Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

Five days have passed since school started. The air in the training hall of Jixian Sports School is still thick with the smell of sweat and the spirit of hard work, but the mat that belongs to Sun Peng has been glaringly empty for several days.

Suspension from training. These two words were like two heavy iron gates, shutting him out of that bustling, noisy world. He felt like a fish stranded on the shore, each breath a dry, stinging pain. What he couldn't bear most was Coach Zhou Zhenhua's sweeping gaze across the entire field, occasionally glancing at the window where he often stood, revealing only a cold disappointment. That disappointment was more suffocating than anger, because it meant the coach no longer cared about him. He was like a caged beast stripped of its fangs and claws, pacing futilely between his dormitory and the school gate, a burning, scorching fire burning within him, making his eyes red and everything he saw tinged with twisted hatred.

That afternoon, the fire finally burned through his reason. He rushed into the arcade hidden in the basement at the west end of the county town, an arcade perpetually filled with a foul odor. The booming music, the flickering screen light, and the pungent smell of cheap cigarettes mixed with sweat, ironically brought a morbid peace to his restless heart. He slammed the last few coins in his pocket onto the King of Fighters '97 machine, his fingers dancing wildly across the joystick and buttons, pouring out his dissatisfaction with Zhou Zhenhua, his jealousy of Cang Tianci, and his bewilderment at his bleak future into the virtual fighting and his screams. He reacted quickly, his attacks were cunning, and he possessed a ruthlessness honed in real combat. In several rounds, he beat a small-time hoodlum with dyed yellow hair and a cigarette dangling from his mouth until the screen turned blood red, leaving him utterly helpless.

"Damn it! What the hell are you from? How dare you come here and cause trouble?" Huang Mao, having lost money and face, turned a deep purplish-red. He suddenly stood up and shoved Sun Peng hard.

This push was like igniting a long-simmering powder keg! The frustration of being suspended from training, the anger of being unseen, and the pain of being looked down upon all found an outlet in an instant! Sun Peng's eyes flashed, and his beast-like instincts overwhelmed everything. He turned to the side, grabbed the wrist, twisted his waist, and lowered his hips—an over-the-shoulder throw that had been repeated thousands of times in the training hall and was already ingrained in his muscle memory exploded with astonishing force in the confined space!

"Bang!"

Huang Mao didn't even see the movement clearly. He only felt dizzy and his whole body was thrown heavily onto the cold cement ground like a broken sack. He landed on his back and howled in pain, curling up and unable to breathe for a long time.

"Damn it! Are you trying to cause trouble?" Several thugs who had been lounging in their chairs with murky eyes suddenly stood up and surrounded the area with hostile expressions, their hands instinctively reaching for the hollow steel pipes piled up in the corner.

"All of you, shut the hell up!" a fierce voice rang out. The crowd parted, and a dark-skinned man in a tight floral shirt and a gold chain as thick as a little finger slung around his neck strolled over. He didn't look at the groaning blond man on the ground; his narrow, hook-like eyes scanned Sun Peng several times.

"Pretty good, kid." Dark-skinned man grinned, revealing yellowed teeth stained with cigarette smoke. His smile held a scrutinizing quality and a hint of predatory interest. "This style... clean and powerful, not like someone who's just a street urchin. I've seen that over-the-shoulder throw technique before—it's the style of Zhou Yanwang from Ji County Sports School. You trained at the sports school, right? One of Zhou Yanwang's men?"

Sun Peng was panting heavily, his eyes warily fixed on Blackie. He didn't say a word, but the slight change in his expression when his origins were revealed was tantamount to admission.

Hei Pi felt reassured. He stepped forward, patted Sun Peng heavily on the shoulder, and said in a friendly tone, "You're a good prospect! Damn it, what future is there in following that Zhou Yama at the sports school? You'll be working yourself to the bone like a dog, with rules that are above all else. If you play well, it's because he taught you well; if you don't, it's because you're useless. What's the point? In the end, isn't the point of living to have fun and make money?" His words were crude, but they were like poisoned needles, precisely piercing Sun Peng's most sensitive and vulnerable nerves at that moment.

He leaned closer, his voice lower and more seductive: "Come work for me, kid. You'll be in charge of this place, and the two billiard rooms next door. Play as many games as you want, unlimited cigarettes and alcohol! And if you see a girl you like, I'll teach you how to pick her up." He held up three fingers and waved them in front of Sun Peng, then whispered a number, "This amount at the end of the month, real money, in your own pocket. Isn't that a hundred times better than you breaking your bones there and having to ask your family for money at the end of the month? Follow me, Blackie, and in this western area, who won't call you 'Brother Peng'?"

