Chapter 41: Brother Eggache, Dreams of the Jianghu

"Who is it that's talking so big?" At this moment, a group of people walked into the billiard hall, no fewer than seventeen or eighteen in all. Leading them was a short man with a buzz cut; it was he who had spoken.

"Viper, you're finally here, over here!" At once, Stinkbug rushed to greet the short man who had just entered, his face alight with excitement.

Ling Tian and his companions sized up Viper as he strode closer, Viper in turn eyeing them up and down. Then, with a sneer of contempt, he addressed Ling Tian. "So it was you boasting just now, wasn't it? Daring to say Sister Yue should be your woman? And you even had the nerve to hit one of my men? You sure have guts!"

Ling Tian regarded the man before him. Apart from the viciousness etched on his face, there was nothing remarkable about him. No wonder he was called Viper; with a character like him, he was hardly worthy to be Ling Tian's opponent.

Ling Tian let out a cold laugh. "You had the nerve to lay hands on my brother yesterday—you're not lacking in boldness either. Today, I'll show you the consequences of touching my brothers!"

He finished speaking and launched a kick squarely at the most vital spot between the man's legs. There was no need for mercy when dealing with such scum.

"Ah—!"

With a miserable howl, the man collapsed to the ground. The reason? Agonizing pain!

Ling Tian hadn't even used full strength, for he didn't intend to cripple him outright. But the pain was something only a few could endure.

A human being can withstand about 45 dels of pain. When a woman gives birth, she endures 57 dels—about the same as breaking twenty bones at once. But if a man takes a blow to that particular spot, the pain skyrockets to 9000 dels—the equivalent of giving birth to 160 children at once, or breaking 3,200 bones simultaneously. So, a man's pain in that region is something women simply can't understand! Now Viper was writhing in agony—an experience incomprehensible to most!

"Ling Tian, that was ruthless!" Yuan Bao couldn't help feeling a twinge of sympathy at Viper's plight. It was the first time he'd seen Ling Tian strike out so fiercely—or rather, kick so fiercely.

"A petty man is no gentleman; a man without venom is no true man. This guy wasn't gentle with you and Dai Jin either, but I only used twenty percent of my strength," Ling Tian replied indifferently.

"Ah! All of you—get them! Beat them to a pulp!" Even in the throes of agony, Viper didn't forget to bark orders. His men were truly useless—watching him get beaten down without lifting a hand. It infuriated him.

"Get them!" At last, the rest reacted. Someone shouted, and the seventeen or eighteen men surged forward, surrounding Ling Tian and his companions.

From their perspective, Ling Tian's group numbered only four, and two of them—Dai Jin and Yuan Bao—were already injured from the day before. They knew the strength of those two all too well; among street punks, they were no fighters at all. So, these men didn't take them seriously in the slightest.

"Shi Xiaocai, take them down in one move—let’s not give them a chance to hurt Dai Jin and Yuan Bao again. Let’s make them all suffer the same pain!" Saying this, Ling Tian aimed another kick at the vital spot of the man before him. The man shrieked and crumpled to the floor.

"Amitabha! To kill is to prevent more killing!" Shi Xiaocai intoned, swinging his leg in a swift kick, and didn't stop—within seconds, several more punks were down, each one clutching his own vital spot in agony.

Pitiful, really, these seventeen or eighteen street punks. Before Ling Tian and Shi Xiaocai, they had no chance to resist; in less than three minutes, they were all sprawled on the floor, groaning, hands clamped over their injured nether regions.

The billiard hall's owner was dumbstruck. He’d never seen a fight break out like this—it was just too cruel.

"Heh heh, how does it feel, gentlemen? Remember, from now on, there's someone new in town—Brother Tian! This place used to belong to Viper, but now it's under my protection!" Ling Tian was in high spirits. Beating people up felt surprisingly good!

In his past life, he’d served his country as a civil servant—a man of the law. In this life, he was out for himself, roaming the world and making his own rules. This feeling—seeing someone he didn’t like and giving them a thrashing—was exhilarating! No wonder the old saying went: 'To serve is to lose your freedom; to be free is not to serve.'

"Then I’ll be Brother Cai!" Shi Xiaocai was also delighted. The rules at Shaolin were so strict—no wine, no women, nothing fun—but there was never any mention of not joining the underworld, was there? No, he didn’t think so.

"This is great! No one will dare bully us now," Yuan Bao was beaming. Every boy harbors a dream of brotherhood—a world where friends share life and death. Even though Yuan Bao was never one for fighting, he'd always had this dream of brotherhood and adventure.

"Heh heh, Ling Tian, I think you ought to be called 'Brother Pain-in-the-Eggs'—that name is way more intimidating than 'Brother Tian,'" Dai Jin snickered mischievously, thinking the nickname suited Ling Tian perfectly.

