Madman!

Chapter 50: Master Bing's Plan

"Master Bing, do you remember the gambling fight that's been the talk of the town lately?"

"The one fighting for Hetu is one of Shark Jiu's men — name's Chen Wujun! The one who killed our people and took the money, it has to be him!" a lackey whispered beside Master Bing.

"Go on!" Master Bing's expression remained blank, his eyes filled with nothing but icy cold.

"You told us to check whether any of the debtors had martial artists in their families. We went through the whole list and finally turned up his name."

"He's got a degenerate gambler for an older brother, who borrowed a sum from us. With the rolling interest, it ballooned to over thirty thousand. We showed up at his door and gave him ten days. But before the ten days were up, Ah Hao and his crew went out to collect — and got robbed and killed."

"That had to be his doing."

"Can you confirm it was him?" Master Bing pressed, his voice heavy.

"A month after Ah Hao's death, he became Shark Jiu's new enforcer. Before that, he was cornered by Lidong's men and ended up killing over a dozen of them in the counterattack. Several of those kills were stabs to the neck."

"Based on how they described the wounds, they match what our people suffered — entry wounds about two centimeters long, half a centimeter wide, six to eight centimeters deep. Most likely the same blade. And the killer had a slicing motion when withdrawing the knife."

"It has to be him. No question about it."Master Bing turned and headed upstairs to the teahouse, poured himself a cup of tea, and sat down to think.

Looking at the timeline, the kid was definitely the prime suspect. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence — he'd barely started training in martial arts when Ah Hao went out to collect a debt and got murdered and robbed.

Not only had the attacker specifically targeted his people, but even the wounds matched.

His first instinct was to go straight to Hetu and demand an explanation. If Hetu refused to give him one, then whatever retaliation he took, they had no one to blame but themselves.

But the moment the thought surfaced, he squashed it back down.

The kid was Shark Jiu's new enforcer, and on top of that, he was Hetu's fighter in the gambling match.

He had no hard evidence. Showing up to make demands would only be inviting humiliation, and Hetu would protect the kid no matter what.

So he couldn't make a direct move.

"How strong is the kid?" Master Bing asked.

"His opponent in the gambling fight is Yu Wei, one of Wen Long's men. The guy's got a fearsome reputation — extremely vicious."

"This kid's only been training for half a year. Even with a few more months, he won't be a match for Yu Wei. They've already signed a death waiver too. I doubt he'll even make it off the ring alive," the lackey replied immediately.

Master Bing pondered for a moment, then spoke:

"Doesn't he have a degenerate gambler brother? Find him. Get him to rack up another debt! However much he dares to borrow, lend it to him!"

"And get me a few capable fighters lined up!"

So the kid was going to fight in a death match, was he?

Let his brother pile up a massive loan shark debt, then come knocking to collect right before the fight.

Debts must be paid — that was simple common sense. Even Hetu couldn't argue with that.

They didn't need to do anything to him physically. Just rattling his mental state would be enough.

He'd have to think about what would happen if he died — whether his family could pay back the debt, and what would happen to them if they couldn't.

And if the kid somehow walked off that ring alive, Master Bing would arrange for someone to finish the job.

...

'In the Spirit Ape Hanging Beam stance, the hands hang as if weighted, the feet root as if nailed. It's not just that your arms feel longer when you're standing...'

'The shoulders move more freely. It's like my fists actually reach about a centimeter further. I can't tell if it's just my imagination!'

Chen Wujun rubbed his shoulder, feeling as though his punches had gained just a touch more reach.

'Right now I need to practice the Bear, Crane, Tiger, and Ape — four stances. That eats through ten thousand dollars every three days. Good thing Senior Sister is providing the crystals.'

'At least once I've mastered these four stances, I'll have completed the upper-level techniques of Body Forging.'

Chen Wujun pulled on his clothes and left the warehouse. The moment he stepped onto Longjin Street, the scent of food mingled with the ever-present stench, and his stomach growled immediately.

