Chapter Fifty-Five: Eighteen Falls to Soil the Robe

Chen Dongfang gently pushed open the door and entered the room. He glanced at Uncle Zhuzi, who lay on the hospital bed wrapped entirely in bandages, and then surveyed his surroundings. Fatty was still snoring away, while Xiao Wang was watching this sudden newcomer. Chen Qingshan, who had been sitting by the bedside, immediately recognized Chen Dongfang when he saw him. He tried to stand and speak, but Chen Dongfang pressed his hand down softly and said, “It’s late. Let’s not disturb them.”

He waved at Xiao Wang and Chen Qingshan, saying, “Come, let’s talk outside.”

As they reached the doorway, Xiao Wang caught sight of the oddly dressed, bald man trailing behind Chen Dongfang and exclaimed, “Damn! Li Qing?”

“You know him?” I asked Xiao Wang, surprised.

“The Blind Monk! Is this guy cosplaying? Wow, he’s cool!” Xiao Wang replied.

“What are you talking about?” I was a bit baffled by Xiao Wang.

“It’s a game, League of Legends—the hottest game right now. This guy’s outfit is exactly like the character in the game, except his clothes aren’t quite right; he should have red shorts for perfection. Supreme and totally cool! The Blind Monk, his name’s Li Qing,” Xiao Wang explained.

“I wouldn’t know. I don’t play games,” I replied, though I began to understand what Xiao Wang meant. Originally, the man’s attire and name had made him seem formidable, but knowing he was just mimicking a game character, I now saw the man trailing Chen Dongfang as something of a clown.

Xiao Wang was probably a gaming fanatic and a chatterbox. The moment he saw the man’s outfit, he bombarded him with game-related questions—what server, what rank, things I couldn’t begin to understand. Chen Dongfang didn’t stop their conversation but instead pulled me and Chen Qingshan aside. “Why are there police here?” he asked.

I told him about the assassin who had come to kill us that evening. After listening, Chen Dongfang’s expression grew darker. He asked, “Was it Tang Renjie?”

I hadn’t expected Chen Dongfang, who hadn’t been home for many years, to know Tang Renjie. But then I remembered, Tang Renjie was a major figure in Luoyang’s business world; it made sense Chen Dongfang would know him. I nodded, “In Luoyang, who else could it be?”

Chen Dongfang took out his phone and dialed a number. Soon, I heard him say directly into the phone, “This is Chen Dongfang. You know where I am. Come over. I don’t have much time and I don’t like waiting.”

At first, I thought Chen Dongfang was calling Tang Renjie, but his tone made me doubt it. So I asked, “Uncle Dongfang, who did you call?”

“Tang Renjie,” he replied, much to my surprise.

After that, Chen Dongfang walked to the hospital corridor and sat down, saying nothing more. He closed his eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

His manner of speaking to Tang Renjie astonished me. I’d already assumed he was a formidable person, but the fact that he dared address Tang Renjie so bluntly made me realize I’d underestimated him. I grew intensely curious about this son of my third grandfather. Now that we were a bit farther away, I lowered my voice and asked, “Village chief, what does third grandfather’s son do? Is he really so powerful?”

Chen Qingshan shook his head, “I don’t know either. I just know he’s in Shanghai. Third uncle never spoke of him.”

“Seems pretty impressive,” I said.

“Apparently so,” Chen Qingshan replied.

Earlier, Chen Dongfang had told me he would explain some things once he returned, but now he remained silent. His presence was so commanding I didn’t dare press further. Bored, I decided to listen in on Xiao Wang’s conversation with the strangely dressed Li Qing. I wondered if Li Qing could tolerate Xiao Wang’s eccentric police questioning, but to my surprise, the two were chatting away, discovering they were on the same server, sharing IDs, and planning solo matches. The mysterious aura around Li Qing shattered completely.

We waited for about twenty minutes. Standing on the third floor, I saw a group of people enter the first-floor lobby. Each wore a suit, walking upright and disciplined like bodyguards from Zhongnanhai. As expected, at the center of this entourage, surrounded like a star among planets, was Tang Renjie.

He arrived at the hospital with about thirty men. Fortunately, it was late at night, so the hospital was quiet and there was no commotion. Even the few security guards were intimidated, keeping their distance.

“Brother Dongfang, forgive me for arriving late,” Tang Renjie called out from the first floor in our direction, smiling.

“Li Qing,” Chen Dongfang ignored Tang Renjie’s greeting and softly called out.

Li Qing, who had been engrossed in conversation with Xiao Wang, said, “Alright, game’s over,” and walked toward Chen Dongfang. His eyes were covered by a red cloth, yet his gait was unaffected, making me suspect he wasn’t blind at all but dressed that way for effect.

Li Qing stopped beside Chen Dongfang, who said, “Returning a courtesy is only proper.”

Li Qing nodded, turned, and walked to the edge of the wall. He twisted his neck, making it crack, and a fierce smile appeared on his face.

To my astonishment, he pressed one hand against the wall, twisted his body, and leaped from the third floor.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed, rushing to the wall and looking down. Li Qing stood below unharmed, smiling as he approached Tang Renjie’s group.

Facing Li Qing alone, Tang Renjie’s bodyguards immediately went on high alert, shifting formation to protect Tang Renjie behind them.

“Brother Dongfang, isn’t this a bit much?” Tang Renjie called up, though he couldn’t see Chen Dongfang seated on the bench by the wall.

Chen Dongfang still didn’t reply. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, half reclined on the bench, and exhaled a ribbon of smoke.

As he lit his cigarette, Li Qing began to move downstairs.

His steps were swift, charging alone like a fearless warrior into Tang Renjie’s crowd of thirty men.

Tang Renjie snorted coldly and waved his hand. His bodyguards rushed forward to meet Li Qing.

What happened next was something I thought I’d only see in movies.

Li Qing plunged into the group. I couldn’t make out his moves, but I watched as Tang Renjie’s bodyguards were sent flying one by one.

One man against a throng—I’d seen my eldest brother fight, but even he wasn’t as swift and fluid as Li Qing. I knew nothing of martial arts, but Li Qing’s movements were beautiful to behold. His outfit, once odd and abrupt, now made him seem like a peerless master in the midst of battle.

“Eighteen Throws of Clothes?” I was mesmerized by the fight below when Fatty appeared at my side and exclaimed in surprise.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s a unique skill. Strange, what’s the story with this monk?” Fatty frowned.

“He’s from League of Legends,” I replied, mimicking Xiao Wang’s tone.

“Huh?” Fatty clearly didn’t understand, looking at me in confusion.

“Haha, you two are so dull,” Xiao Wang laughed heartily, then turned his attention back to the fight, seeming to forget his identity as a police officer.

By now, the battle below was nearing its end.

Li Qing landed a hook punch, sending the last man flying, then moved even faster to the side. His final move was to press his foot against the back of Tang Renjie’s head.

From Li Qing’s prowess, I could sense that if he really kicked, it could easily be fatal for Tang Renjie.

“Roundhouse kick! Awesome!” Xiao Wang gave Li Qing a thumbs-up.

Li Qing held his pose but shook his finger at Xiao Wang.

Then he spoke a line that puzzled me: “You’re wrong. It’s R-Flash.”

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