Chapter Forty: Damn it! I’ll kill you!

Even if it hadn’t been about Li Shishi, with the Japanese causing trouble on Chinese soil, Xiao Fei would never stand by and do nothing. When he received the news, he rushed straight to the Red Delight Brothel.

The troublemakers this time were once again those Japanese warriors who had previously set their sights on the newly crowned courtesan, Liu Ruyan. They were from the famous Japanese martial arts dojo in Jiangning City, the Hongwu Dojo. These men had long coveted the beauty of both Liu Ruyan and Li Shishi. When Colonel Noda Yoshihiko was still alive, Li Shishi had been his lover, which kept them somewhat in check. Now that Noda Yoshihiko was gone, however, they acted without restraint.

That day, Tamaki Aoi, the second disciple of the Hongwu Dojo, brazenly led several disciples to the Red Delight Brothel. But Li Shishi was never a prostitute to begin with—much less would she submit to these filthy Japanese men. A quarrel broke out, and then Li Shishi fought back against the Japanese warriors.

“Well, well, you filthy whore,” Tamaki Aoi spat, “you’re just a slut who’s lain with thousands, and I’m doing you a favor by wanting you in my bed! Don’t act like you’re too good for me!”

Had their numbers been small, Li Shishi might have used her witchcraft to deal with them. But faced with so many, and with Liu Ruyan in their hands, she dared not act rashly.

Ever since the extraordinary Liu Ruyan had arrived, Li Shishi had grown truly fond of her; they were as close as sisters, and she would never allow these devils to defile Liu Ruyan’s innocence.

In truth, Li Shishi often thought Xiao Fei and Liu Ruyan were much alike—both legendary, as if they’d descended from the heavens, both utterly captivating.

But now, this pure girl she cherished had been taken by the Japanese. Li Shishi’s heart burned with fury; she could no longer hold back—she would make them pay in blood.

“Come, you beasts! As long as I, Li Shishi, draw breath, I will never let you Japanese devils run wild on Chinese soil!” she cried, charging into battle.

Yet while Li Shishi excelled in witchcraft and medicine, in martial arts she was far inferior to these Japanese warriors—especially Tamaki Aoi, the second disciple of Hongwu Dojo, trained by the kendo master Yamamoto Taro of the Shinbu school.

Within a few exchanges, Tamaki Aoi sent her crashing from the upper floor.

“My heavens, stop fighting! Please, stop! How am I to survive this?” wailed Madame Hua, the brothel’s bawd, unable to restrain her cries.

Once, with Li Shishi as the brothel’s star and with Colonel Noda Yoshihiko as her backer, business had thrived, and the brothel was secure. Then the “heaven-sent” Liu Ruyan arrived.

Though Liu Ruyan prided herself on being even more virtuous than Li Shishi, insisting she sold only her art, not her body, she possessed wit and ingenious ideas. With a few clever touches, she transformed the most jaded courtesans into new beauties, each with the potential to become a star. Liu Ruyan became the brothel’s golden goose.

But now, with Colonel Noda dead, Liu Ruyan seized, and Li Shishi beaten—what hope was left?

“Damn you!” snarled one of the Japanese warriors, kicking Madame Hua hard. She had been injured in the back by a kick before and had not yet healed; now, with new wounds atop old, she could not endure.

Li Shishi was badly hurt, blood bubbling from her lips. The few brothers she’d stationed nearby had all been defeated as well.

“Well, Li Shishi? Will you sleep with me or not? If you agree, maybe I’ll let you off the hook!” Tamaki Aoi sneered.

“Rot in hell, you animal!” Li Shishi spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm right into Tamaki Aoi’s face.

Enraged, Tamaki Aoi swore in Japanese and kicked her hard in the abdomen.

Li Shishi screamed as she tumbled from the second floor.

So perished a radiant flower, crushed in her prime.

But just as she was about to hit the ground, a figure darted forward and caught her in his arms.

“Xiao… Fei, you’re finally here…” Li Shishi groaned.

“Sister, I’m sorry for being late. Tianxiang, take care of her.” Xiao Fei handed her gently to Qin Tianxiang, then in a flash, leapt back up to the second floor.

Qin Tianxiang cradled Li Shishi, her voice full of pain, “Sister Shishi, you’ve suffered so much.”

“Yoshi! Who the hell are you?” Tamaki Aoi demanded angrily, never having seen this young man before.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Xiao Fei shouted back, launching a kick at him. He had a Browning in his hand, and Xiaoling had given him a few bullets, but he wanted to teach this bastard a lesson with pure Chinese martial arts.

Now, Xiao Fei was a first-rank warrior. His kick packed tremendous power—if Tamaki Aoi failed to dodge, he would be crippled if not killed outright.

But Tamaki Aoi, as a true heir of the Shinbu school, dodged nimbly, focusing all his attention on the fight.

Xiao Fei, however, was anything but careless, and had no intention of showing mercy. His other leg followed immediately, and his fist, hard as iron, crashed toward his foe.

His footwork was swift as the wind, his palm sharp as a blade—Tamaki Aoi could barely withstand the assault.

Blow after blow landed; Tamaki Aoi staggered backward, no longer daring to underestimate the young man before him.

The three disciples Tamaki Aoi had brought with him tensed at the sight, leaping onto the upper floor to join the battle, while another moved to surround Qin Tianxiang and Li Shishi.

“Sister Shishi, don’t be afraid. Watch me—I won’t disgrace my husband’s name,” Qin Tianxiang declared, standing up and clenching her fists. The Japanese warrior hesitated, realizing he could not underestimate this Chinese girl, nor act rashly.

“Very good. At last, a true opponent in China. All of you, stand back. I want to test myself against this boy—let’s see if he’s worthy of the name. Boy, state your name!” Tamaki Aoi challenged.

“You’re not qualified to know my name,” Xiao Fei replied coldly.

“Second Brother, I’ve seen this guy before—he’s the one who defeated the envoys from the Five Nations,” one of Tamaki Aoi’s disciples whispered. He’d witnessed Xiao Fei’s prowess firsthand during that notorious fight.

“Good, very good! So you’re Xiao Fei. Even if you hadn’t come, I was intending to seek you out. Since you’re here, I formally challenge you to a fair duel! Do you dare accept?” Tamaki Aoi declared.

“Why wouldn’t I? But before I accept your challenge, let’s settle another score—you hurt my sister, and I always repay my debts, immediately. So, take a few punches first!” As he spoke, Xiao Fei launched another furious assault.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Bang, bang, bang!

Every move was ruthless; Tamaki Aoi could only defend, unable to fight back.

“You’re not fighting by the rules!” Tamaki Aoi yelled.

“To hell with your rules! I’ll kill you today!” Xiao Fei snarled, launching a flying kick.

Tamaki Aoi realized he was no match for Xiao Fei and ordered his disciples, “Shoot him dead!”

But before the disciple could even draw his pistol, a bullet struck him down—no matter how fast he was, he couldn’t outdraw Xiao Fei’s Browning.

“Murder! Murder!” the prostitutes hiding in the corners screamed, scrambling to escape in every direction.

The next moment, Xiao Fei pressed his gun to Tamaki Aoi’s forehead. “Die, you devil!”