The title "Brother Peng" and the specific amount of money were like a red-hot coal falling into Sun Peng's parched heart. Zhou Zhenhua's cold gaze, Cang Tianci's increasingly calm face, the empty time after the training stoppage, the embarrassment of having only a few coins left in his pocket... and the image of "exhilaration" and "being called brother" from Hei Pi's mouth, intertwined to create an extremely tempting illusion.

At this moment, a faint voice seemed to struggle within Sun Peng's heart: They're thugs... I've practiced martial arts for so many years... The coach said... But this voice was immediately drowned out by a louder roar: Coach? Zhou Yanwang abandoned you a long time ago! Can martial arts put food on the table? Look at them, how well they live!

As if he could hear the internal struggle in his heart, the dark-skinned man added fuel to the fire, his tone laced with disdain: "What? Do you think we're beneath you? Let me tell you, in this world, people laugh at poverty but not prostitution! You work yourself to the bone, bleed and sweat, and in the end, don't you still have to bow your head and earn money? Your coach, spouting platitudes, is just using your achievements to embellish his own image, isn't he? Every punch and kick you take here is for yourself! Understand?"

"Earned for myself..." This sentence was like the final stone thrown onto the scales. He remembered the sweat he shed at the sports school, remembered Zhou Zhenhua saying, "Practicing martial arts is for self-cultivation." What did self-cultivation bring him? Only cold stares and being suspended from training. A flicker of self-abandonment mixed with an impulse as if he had found a way out flashed across Sun Peng's face. He heard his own dry voice say, "Fine! Brother, I'll do it with you! I... I've had enough of that awful place!"

"That's right!" Blackie laughed, casually grabbing two cans of soda from the nearby shelf, popping them open with a "bang," and handing one to Sun Peng. "Brother, we're on the same side now! Tell me, what kind of grievances did you suffer at the sports school? With your physique and tenacity, wouldn't Zhou Yanwang (the King of Hell) treasure you?"

Sun Peng took the soda; the icy touch soothed his feverish head slightly. But after gulping down a large mouthful of the cloyingly sweet syrup, under the concerned gaze of his "elder brother" and in this fraternal atmosphere, his remaining wariness and shame quickly melted away. The resentment that had been suppressed for so long found an outlet.

"Don't even mention it!" He wiped his mouth, his voice becoming agitated. "I accepted being suppressed by my senior brother before. But then a stuttering country bumpkin named Cang Tianci came along. He was as skinny as a monkey, but Zhou Yanwang somehow took a liking to him and favored him in every way! Last time we sparred, that kid was like a mad dog; he almost bit my neck through!" He unconsciously touched his neck, which was already smooth, but the fear and humiliation were still vivid.

"Cang Tianci?" A glint flashed in the dark-skinned man's small eyes, his face instantly darkening. He tightened his grip on the soda can, making a soft "click" sound. "Is he that kid from Jixian No. 1 Elementary School? The quiet, ruthless little brat?"

"Yes! It's him! You know him too, brother?" Sun Peng was taken aback.

"I know more than just that!" Blackie squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, the gold chain around his neck swaying with his heaving chest. "I haven't settled my score with him yet!" He briefly recounted how he ambushed Cang Tianci in the alley last year, only to be scared off by an old man, and how he didn't get a good outcome at the police station. Of course, he embellished the version himself, emphasizing Cang Tianci's "insidiousness" and "having powerful backers."

After hearing his explanation, Sun Peng realized that the man before him was none other than Hei Pi, the infamous figure in Ji County's underworld. The scene of Cang Tianci being beaten black and blue last year was still vivid in his mind. However, afterwards, Zhou Yanwang had watched helplessly as his prized disciple was assaulted. His eyes immediately lit up, and he said with empathy, "Brother, so you've all suffered at his hands too! That kid's a venomous snake; he looks honest, but when he gets angry, he'll kill you!"

"That's right!" Blackie put a heavy arm around Sun Peng's shoulder and shook him affectionately. "Brother, it seems we're really destined to meet, even our enemy is the same. Don't worry, follow me, and we'll have plenty of opportunities to get revenge, with interest!"

The shared "enemy" quickly drew them closer, completely extinguishing any remaining wavering in Sun Peng's heart. He could almost see himself living a life of luxury with Hei Pi, and then one day, leading a group of people, watching Cang Tianci and Zhou Yanwang's astonished and regretful faces...

"Brother," Sun Peng thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "I'll work with you. I don't care whether I go to the sports school or not, it's just... I still have a few months until graduation, and I want to at least get a junior high school diploma..."

