Free Web NovelChapter 188: Chapter 127: Tiger Flame Fist, Chen Junhao
The incandescent bulb cast a dim, yellow glow.
The mahjong parlor was eerily silent.
A planter had shattered on the floor, leaving a mess of dirt beneath a support beam. The windows on both sides were smashed in.
Bodies were strewn everywhere, leaving almost no room to set one’s foot.
Faced with Chen Junhao’s question and Zhou Qiang’s expectant gaze, Lu Chao considered for a moment before telling them the truth.
"Oh?"
Looking slightly surprised, Chen Junhao glanced at the message Lu Chao showed him on his watch.
He exhaled a plume of smoke. His gaze wavered, a flicker of complex emotion passing through his eyes.
That Song Yuhan was willing to warn them at the last minute brought a flicker of warmth.
But.
The atmosphere was somber. Ah Yue, the one with the ponytail, lay dead in a pool of his own blood.
His eyes were wide and vacant, his burning ambition extinguished forever, frozen in this final moment.
Xiaoyang, his face deathly pale, also lay on the ground. Several bullet holes dotted his chest, and his frozen gaze seemed to hold a hint of regret.
"Xiaoyang..."
Lu Chao asked after a moment’s hesitation.
Chen Junhao, a cigarette dangling from his lips, slowly shook his head. Instead, it was Zhou Qiang who forced himself to his feet and spat.
"That punk Xiaoyang was bought out by Peng Zhao Hui a long time ago."
He didn’t wipe the blood from his face. His eyes were bloodshot as he said, "He colluded with Liu Hong and the others, tried to poison us."
"Luckily, Brother Hao saw it coming. Otherwise, we might have been done for."
His voice was laced with anger, but also a hint of pain.
The feeling of being betrayed was an unpleasant one.
Ah Yue, lying on the ground, had joined the Hongyi Society with him. They were brothers. But in the end, just like Xiaoyang, he had backstabbed Brother Hao for the sake of his so-called ambition.
"They thought betraying Brother Hao would get them what they wanted."
"But in the end... heh..."
Zhou Qiang gave a bleak smile, the bloodshot veins in his eyes refusing to fade.
According to him, Liu Hong had taken Xiaoyang hostage before brutally shooting him to death.
All past grievances vanished in that moment. Even his former brother, Ah Yue, had now returned to dust.
Lu Chao fell silent at his words, not knowing what to say.
No one wanted things to turn out this way. He felt conflicted, a sense of gloom settling over him.
SHUFFLE.
A soft shuffle broke the silence.
Chen Junhao slowly knelt and closed Ah Yue’s unseeing eyes.
"I’m going to leave Ring City,"
he said suddenly. The cigarette that had been in his hand was gone.
Lu Chao was taken aback for a second, but then he realized it was the only option.
Dozens of people had died tonight, and the resulting chaos was unprecedented.
Both the Hongyi Society and the Iron Blood Gang had completely broken with Brother Hao. More violent conflicts were sure to follow.
"But before I leave, there’s one more thing I have to do."
Chen Junhao spoke again, his voice calm but laced with a chilling cold.
Looking at the bodies covering the floor, Lu Chao had a good idea of what he meant.
"Brother Hao, I..."
"This has nothing to do with you."
His tone was deep. Chen Junhao stood up, his one-meter-eighty-five frame looking particularly burly.
Looking at the man’s shadow, Lu Chao felt as if he were seeing a ferocious tiger.
"I’m glad you could come today."
A hand clapped his shoulder. Lu Chao met the man’s gaze.
Chen Junhao offered a rare smile, which then faded as he said, "But this is my business."
"There are some scores I have to settle myself. What you need to do is stay on your own path and walk it well,"
he said in a low, meaningful voice.
Lu Chao considered this for a moment and didn’t argue.
The mahjong parlor fell quiet again, the only sound being Zhou Qiang gathering several guns.
"I heard about the challenge from Jinshi Boxing Hall,"
Chen Junhao suddenly changed the subject, lighting another cigarette.
"Knowing you, you’ll definitely go."
"But..."
He seemed to recall something, and for once, his tone was grave as he warned, "Be careful of Wu Yuntao."
Oh?
Lu Chao was surprised. It was the first time he had ever seen such a serious expression on Brother Hao’s face.
"Wu Yuntao and I came up at the same time, but I’ve never been able to figure him out."
His eyes narrowed. Chen Junhao flicked the ash from his cigarette. "Even Jiang Shuang said the same thing back in the day."
At that, some memories surfaced in Lu Chao’s mind.
The "Three Elites of the Iron Ring" were the three most outstanding individuals from the orphanage.
And this Jiang Shuang was one of them.
Back in the day, she often appeared alongside Brother Hao and was jokingly called their "Big Sister."
Later, rumor had it she came upon some great opportunity and was recruited by the Golden Defense Group, leaving Ring City long ago.
"I understand, Brother Hao."
Nodding firmly, Lu Chao committed the warning to memory.
Given the feud with the boxing hall, he and Wu Yuntao were destined to be enemies. They would surely cross paths again.
After that, the three of them said no more.
Once they were outside the mahjong parlor, Chen Junhao opened the trunk of his black Sharp Light sedan and took out a gray backpack.
"I said I’d fund you until you reach Elite Level, and I’m a man of my word."
He said with a smile, a cigarette clenched between his teeth, "But looking at your progress, it shouldn’t be more than a few months."
"Here, take these six intermediate-grade potions."
He shoved the gray backpack into Lu Chao’s hands. It was surprisingly heavy.
Lu Chao felt no joy, only a swell of complicated emotions.
He knew this was a farewell.
After today, they would likely never see each other again.
"Brother Hao, you should keep these for yourself."
"You’ll definitely need them after you leave Ring City..."
He knew that after leaving Ring City, the man would likely have to start all over again.
Six intermediate-grade potions were worth nearly two hundred thousand Alliance Coins. That was no small sum.
"Heh, you punk. Why are you getting all sentimental, just like Yuanqing?"