'That kid's not around.' Noticing the boy wasn't at his usual spot in front of the convenience store, Chen Wujun walked in and tossed two coins onto the counter.

"One pack of Mamee Monster!"

Taking the Mamee Monster, Chen Wujun crushed the noodle cake through the packaging, tore it open, sprinkled the seasoning inside, pinched the top of the bag shut and gave it a good shake, then strolled along munching on the broken noodle pieces as he walked.

Two bucks a pack — he was genuinely fond of the stuff.

'Oh right, Big Bro got his legs broken again today. I should get him something nice to help him recover.'

Chen Wujun ambled along, snacking as he went, and made his way to Lee's BBQ for a slab of roast meat. He squatted by the entrance to finish off the Mamee Monster, brushed his hands clean, then carried the roast meat home.

The moment he cracked open the front door, Chen Hanliang's scolding voice hit him: "Your legs haven't even healed properly and you're going out? What for? Were you going to gamble again?"

"I just went out for some fresh air! I'm not a prisoner — even prisoners get yard time! I've been cooped up in here for ages. I just wanted to breathe a little," Chen Wuhong protested.

"What happened?" Chen Wujun set the roast meat aside and walked to the bedroom doorway.

His father Chen Hanliang emerged from the bedroom with a dark expression.

Chen Wujun poked his head in. Chen Wuhong lay on the bed — one leg in a splint, the other encased in a plaster cast and suspended in the air.

"How did you end up like this?" Chen Wujun frowned.

"Second Bro, you've gotta help me!" The moment he saw Chen Wujun, the eldest brother burst into a wail.

He didn't know all the details, but he knew his little brother had become formidable. The kid had a solid reputation around the dance halls. He could definitely help him get revenge.

"Tell me what happened first."

"I just went downstairs for some air, and then two bastards — wipe out their whole families — came at me with clubs and started whacking my legs! They said I'd been messing around with some guy's wife, then realized they'd gotten the wrong person and just ran off!" Chen Wuhong's face twisted with fury as he recounted the incident.

"Second Bro, you have to help me find them!"

Chen Wujun barely held back a laugh. "They got the wrong guy? That's some rotten luck you've got."

"Second Bro, help me! I know you've got ways," Chen Wuhong pleaded.

"What did these two look like?" Chen Wujun asked casually.

Chen Wuhong instantly drew a blank. After racking his brain for a while, he managed: "They both had short hair. One wore a blue jacket with black pants, the other was in jeans... Their faces... their faces..."

Both men had utterly unremarkable features. Chen Wuhong thought and thought but couldn't figure out how to describe them.

"You just described half the guys on the street. Where am I supposed to find them?"

"Oh — they said they were looking for someone who looks a lot like me, with a mole on the chin!" Chen Wuhong suddenly remembered.

"I'll have someone ask around," Chen Wujun nodded.

"Don't bother with him. I let you train in martial arts, not so you could go around stirring up trouble!" their father Chen Hanliang called from the living room.

Chen Wuhong immediately lowered his voice, his face a picture of desperation. "Second Bro, it's all up to you."

"I'll see what I can find out. How long did the doctor say for your legs?" Chen Wujun asked with concern.

"The doctor said two months this time..."

"Just focus on healing. Let me know if you need anything." Chen Wujun nodded, committing the matter to memory before turning to leave the bedroom.

Two months.

"Don't go out looking for trouble!" Chen Hanliang warned from the sofa.

"I never look for trouble!" Chen Wujun settled in beside his father and watched TV with him for a while.

"How much do you weigh now?" his father asked suddenly.

"Weighed myself a couple days ago. Something like ninety-five kilos," Chen Wujun replied.

"That's getting a bit heavy!" Chen Hanliang grunted.

Though looking at him, Chen Wujun wasn't fat at all — he was the solid, muscular type. Even his wrists were noticeably thicker than before.