"Brother Pain-in-the-Eggs? Not bad. Everyone who meets me suffers in that way. But 'Brother Tian' is more formal. That can be my nickname—my real title will still be Brother Tian." Ling Tian cared about his image. 'Brother Tian' sounded impressive—just the sort of name that would make girls swoon!

The men groaning on the floor could only listen to their banter in mute disbelief, still clutching their injuries. The owner of the billiard hall, meanwhile, was covered in cold sweat. 'Brother Pain-in-the-Eggs'? Good grief, even he felt the pain. It looked like there would be no peace in this area for a while. For now, he dared not offend either side. Viper had connections, but this new Brother Tian was clearly not to be trifled with. He would just have to wait and see how things played out.

"If you've got guts, just you wait—I'll call someone to deal with you!" Viper managed to gasp as the pain eased a little, pulling out his phone to call for backup—to appeal to his own boss.

That was the way of the underworld—if the little brother got beaten, the big brother showed up, just as Stinkbug had called Viper after getting beaten earlier. Now that Viper was down, he was calling for his own boss. Who that was, nobody knew.

But no matter who it was, Ling Tian didn't care. Still, he had no time to waste on them today; he had more pressing matters—protecting Lin Youya. The school was relatively safe, but it was better to move in as soon as possible. Most importantly, living together with a beauty meant plenty of opportunities for flirtation.

"Too bad, I don’t have time to wait for your reinforcements. Listen up: my name is Ling Tian, from the Finance Department of Jianghai University, known as Brother Tian in the underworld. This handsome monk beside me is Shi Xiaocai—come and seek revenge any time you like! I’ll be waiting!"

With that, Ling Tian, Shi Xiaocai, Dai Jin, and Yuan Bao strode out in style, leaving behind a swaggering, unforgettable, and—yes—painful impression.

A venomous glint flickered in Viper’s eyes. True to his name, he would never let this go. He’d ruled this area for years and had never suffered such humiliation.

In the corner, a bespectacled young man watched them leave, a playful smile tugging at his lips. This was getting interesting.

...

Ling Tian and his friends walked home in high spirits. Ling Tian suddenly realized that, besides chasing girls, he had discovered another pastime: as long as he kept mixing in these circles, he would eventually run into Song Ziyue. Otherwise, who knew when their paths might cross? To pursue a beauty, your lives had to intersect—two parallel lines would never meet.

"Ling Tian, are we really going to become bosses around here?" Dai Jin asked excitedly.

"Of course. There are only four of us for now, but our fighting power is strong—the likes of Viper can't match us, even if he brings backup," Ling Tian replied, dismissing Viper as insignificant. If he hadn’t hurt Dai Jin first, Ling Tian wouldn’t have even bothered looking at such scum.

"Heh, I always wanted a bunch of little brothers so I could be the boss, but my parents were too strict. Now I finally have the chance—soon I’ll have my own crew; I'll be Brother Jin!" Dai Jin was growing more delighted by the minute.

"You and Yuan Bao are pretty weak. Shi Xiaocai and I need to teach you both some real skills. You might not rise to be major bosses, but in Jianghai’s East District, you’ll be able to hold your own," Ling Tian said, eyeing their frail physiques with some concern. They might only manage small-time leadership unless Ling Tian could use his Yin-Yang Technique to improve their constitutions—though he hadn’t yet reached that level of mastery.

"You really think I can control the whole East District? Wow! Ling Tian, I’m so excited. I’d be happy just to rule two streets," Dai Jin exclaimed, jumping up—only to grimace in pain a moment later.

"Pathetic. If you only aim for two streets, what’s the point of mixing in the underworld at all?" Ling Tian rolled his eyes at Dai Jin. This guy was only cut out to be a small-time boss—he’d have to teach him better.

"So, does that mean we can start collecting protection fees?" Shi Xiaocai asked eagerly. He was as greedy as ever, breaking the precept of 'wealth' as a monk—and working on breaking the 'lust' precept too.

"Yeah, collecting protection fees would be great! Then I wouldn’t have to ask my parents for pocket money anymore," Yuan Bao said, beaming. Of all of them, he was the one who needed money most. If he could get enough from protection fees, he could stop relying on his parents.

"Do we really need protection fees? I’ve got plenty of money; we don’t have to collect anything. If Yuan Bao needs cash, I’ll help him out," Dai Jin said, a little confused. For him, being in the underworld was about prestige—he’d never considered extorting people, and even thought about giving his little brothers pocket money instead.

Ling Tian looked at his motley crew with a mixture of disdain and amusement. If it weren’t for him leading them, these guys would never amount to much.

He cleared his throat and announced coolly, "Protection fees are a must—otherwise, what’s the point of being in this business? For now, since there’s just four of us, Shi Xiaocai can handle it. When he does it, it won’t be called collecting protection fees, but 'seeking alms.' Heh heh."