Chapter 65: Guo Minghao vs. Steel-Shoveler!

The group sat around, taking a sip of wine and a bite of fish, and the conversation naturally opened up.

Liu Haizhu looked at Ah Gang and asked with some confusion, "With you messing around like this every day, who's actually running things on your turf?"

Ah Gang raised an eyebrow. "My little patch isn't even as big as your Tuen Mun. With Old Dog keeping watch, nothing can possibly go wrong."

He then added, "Right, ever since you wasted Sha Meng, the position of the Five Tigers has stayed vacant. Anyone with eyes knows Boss Luo is saving that spot for you. Have you thought of a nickname yet?"

Hearing this, Luo Yingsi curiously looked over as well.

The rascal thought for a moment. "Iron Monkey, I suppose. Back in my hometown, people used to call me that."

Ah Gang immediately blew his top. "What the hell are you on, you country bumpkin! We're talking about the formidable title of the Five Tigers of East Star, and you come up with a damn monkey!"

Liu Haizhu cracked his neck, making a loud crunching sound. "I am Iron Monkey, so what?!"

"What did you say?!"

Ah Gang's eyebrows twitched as he clenched his fists, knuckles popping audibly. "Are you looking to spar with me?"

Liu Haizhu looked at him, gritting his teeth in frustration. "Spar with your second uncle's ghost!"

The guy possessed a physique as tough as tempered steel, and this wasn't a life-or-death duel. Sparring with him was something only a lunatic would do.

Gu Minghao raised his wine glass. "Come on, Ah Gang, is it? Let's have a drink together!"

"Huh?"

Ah Gang's gaze was instantly drawn to Gu Minghao's arm!

How should one describe his arm? Its muscle contours were exceptionally smooth, exuding a wild, primal sex appeal and raw power.

It looked as though it had been meticulously carved by nature itself, with every single line embodying the aesthetic of pure strength!

"Oh, you're a martial artist too?"

Ah Gang instantly lit up with excitement. "How about a spar with me?"

Liu Haizhu chuckled. "Heh!"

Ah Gang turned his head and glared at him angrily. "What are you laughing at?"

Liu Haizhu clinked his glass with Yang Peng, downed the drink in one go, and then casually dropped a single sentence: "Do yourself a favor and save it. You can't beat him!"

Ah Gang pointed at his own nose and roared in disbelief, "Me, Gang the Shoveler, I can't beat him?!"

Liu Haizhu kindly advised him, "Don't push your luck. Someone reckless like you is going to be lucky if you make it to the New Year."

"What's your problem?!" Ah Gang shouted at the top of his lungs, causing a buzzing sound in the ears of everyone present.

Even the previously quiet village five miles away erupted into a chorus of barking dogs.

Liu Haizhu immediately narrowed his eyes and glanced at Haozi.

Gu Minghao didn't stand on ceremony either. He stood up and stretched his limbs, and instantly, his entire body began to crackle and pop like a string of firecrackers.

He looked at Ah Gang with a smile and said, "Shall we go stretch our legs?"

"Haha, that's exactly what I've been waiting to hear!"

Ah Gang's eyes and eyebrows scrunched together in pure joy. "Let's go. Who's afraid of who?!"

With that, he led Gu Minghao toward the open fields nearby.

Yang Peng asked anxiously, "Zhu, is he going to be alright?"

"Just eat your food," Liu Haizhu said, raising his glass to look at him. "Can you still drink?"

Yang Peng slanted his eyes at him. "Why wouldn't I be able to? Is there anyone in Hubei Province who can outdrink me? Not a single one!"

Liu Haizhu flashed a grin. "Shall we switch to some hard liquor?"

Yang Peng's eyes crinkled into slits. "Bottoms up!"

...

It was a dark and windy night.

The entire night sky looked as though it had been covered by a massive black curtain, pitch-black to the point where one couldn't even see their own hand in front of their face.

Two figures stood in the vast open field. One had a physique that looked as though it were forged from solid steel, while the other stood cold and sharp, dressed in thin clothing.

After a long while,

Gu Minghao grew a bit impatient. "Are you going to fight or not?"

"Hahaha!"

Ah Gang laughed arrogantly. "If you've got the guts, come at me!"

Gu Minghao furrowed his brow...

Why wasn't he moving? What was the meaning of this?!

Gu Minghao couldn't be bothered to think about it anymore, and he was tired of waiting!

He needed to finish this quickly so Stupid Zhu could get back to drinking with him!

Suddenly,

Gu Minghao flashed toward his opponent like a streak of lightning!

