Not long after Su Xiaorou and the others left, a bunch of sneaky-looking fellows scurried into Li Hao's place.
"Fourth Brother, what's the deal?" A skinny young man with brown hair hurried over, offering Li Hao a Liqun cigarette. "I just saw a group of guys in black leaving here. Fourth Brother, you didn't get tangled up with gangsters, did you?"
Li Hao had been fourth in his former organization, and even after leaving, he'd grown used to the title. Elders called him "Little Four," and the younger guys, out of respect, called him "Fourth Brother."
This skinny man was Yuan Li, the head of this slum area. When Li Hao first moved here, Yuan Li had rounded up his crew to demand protection money from Li Hao. But even when they ganged up, Li Hao took them down easily.
After that beating, Yuan Li recognized Li Hao's strength. He'd clung to Li Hao's leg, begging to learn martial arts as his disciple, and even gave up his position as the area's leader to Li Hao.
Li Hao had no interest in it and never agreed, but in the time since, Yuan Li had always looked out for him—he not only forbade his underlings from asking Li Hao for protection money but also strictly prohibited them from competing with Li Hao for territory.
Calling it "competing for territory" was a stretch; it was more like beggars dividing up begging spots. Places like the unfinished buildings in Jintang Phase I and a few similar spots were Li Hao's territory. Once a place was claimed by Li Hao, other underlings weren't allowed to go there to scrounge up steel bars or cables.
That was the rule in this line of work.
Gradually, Li Hao and Yuan Li started interacting and grew familiar. Though he never officially took Yuan Li as an underling, they were at least friends.
And in this slum in the East District, Li Hao became the recognized leader among the younger guys.
Yuan Li only had a few dozen underlings, hardly a proper gang, and they made a living stealing construction materials and cables from job sites. But Li Hao never looked down on them. Once they got close, sharing meals and drinks became common.
On days when construction sites were tightly guarded, they'd go hungry. But when the foremen were in a good mood after making money, they'd turn a blind eye, and their earnings would rise—on lucky nights, they could even make a few thousand yuan.
"This dump—what big shots do you think would show up here?" Li Hao lit the Liqun, blowing out a smoke ring.
He wasn't wrong.
This part of the East District was once a workers' community for the old power plant. When H City was first built, power plant workers were the first to move here, and it had been a prosperous area with shops, schools, and hospitals.
But as reforms advanced, the power plant fell into deficit, profits plummeted, and they laid off workers and sold off most of their land, leaving only one factory building. If even that was sold, the community would cease to exist.
There was little profit to be made here, so no one else cared.
"Hehe, Fourth Brother, you can't say that." Upon hearing Li Hao's words, Yuan Li scurried over with a grin. "Brother Bao, who lives nearby, has been mighty interested in our turf lately. If me and the guys hadn't fought tooth and nail to stop him, you'd have gotten dragged into trouble too."
At that, Li Hao shot him a sideways glance and sneered. "Yuan Li, I know what you're up to before you even make a move! Spit it out—what do you want today?"
Yuan Li was straightforward, no scheming. To friends, that was simplicity; to outsiders, it was a bit foolish. But that was exactly why Li Hao was willing to deal with him.
Yuan Li scratched his head awkwardly. "Fourth Brother, Brother Bao's been pushing too hard lately. The guys are struggling to get by."
Li Hao looked puzzled. "Didn't you redraw the territory lines last month? They agreed to that, didn't they?"
"Fourth brother, that's what you said, but do you really think they will abide by the rules?" Yuan Li said with a wry smile. "Brother Bao didn't care about the deal last month. He said that our Qingshuitang was small and didn't need so many territories, but he brought people to occupy several of our territories."
Li Hao sneered in his heart but said nothing.
The "spots" Yuan Li spoke of weren't anything fancy—just assigned unfinished buildings, construction sites, or run-down factories.
"What, you didn't start a fight this time?" Li Hao shot at him, annoyed.
