The morning sun filtered through layers of emerald leaves, warming his face.
After meditating all night, Tao Bai slowly opened his eyes, pulled his phone from his pocket, and finally saw a message.
"Kuangzhou, Huaqiao New Village."
Note: Huaqiao in Cantonese sounds similar to Fuck You.
Tao Bai's lips curved upward.
"I was just about to head to Yangcheng myself..."
It was the depths of winter, yet as everyone knew, Yue Province had no winter.
With temperatures hovering around 20 degrees Celsius, people generally wore only one or two layers.
Under the arcades, the sweet aroma of double-skin milk wafted from the old-school dessert shops.
Steam rose from bamboo steamers filled with xiaolongbao and shaomai.
As people enjoyed their breakfasts, a group of elders conversed in the distinctive, old-fashioned dialect of Yue.
The taxis lining the streets were uniformly red Jettas.
Tao Bai hailed one at random.
"Where to, boss?"
The driver tossed his cigarette butt after spotting Tao Bai and turned to ask in Cantonese.
"Overseas Chinese Village, south gate of East Ring Road."
Tao Bai replied in Cantonese.
"Meter or not?"
"No meter."
"No meter? Ten bucks then!"
Tao Bai handed over ten yuan.
The driver chuckled, took the money, and started the car.
The vehicle slowly cruised along East Ring Road.
Beyond this point lay Sanyuanli in Baiyun District.
Tao Bai noticed small groups of African immigrants strolling down the street, chatting loudly and gesturing exaggeratedly—
Their boisterousness even obstructs the normal flow of pedestrians.
When did there become so many of them?
Tao Bai felt puzzled.
He had been here eight years ago, but back then there weren't this many.
The car soon reached the South Gate, where Tao Bai stepped out.
Huaqiao New Village, nestled between Yuexiu District and Baiyun District, was a tranquil oasis amidst the bustle.
The iron gates stood firmly closed, with security guards in crisp uniforms stationed at the entrance.
Inside the gates, fallen leaves on the asphalt had been swept clean by cleaning ladies.
Camphor trees on either side cast dense shade, while white magnolias exude a delicate fragrance.
Guanyin bamboo and various unnamed plants and flowers were also interspersed throughout.
The villa area boasted a remarkably high green coverage rate.
It's directly proportional to the probability of the male owner being cuckolded.
Occasionally, the lady of the house could be spotted in silk pajamas walking her dog along the asphalt path below.
Without a leash, she sometimes had to chase after the dog, causing the two rounded mounds on her chest to sway rhythmically.
On occasion, the faint outline of two pointed peaks could be glimpsed—
A unique sight indeed.
"Sir, how may I assist you?"
Tao Bai offered a Zhenlong Shengshi cigarette, but the young security guard waved it away.
"Does the Shen family—Shen Yuan—live here?"
"What might I do for you?"
The young guard eyed Tao Bai suspiciously, his black-and-red robe standing out.
Seeing the guard was uncooperative, Tao Bai reluctantly gave up, lit his cigarette, and walked away.
It seemed he'd have to stake out the place or ask one of the older residents nearby.
...
"Which one do you want? "
（Note: 要这个还是那个?[那个]in Mandarin pronunciation sounds like [N-word]）
*Thud!*
"Ah!"
Gui Nianqiu clutched her stinging cheek, enduring the sharp pain and the foul, strange odor.
Her almond eyes widened as she demanded sharply,
"Why did you suddenly hit me?"
A few days earlier, Gui Nianqiu had arrived here and taken over a clothing store with an accessories section.
Gui Nianqiu had merely asked the woman which jade bracelet she wanted when the burly man beside her inexplicably punched her.
"You make me angry, I hit you. If I beat you to death, I don't even have to go to jail!"
The man roared in broken Chinese, his voice filled with menace.
He had entered the country illegally, an undocumented immigrant.
He had been living in Yangcheng for two and a half years.
Although his Chinese was still far from fluent, life had treated him extremely well—
Money when he wanted money, women when he wanted women.
He was living comfortably, even indulgently.
Last month, he had beaten a local man half to death right on the street.
After lying low for a while, nothing came of it.
Today, he was once again swaggering around town, openly holding a local woman in his arms, out for fun as if nothing had happened.
"Babe, take it easy, don't get angry with such a yokel!"
(Speaking English, the woman thought Gui Nianqiu won't get it.)
The woman beside him murmured soothingly, stroking his broad chest.
Gui Nianqiu knew some English, but the woman spoke too quickly—
She couldn't quite catch the last word.
Still, judging by her expression and tone, she knew she was being mocked.
"Don't you dare leave! I'm calling the police right now!"
Gui Nianqiu grabbed his phone, ready to dial.
"We're leaving!"
The man walked out immediately.
The woman snatched a jade bracelet without paying, hooked her arm through his, and hurried out of the shop.
The man hadn't taken two steps outside when Tao Bai, lurking near the entrance, tripped him with a sudden kick.
He stumbled, the thick chain around his neck nearly looping over a fire hydrant.
But he quickly regained his balance, spun around, and charged at Tao Bai.
"Delay No More! （Damn it! ）"
The man cursed in accented Cantonese, swinging a punch straight at Tao Bai's face!
Standing well over six feet tall, the thug charged forward.
As he approached, Tao Bai caught an overwhelmingly pungent, foul odor, prompting him to hold his breath and shut down his sense of smell!
He sported a head of frizzy, curly hair, with two thick, sausage-like strands hidden in his stubble.
His entire body was covered in bulging muscles, and his fists were as big as clay pots.
Tao Bai's expression darkened, his gaze sharpening as his left palm shot out!
*SMACK!*
Tao Bai caught the fist with his left palm, then twisted and yanked!
*CRACK!*
The man's arm instantly dislocated, rendering it useless!
His eyes fixed on Tao Bai, filled with bewilderment and terror.
Could this be the legendary "Hua Xia Kungfu"?
"Daring to attack BenZuo? Tired of living?"
Tao Bai shot the man a contemptuous glance.
The flamboyantly dressed woman supported the man, glaring at Tao Bai and erupting in fury:
"How dare you hit my boyfriend!? How dare you strike the son of the esteemed chieftain!
Just wait for your day in court!
Not a million won't settle this!"
Seeing Tao Bai remain silent, merely curling his lip in disdain.
She was beside herself with rage:
"Seeing my boyfriend makes you feel inferior, so you attack him?
I'll sue you and make you pay!"
She pulled out her phone to snap a photo of Tao Bai, but Tao Bai swatted it away.
The phone clattered to the ground.
As the crowd grew, the man and the woman didn't want to escalate things further.
After picking up her phone, she helped the black man into a Jetta taxi and drove off, clearly annoyed.
Tao Bai walked into the clothing store and saw Gui Nianqiu's severely swollen face.
Confused, he asked, "Why are you in Yangcheng?"
"A college friend said Yangcheng was a good place to make money, so I came to try my luck.
Rent here is much cheaper than in other districts, so I took over this spot."
Gui Nianqiu explained, covering her face. She then countered,
"And why are you here, Master Taoist?"
Looking at Gui Nianqiu, Tao Bai couldn't help but recall his sister Tao Xiang from seven years ago.
Back then, she was only seventeen...
If she were still alive, she'd be 24 now—two years older than Gui Nianqiu.
To ordinary eyes, Gui Nianqiu's beauty was exceptional, but it couldn't compare to Taoxiang's.
Let alone her face bore the brutal imprint of a fist.
Without prompt medical attention, there was a real risk of permanent disfigurement.
"Hey, lass, let me feel your face."