As he closed the distance,

His body suddenly spun, sealing off all the vulnerable points of his lower and middle guards, and he delivered a fierce, heart-piercing kick straight into Ah Gang's chest!

"Haha!"

Ah Gang didn't even flinch, standing rock-solid as he absorbed the blow and sneered mockingly, "Ha, come on, hit me again!"

Gu Minghao looked at him in confusion. "Hard Qigong?"

"Wrong!"

With an extreme show of swagger, Ah Gang executed a flashy pivot followed by an utterly pretentious golden rooster standing on one leg pose. "This is the Golden Bell Shield!"

"Heh!"

Gu Minghao rolled his neck and smiled. "Alright, then here I come!"

Ah Gang raised an eyebrow, remaining as unmovable as a mountain. "Bring it on!"

...

*Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!*

Moments later,

Ah Gang was utterly bewildered...

The dozens of introductory kicks caught him completely off guard, and he almost failed to hold his ground!

Then, before he knew it, this guy named Gu Minghao leaped directly into the air right in front of him. Like a giant black bird in the night sky, he spun wildly and rapidly through the air like a top through a full nine hundred and sixty degrees.

Immediately following that,

Those legs rained down upon him like a typhoon mixed with hailstorms—from all directions, across land, sea, and air, a full three hundred and sixty degrees without a single blind spot, kicking him with relentless fury!

... Accompanied by the youth's pretentious low roar: "Lightning Dragon Drill!"

Ah Gang's entire world came to an end.

...

At that moment,

Legs,

So many legs,

Filling the sky and covering the horizon as far as the eye could see—dammit, it was all legs,

Too many to even count...

...

"Let me ask you something else," Liu Haizhu said as he poured a drink for Yang Peng. "What's the deal with Da Le?"

Yang Peng shrugged. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"Just tell me."

Liu Haizhu raised his liquor glass to clink it, downed over an ounce in one go, a trace of melancholy flickering across his face.

"He and Haozi had a falling out."

Liu Haizhu was completely stunned. "What for?"

"What for?" Yang Peng also picked up his cup and gulped down a large mouthful before slowly recounting the events that took place after Liu Haizhu left Huang'an.

After listening,

Liu Haizhu smiled faintly and said, "Da Le did the right thing."

"What?!" This time, it was Yang Peng's turn to be mystified.

Liu Haizhu asked, "Let me ask you, did Da Le bully anyone?"

Yang Peng squinted. "Do competitors count?"

Liu Haizhu shook his head. "No."

Yang Peng nodded. "Then absolutely not."

Liu Haizhu shrugged. "You see, once you spend some time in Hong Kong, hehe, you'll understand everything." He patted Yang Peng's shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Our hometown is just too backward, not just economically, but in our mindset as well."

"Oh? Oh!"

Yang Peng nodded, half-understanding.

Liu Haizhu grabbed a tissue and meticulously wiped the oily residue from little Nini's mouth.

Little Nini grabbed his hand and took a playful bite out of it.

...

*Tap, tap!*

Hearing the footsteps, Liu Haizhu turned around.

Gu Minghao had returned, followed by Ah Gang the Shoveler, whose body was covered in bruises and swelling.

Liu Haizhu cast a sideways glance at Ah Gang and asked, "Satisfied? Feeling good now?"

Ah Gang lowered his head. "I yield!"

The rascal chuckled. "Then let's drink! The hard stuff!"

Ah Gang's eyes instantly lit up. "When it comes to drinking, that's one thing I won't yield on! I've drunk my way across Hong Kong and haven't met a single opponent yet!"

He then glared provocatively at Gu Minghao and shouted, "Hard liquor, dare to go toe-to-toe?!"

Gu Minghao grinned broadly. "A drink is just a drink, you think I'm scared of you?"

Liu Haizhu inadvertently looked over at Haozi...

Why did he come here?

What did he want to accomplish by coming?

The rascal could guess a little bit, but did any of that matter? No, it didn't matter.

Liu Haizhu could even clearly sense that ever since Haozi arrived in Hong Kong, his personality seemed to have changed somewhat.

...

That night,

Liu Haizhu, thoroughly slurring his words from alcohol, pointed at Ah Gang and shouted, "When the time comes, I'll take over all of Hong Kong! You'll be the Tsim Sha Tsui boss, and you can be the head honcho of Kowloon Walled City! By then, the entire territory of Hong Kong will belong to our brothers!"

Also that night,

Right by the edge of the fishpond,

Facing the night breeze,

Those two lunatics, Ah Gang and Yang Peng, kowtowed to a utility pole and became sworn brothers.

...

It wasn't until very late

That Uncle Ben finally arranged for a few vehicles to come to Tianzhai Village to pick them all up.