"After what you said last time, we wouldn't dare act on impulse," Yuan Li chuckled awkwardly, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes.
Although Yuan Li is honest, she is not stupid, otherwise she would not be able to continue doing this.
His men were no match for Brother Bao's crew! Last month, it was only because Li Hao stepped in that Brother Bao agreed to back off. Now that Li Hao hadn't been seen for a month, why would Brother Bao give Yuan Li any face?
In Brother Bao's words, this was how the world worked—the law of the jungle! Those who couldn't beat themshould just get out to avoid getting hurt!
Back then, Li Hao had taken down Brother Bao's men in a few moves, and that was what made Brother Bao back down.
From that day on, Yuan Li was certain—Li Hao was no ordinary man! The ferocity in his casual grappling moves could only come from a professional soldier, no one else!
So when trouble arose, Yuan Li naturally turned to Li Hao for protection first.
"Fine. Invite Brother Bao out tonight. I'll have a talk with him." Li Hao spat, flicking his cigarette butt into the trash. "Next time you come to me for a favor, bring better cigarettes."
Yuan Li nodded repeatedly, thrilled to the core. He led his underlings and scurried out.
This time, with Li Hao stepping in, he was determined to teach Brother Bao a lesson—let him know Qingshui Hall wasn't a soft target!
Brother Bao had more men, but just thinking of Li Hao's skills, Yuan Li felt no worry—he even trembled with excitement!
Watching Yuan Li close the door behind him, Li Hao lay silently on the sofa.
This was the spot Su Xiaorou had just sat in, and a faint, virginal fragrance still lingered nearby.
Li Hao took a deep breath, feeling instantly refreshed.
But his mind was already calculating.
This Brother Bao wasn't stupid.
Li Hao had taught him a lesson just last month, yet he'd dared to pick on Qingshui Hall after only a month—he must have something to rely on. Otherwise, Brother Bao would never have the guts to challenge him.
But…
So what?
Li Hao stretched, his carefree smile returning. He shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa, inhaling the lingering fragrance, when a gurgling sound suddenly came from his stomach.
He hadn't eaten all day and was starving.
There was nothing edible at home. Patting his pockets, he found only ten yuan—enough for one meal, but not the next.
This was what they meant by "a hero stumped by a single coin."
"Guess I need to make some quick cash first." He dragged the bag of cables from the corner, dumped them on the ground, poured half a bottle of gasoline over them, and lit a match.
Thick smoke billowed, with eerie green flames, and the cables crackled—enough to make anyone nervous.
But Li Hao was used to it.
Compared to what he'd witnessed in the past, this was trivial.
Soon, he sorted out dozens of catties of copper wire, took it to the recycling station, and exchanged it for a few hundred yuan. He finally felt at ease.
Living in the city wasn't like being out in the wild—money really was a good thing.
"Money makes all the difference!" He hummed a tune, counting his cash, then headed to a food stall, ordering two dishes and a few bottles of beer—a little luxury.
Before long, Yuan Li showed up with two underlings, wearing a silly grin. Li Hao rolled his eyes.
"Quit the act. Sit down and eat."
"Thanks, Fourth Brother!" Yuan Li grinned, tucking into the meat and beer while filling Li Hao in on what he'd learned.
It turned out Brother Bao had recently recruited some tough fighters—so-called martial artists, who could split bricks with their hand blades like it was nothing. With them around, Brother Bao's confidence had soared, giving him the nerve to tear up the earlier agreement and pick on Qingshui Hall.
"Brother Bao? Hmph." Li Hao popped a slice of beef into his mouth, a cold smirk still on his lips.
He didn't say it, but he clearly scorned these so-called martial artists.
This made Yuan Li's eyes light up.
"Fourth Brother, tonight you teach them a lesson! Let them know Qingshui Hall isn't a doormat!" Yuan Li said fiercely. The two underlings beside him nodded vigorously—clearly, they all had it in for Brother Bao.