, he still put down his broom and reached to grab an umbrella from the hook by the door.

…Empty.

His expression was calm.

On rainy days, people often took umbrellas hung outside—not necessarily thieves, maybe just urgent needs—and some even returned them after a few days.

He quietly lit a cigarette and stepped into the heavy downpour.

The rain soaked his hair, making his usually unhurried pace seem hurried.

At the alley corner.

A woman lay sprawled in a pool of blood.

The metallic scent of blood was quickly swallowed by the mist.

“Mom… mom?!”

The girl in red leather shoes sat down on the ground, frantically shaking the woman who lay motionless.

Li Fayuan’s small eyes suddenly widened.

He saw a man lifting the little girl like a chicken, causing the orange cat to fall from her arms, trembling in the blood.

“Bastards! You killed the wrong person! Take care of this now!”

“Another one!”

“Kill them all!”

The girl’s throat was cut off, her face pale under the dim light.

She struggled hard but only managed to kick off one red little shoe.

Li Fayuan felt his throat turn dry; the rage nearly roared from his mouth.

But just then, from the other end of the alley came a drunken shout:

“Let go of that girl—!!”

“Pshhh!!”

A throwing knife suddenly plunged into the man’s chest, silencing him.

“Bullying women doesn’t make you a man… I’m Zhao Lao’er. Uh… don’t want to die.”

The man collapsed with a thud, blood slowly oozing from his chest, his drunken eyes fading in the cold rain.

“That idiot! You let him go once, and he dares come back!”

“Killing irrelevant targets, Sima Zuo-liang, you still have no professional ethics.”

“It’s you? Lu Qiao Jingye—”

“You know him?”

“Worked together once.”

The man gritted his teeth.

“He’s a crazy paranoid maniac!”

Lu Qiao Jingye, dressed in a black suit, raised his black umbrella slightly.

“I’ve been to a psychiatric hospital. The doctor said I’m fine.”

“See? I told you he’s crazy!”

“Enough nonsense. Lu Qiao Jingye, do you want to stop us?”

“No, I’m a professional assassin. I never do unnecessary things—only, my target has appeared.”

Lu Qiao Jingye’s gaze passed over Li Fayuan, who turned around to see two beautiful young girls.

One covered her mouth in terror; the other’s eyes were wide in disbelief.

“It’s her!”

“Good, finish the target directly!”

A bright throwing knife cut through the ink-black rain.

But it did not pierce the chest of the girl—An Jing.

“Ding!”

A crisp sound, followed by a clatter.

Li Fayuan gasped, holding a pair of old but well-maintained scissors.

“Damn it!”

“Shit, how did he miss!”

“He blocked it with scissors!”

“May I ask who you are?”

The arrogant man suddenly became respectful.

“I’m a barber; carrying scissors around should be reasonable, right?”

Li Fayuan took a deep breath, straightened slightly.

“You all… stop right now.”

Everyone fell silent.

Li Fayuan then took an old black-and-white phone from his inner pocket and quickly dialed three digits.

“Hello? Police station?”

“Watch out!!”

An Jing shouted anxiously.

Though she didn’t fully understand the situation, she knew she had to be alert—the people in front of her were truly killers.

But the throwing knife was coming her way.

The next second, a shadow flashed.

A slender, well-proportioned man blocked in front of her, lightly catching the throwing knife.

“Lu Qiao Jingye! You want to stop us? Damn you!”

“My mission is to capture alive.”

Lu Qiao Jingye said solemnly.

“I’m a professional assassin. Once I take a job, I finish it 100%.”

“Retreat!”

The leader of the three shouted angrily and immediately ran toward the other end of the alley.

One of them was holding the girl in red leather shoes, walking at the rear.

“Let her go!!”

Li Fayuan flew into a rage, rushing forward with his scissors, forcing the last man to slow down and fight back.

“Out of throwing knives!”

“Damn!”

“Attack together!”

An Jing hurried after them, seeming to want to help, but was blocked by figures taller and broader than both her and Zhu Ying.

He kindly nodded at her.

“Hello, little An Jing. Please come with me.”

His tone made An Jing feel like she was facing a police officer.

“Move aside!”

“I have to take you.”

“Puchi!” The sound of clothes tearing or flesh being cut.

Li Fayuan tangled with the three alone.

But clearly, he was no match.

His breaths grew heavier.

At that moment, An Jing’s hairs stood on end.

She suddenly pushed Zhu Ying to the ground.

“Pshhh—”

A silent bullet suddenly pierced through, shattering the glass window of the shop behind.

“Idiot, aim better!!”

“Xiao Ying, are you okay?”

An Jing’s words were cut short as she saw panic written all over Zhu Ying’s face before being shoved aside violently.

“Puchi!!”

The rain poured heavily.

No one knew if the bullet grazed Zhu Ying’s cheek or struck her head.

In the next second, she fell to the ground from inertia.

An Jing’s pupils instantly turned golden.

Her face was as calm as a god’s serene well.

But even gods can be furious.

She opened her mouth wide but made no sound.

Or rather, it was a frequency no human could hear.

Several nearby shop windows shattered instantly.

Lu Qiao Jingye’s expression froze, his eyes growing vacant.

Then, stiffly, he turned around, moving mechanically like a robot.

He started walking slowly, then quickly, then at a brisk pace, and finally broke into a run.

Li Fayuan, unable to withstand the trio’s attack, bit his teeth and stabbed left and right with his scissors, finally finding an opening.

He rolled several times, muddy and wet, and scrambled out.

He barely raised his head and caught his breath before seeing the vacant-eyed man punch the throwing knife man in the chest.

The latter spat blood violently, convulsing as he collapsed.

Another was strangled, with a cracking sound, his head tilting before he went limp on the ground.

The gunman shouted wildly and raised his pistol, about to fire harsh words.

But Lu Qiao Jingye grabbed his head and twisted it hard—

Then his movement abruptly froze.

An Jing’s golden eyes gradually lost their color.

She collapsed backward with a splash into a puddle mixed with blood, mud, and murky water…