"Hahaha!" Blackie waved his hand dismissively. "I thought it was nothing. It's just a piece of paper. Leave it to me, I'll make sure you get it. Starting tomorrow, come over and familiarize yourself with our 'business'."

Sun Peng's last lingering concerns vanished. He nodded heavily, a near-excited resolve on his face. In his mind, he spat in the direction of his imagined Zhou Zhenhua: You look down on me? Now I have people who respect me! Money to be made, fights to be fought, and people calling me "brother"—just you wait and see!

Under the dim lights of the arcade, two cans of soda clinked together, producing a hollow, soft sound. Undeveloped ambition and resentment, along with the undercurrents lurking in the corners of society, quietly merged in that moment, in the murky air. Sun Peng's figure disappeared into the shadows deep within the arcade.

Blackie leaned against the console, watching the retreating figure, a slow smile curving his lips. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Mr. Zhao, someone's here. He's from the sports school, a disciple of Zhou Yanwang. He has a grudge against the kid we're dealing with."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a deep voice: "Bring him over, let's meet him."

In Zhao Dabiao's office at the western end of the county town, smoke filled the air. Zhao Xiaohu's father, the richest man in Ji County, was leaning back in his large leather chair, his gaze lingering on Sun Peng for a couple of seconds.

"Him?"

"General Manager Zhao, he came from a sports school and is Zhou Yanwang's apprentice. He has a grudge against that kid from the Cang family." Blackie pushed Sun Peng forward.

Sun Peng stood there somewhat awkwardly. This office was more impressive than anywhere else he had ever seen—a mahogany desk, a genuine leather sofa, and a plaque on the wall that read "Great virtue carries all things." He didn't quite understand why someone who ran an arcade and casino would hang that up.

"Sit down," Zhao Dabiao said, pointing to the chair opposite him.

Sun Peng sat down, his back ramrod straight, a habit he'd picked up from his sports school days.

"How many years did you train with King Yama?"

"Four years."

"How's your kung fu?"

Sun Peng hesitated for a moment: "It's alright. Last time we sparred, Cang Tianci almost bit my neck off." He subconsciously touched his neck.

Zhao Dabiao chuckled. He started his career in the underworld and had been trying to legitimize himself in recent years, starting several legitimate companies, but he kept getting blocked. A while ago, he wanted to open a martial arts school and went to Zheng Guofu to get land, but Zheng Guofu told him that the best piece of land had already been given to Zhou Zhenhua of the sports school.

"County Chief Zheng greatly admires your Coach Zhou." Zhao Dabiao said this in a very flat tone, but Sun Peng sensed a chill in his voice.

"King Yama Zhou?" Sun Peng was taken aback.

"Yes, it's that guy surnamed Zhou." Zhao Dabiao lit a cigarette. "He stole a piece of land from me. Now, his apprentice is here again." He glanced at Sun Peng. "You hate Cang Tianci?"

"I hate him." Sun Peng gritted his teeth. "Why did he steal all the limelight the moment he arrived? Zhou Yanwang is biased; he even protects him during sparring."

Zhao Dabiao slowly exhaled a puff of smoke: "Then do you hate Zhou Zhenhua?"

Sun Peng fell silent. He recalled the cold disappointment Zhou Zhenhua had shown as he surveyed the room, and the words, "I don't want to deal with him anymore."

"Hate," he said, his voice lower.

Zhao Dabiao nodded, took an envelope from his drawer, and pushed it in front of Sun Peng. "As for the sports school, go if you want, don't go if you don't." He flicked his cigarette ash. "As for that Cang Tianci... don't worry about it. My son is in his class too, there will be plenty of opportunities."

Sun Peng looked at the envelope but didn't touch it.

"Here you go." Zhao Dabiao stubbed out his cigarette. "Consider it a small gift. You'll be well taken care of if you follow Hei Pi from now on."

Sun Peng reached out and stuffed the envelope into his pocket. At that moment, he felt he had finally found a backer. He thought of Zhou Zhenhua, of Cang Tianci, and of the cold stares in the training hall—just wait and see.

Zhao Xiaohu, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, heard everything. He had just seen Blackie lead a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy to see his father, and his curiosity had been piqued, so he secretly stood outside the door, listening intently. When he heard that the boy was actually Cang Tianci's senior brother, his heart skipped a beat. Cang Tianci's senior brother also hated him? He almost laughed out loud. The world is truly full of coincidences. Leaning against the wall, his mind was already racing: How could he possibly use this Sun Peng in the future?