No. 40 Praying in Vain
“Hold it right there!”
A crescent moon rose in the sky.
Dim streetlights flickered around the plaza.
The children and elderly who had been playing here earlier had vanished.
“Our boss gave us strict orders. You’re not leaving until you sign this contract.”
The tall man in black grabbed Huang Yingdie’s arm as she turned to leave.
“Here’s 200,000 yuan. Please don’t make us…”
She reacted instantly, spinning around and delivering a roundhouse kick to his face.
Caught off guard, he stumbled backward, clutching his cheek in pain. He only recovered after his companions steadied him.
“Don’t fight! Don’t fight!”
The man who had initially spoken to Xiaodie rushed between them, trying to prevent a brawl.
“Gao Lao Da(Gao Boss), let’s talk this over. Don’t hurt her. She’s the mayor’s…”
“Get out of my way!”
The tall man, enraged, kneed the man in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground. He then approached Huang Yingdie, his face contorted with anger. “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you? Heh, I’ll teach you a lesson.”
“Yi Yao…”
The man on the ground, clutching his stomach, gasped for air and gestured towards me. “Run… run away…”
“Bang!”
A muffled gunshot echoed through the plaza, silencing him. He collapsed, motionless.
We were alone now.
“Hold your fire. I’ll teach these bitches how to please a man.”
He waved at his three remaining companions, then stretched and cracked his knuckles, approaching us with a menacing grin. “You two can come at me together. I don’t mind.”
Xiaodie, what kind of people do you associate with?
My mind raced, searching for an escape route, my eyes scanning for any potential weapons.
Excluding the unconscious man on the ground, there were four of them, all presumably armed. The odds were stacked against us.
Perhaps the only good news was that they probably wouldn’t kill us, at least not immediately.
“Who do you think you are?!”
Huang Yingdie launched another kick, but this time, he caught her leg mid-air, his grip firm.
“Taekwondo? Ah, yes, that fancy dance routine they perform on stage.”
He scoffed, then tossed her aside like a rag doll. He turned to me, his eyes narrowed. “You’re Yi Yao, right? I know about you. As expected of a martial artist, you’re still calm even in this situation.”
Do you want me to cry for you?
I glanced at Huang Yingdie, who was lying on the ground. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…”
She clenched her fists, her eyes burning with defiance.
“Ooh, tough girl, huh? Still in the mood for chit-chat? Looks like I need to teach you a lesson.”
I reacted instantly, raising my leg and assuming a defensive stance. A powerful blow landed on my knee.
“Women are just playthings for men. Understand?”
I wasn’t going to stand there and wait for another attack. I retreated, dodging two punches, then faced him, ready to fight.
He was too tall. At least 1.8 meters. I couldn’t reach his head.
My gaze shifted to his chest.
His heart was on the left side. If I could land a kick there…
“Don’t think we’ll go easy on you like that pathetic Huang Qinghao. He’s useless, except for the drugging part. I’ll give him credit for that.”
“What did you say?”
Huang Yingdie, who had just gotten up, trembled with rage. “Is that how you men view us? As objects?”
“Isn’t it the truth? All’s fair in love and war. I don’t see anything wrong with what he did. It’s like training a dog. If it doesn’t obey, you punish it. If punishment doesn’t work, you drug it.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. We keep you around, we pamper you, only because you can bear our children. A beautiful wife produces beautiful offspring. Don’t play hard to get. Just be Qinghao’s woman, and we wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble. Stop acting like you’re so special.”
This is bad.
I knew Huang Yingdie was about to snap.
She had already been hurt by one man. Hearing this, her opinion of men would probably plummet to rock bottom.
“I’m saying this to your faces. What are you going to do about it? Huh?”
He chuckled, enjoying our anger. “Come on, I have plenty of time. I don’t mind playing with you two.”
“You!”
Huang Yingdie lunged at him, but I stopped her.
“I’ll handle this.”
I pulled out the playing cards I had prepared, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and assumed the Pai family’s offensive stance.
“What’s that? Some new magic trick?”
“If you’re so confident in your masculinity, why don’t you put away your weapon?”
I glanced at the silenced pistol concealed beneath his jacket.
“Haha, fine.”
He tossed the gun to one of his men and cracked his knuckles, assuming a typical kickboxing stance. “Let’s see how the genius Taekwondo instructor fights without Taekwondo.”
The moonlight was bright.
The faint sound of a car approaching reached our ears.
As the engine noise faded, I charged towards him.
The playing cards in my hand blurred into motion, aimed at his neck.
Pai Ge was right. What I lacked was confidence.
And I couldn’t back down, not in front of my junior.
“You’re trying to slit my throat with playing cards?”
He finally lost his smirk, sensing the shift in my demeanor. He dodged my attack, then threw a punch at my chest.
He fell for it.
I ducked, slid behind him, and delivered a powerful kick to his knee. I drew the knives from my pants, moved in front of him as he stumbled, and kicked him in the stomach. He collapsed to the ground. The entire sequence took less than ten seconds.
“Don’t move!”
I pressed the knives against his throat.
“Heh… hahaha… I underestimated you.”
He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. “But you’re either naive or foolish. You think this will stop my men from shooting? You think your knives are faster than bullets?”
I smiled faintly. “What do you think is faster? Their pistols or a sniper rifle?”
As I spoke, countless red dots appeared on the foreheads of the four men, including the one beneath my knives.
“What?!”
He looked around, confused. “You called the police?”
“Do you think the police are that efficient?”
Pai Ge emerged from the shadows, dressed in his suit and top hat, twirling a playing card between his fingers. He looked at me with approval. “Well done, Yi Yao. You sensed our presence and mastered the techniques I taught you. You’ve exceeded my expectations.”
“You said the same thing last time.”
I sheathed my knives, helped Huang Yingdie up, and said, “Xiaodie, this is Luo Wei. We call him Pai Ge.”
“Pai… Ge?”
“Haha, just a nickname. Call me whatever you like.”
He waved his hand dismissively, then crouched down beside the man on the ground. “You’re from Da Shan, right?”
The man glared at him defiantly. “So what? You think you can scare me with your guns? I’m not afraid to die.”
“Hey, hey, hey, I never threatened you. You’re free to leave anytime.”
Pai Ge looked innocent. “I’ll give you some face, considering you’re from Da Shan. But let me make this clear: we’re taking Huang Yingdie and Yi Yao with us tonight. Your mission is a bust.”
The man scrambled to his feet, his eyes narrowed. “And what if I refuse?”
“Risking your life for a job? Suit yourself.” Pai Ge pulled out a small notebook and a lighter, then started reading. “Fang Wenhao, resident of Upper Capital City, address: Unit 6, Building 18, Changning Street. Owns another property on Chongyuan Street. Married with one daughter. Parents work in Dingyuan Town… Do you want me to read your friends’ information too?”
The men’s faces turned pale.
He had done his research. They were surrounded.
No one would risk their family’s lives for a pointless standoff.
“Let’s go!”
Under the unwavering gaze of the sniper rifles, they fled the plaza.
“Drugging their own people. These guys are full of tricks.”
Pai Ge stood up after his men carried away the unconscious man.
He didn’t address me immediately. Instead, he turned to Huang Yingdie, his expression serious.
“You’re Huang Yingdie, right? Hmm… this might sound harsh, but if you don’t leave Upper Capital City soon…”
He hesitated, then said, “You’ll die.”
[Volume Title] Volume 1: Cherry Blossoms Flutter in the Sky (End)
I’m looking for more!