Chapter Eighteen: I’ll Take You Away

Cao Yang pushed through the crowd to the very back, only to find all eyes fixed on him.

“Heh heh…” He gave an awkward, shy smile to everyone, scanning the crowd with his gaze.

Spotting Li Yan trembling, he immediately grabbed her hand and began to reprimand her.

“What are you still standing here for? Don’t you see they’re about to fight?”

He tugged on Li Yan’s hand, trying to lead her outside, but noticed her hand was shaking violently. He looked at her with concern.

Li Yan’s expression was strange, her voice trembling as she whispered, “Go quickly, you have to leave now.”

Cao Yang nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m doing—taking you away.”

He pulled Li Yan toward the exit, but the circle of thugs surrounding them all stared straight at the pair.

Tie Xiong looked at them too. When he saw they were trying to leave, he turned to Jim and said, “Your guy?”

Jim lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, leaned back on the sofa, and replied coolly, “Don’t know him.”

“Block the exit, spicy neighbors! Don’t let them leave!” Tie Xiong barked.

At his command, dozens of henchmen formed a blockade, cutting off all routes for Cao Yang and Li Yan.

“You little bastard, trying to take someone away right in front of me? Where the hell do you think you’re from? You think I don’t exist?” Tie Xiong shouted.

With the path blocked again and insults flying, Cao Yang turned back and forced a smile.

“Big brother, I’ve only just arrived, I’m not part of any gang,” he said.

“I can tell from your accent that you’re from Hunan. My brother and I are from Hunan too, fellow countrymen. Let us go this once.”

“Oh? You two are from Hunan?” Tie Xiong teased, looking them over.

They say when countrymen meet, tears fill their eyes—used to be true.

Nowadays, countrymen meeting often means a bullet in the back.

But even that usually happens only when there’s some benefit to be had. Normally, no one bullies their own kind, especially in gangs named after their home regions.

But Tie Xiong was no ordinary man. He didn’t care about any so-called countrymen ties. Li Yan hadn’t offended him, but since he worked for Jim and had the bad luck to cross paths with him, trouble was inevitable.

“Yes, big brother,” Cao Yang nodded and took a step outside.

Tie Xiong sneered and gave a nod to his men.

Two henchmen understood immediately and charged forward, throwing punches at Cao Yang’s forehead.

Seeing the punches coming, Cao Yang pulled Li Yan behind him and kicked one attacker’s calf before his fist landed. The punch stopped inches from his face as the man collapsed, howling in pain—his leg likely broken.

The other attacker hadn’t reacted when Cao Yang grabbed his wrist and twisted hard. With a sharp “crack,” the man clutched his wrist and crouched down in agony.

Cao Yang handled both men swiftly, surprising everyone present. They had expected the kid to get beaten up, not to fight back and win.

“Whoa, not bad at all!” Tie Xiong laughed and signaled to four more henchmen who approached Cao Yang.

Jim watched with interest, impressed by Cao Yang’s skill.

The four attacked at once. One raised his fist, but Cao Yang caught it, twisted the attacker’s wrist, and spun him around 180 degrees.

He then drove his knee into the man’s back, using him as a shield against the other three punches.

The man took three punches without even a sound before Cao Yang increased the force of his knee strike. The man lost control and fell forward into the other three.

As they dodged, Cao Yang grabbed two by their arms, yanking fiercely. One’s arm dislocated, and both stumbled forward.

Cao Yang then shoved his shoulder into their chests like a master of Tai Chi.

The two men grunted as if hit by a boulder, their chests compressed painfully.

The last man doubled over in agony as Cao Yang kicked him in the groin, and he collapsed to the ground, wailing.

All of this happened simultaneously, in what to outsiders seemed like an instant. The four men were down and unable to rise.

Tie Xiong’s eyes widened in shock.

Jim stubbed out his cigarette.

The Hunan gang’s men saw their comrades defeated and felt humiliated. Without orders from their leader, dozens drew machetes and pressed toward Cao Yang!

Cao Yang’s heart pounded wildly. No matter how skilled he was, facing so many armed men was terrifying. Outside, he might be able to run, but here in this enclosed space, he’d be chopped to mincemeat.

His gaze grew cold as he locked eyes with Tie Xiong.

He couldn’t defeat so many at once. His only chance was to take Tie Xiong down first, forcing the others to hesitate.

Just as he was about to act, Tie Xiong spoke first.

“Stop!”

His loud command froze the Hunan gang’s men in place.

“Little brother, you’ve got some skill!” Tie Xiong praised sincerely.

They were gangsters, feared by most, but all they had was brutality. Few truly knew martial arts.

“Not bad,” Cao Yang said modestly, scratching his head shyly.

Seeing his earnest demeanor, Tie Xiong felt a spark of admiration. Keeping a strong but simple-minded guy around ensured his own safety and gave him someone to shield him in dangerous moments.

“So, little brother, where are you from? Interested in joining me?”

“Big brother, I’m from Hunan, as I said before.”

“What! You’re from Hunan? Then we’re countrymen!”

Tie Xiong was excited. “We have to stick together and help each other out.”

Jim nearby sneered, mocking, “You weren’t saying that before. Now that you see someone with skills, suddenly you remember the hometown!”

Tie Xiong shot him a displeased look, then explained to Cao Yang, “My hearing’s bad. I thought you said Henan. You won’t blame me, right?”

“No, no,” Cao Yang waved his hand, showing he didn’t care.

“Little brother, do you want to follow me? I’ll make sure you eat well and live comfortably.”

“Sure, sure!” Cao Yang nodded eagerly.

Tie Xiong was delighted but wondered if Cao Yang was really so forgiving.

“Good, you’re my brother now.”

He patted Cao Yang on the shoulder and pointed at Jim. “Help me finish him off!”

At this, the Sichuan gang drew their machetes and stared coldly at them.

The Hunan gang did the same. The tension rose once more.

Cao Yang awkwardly scratched his head. “Big brother, my sister’s scared. I want to take her home first.”

“Oh?” Tie Xiong smiled at Li Yan. “Little sister, sorry about before. Didn’t know you were my countrywoman. Don’t take it to heart.”

Li Yan trembled, too afraid to say a word.

“Big brother, I’ll take my sister home first. I’ll come back tomorrow to help you finish him off, okay?”

“Alright, leave me your number. I’ll treat you to a meal tomorrow.”

Tie Xiong agreed readily. He didn’t dare to harm Jim but enjoyed stirring the tension to keep others guessing.

“138********,” Cao Yang gave a number and strode out of the Nightingale Club with Li Yan, calm and confident.

Once they reached a secluded spot, he finally exhaled and pounded his chest. “That scared me to death. Thought I was about to be minced meat.”