Chapter 13

As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

In the midst of the wind-blown cherry petals, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written inside.

---

"Small matter. It's just stepping on someone. One word, and remember to bring a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes for me tomorrow." The long-haired youth called Brother Tiger replied nonchalantly. He licked his thick lips again, "But the little girl next to that guy seems pretty good, right? Just too far to see clearly."

This thug nicknamed Little Tiger had some clout on this street. He had one bad habit, though—he liked to flirt with young schoolgirls. The youngest of the group clenched his teeth, "That girl is called Chen Xian. She's incredibly beautiful, absolutely top-notch. Do you want me to help you get her?"

"Alright, I'll remember your favor." Brother Tiger patted the young boy's shoulder in satisfaction, "Why don't you go play with him a bit? Do whatever you want, we'll back you up."

As soon as Brother Tiger spoke, a few people immediately gathered around the young boy and the girl.

At this moment, Xiao Xian, who was chatting with Li Pu, hadn't noticed the ominous change nearby. But she suddenly noticed the young boy's expression had subtly changed. His originally gentle and bright eyes suddenly showed a hint of ferocity.

Having grown up together since the age of seven, Chen Xian was very familiar with her childhood friend—this look was one of the few times he was so angry he was about to explode.

"What... What's wrong? Did something happen?" Chen Xian stopped talking and asked worriedly.

"Nothing, just don't leave my side later." Li Pu stood up and said softly.

At this point, the group had already surrounded them. Chen Xian finally vaguely understood what was happening and shrank behind Li Pu like a frightened little rabbit.

The youngest of the group walked up to Li Pu with a haughty expression, first giving Chen Xian a complicated look, then turning to Li Pu and sneering, "Li Pu, we meet again."

"Who are you?" Li Pu asked with a deliberately surprised look.

"Damn it! Don't tell me you don't recognize me!" The haughty youth immediately got angry and pointed at Li Pu, "Look carefully! Lou Jun! The guy you fought with so many times at Changsheng Elementary!"

Li Pu frowned, "Hmm, let me think, I think I remember... Ah, the one I used to beat up every other day?"

"Damn! Who did you beat up every other day! It was only two or three times." The haughty youth was flustered.

"Oh, two or three times. I must have remembered wrong." Li Pu realized, "So, what do you want now? I don't have any money to lend you."

"You... You're so annoying. Who would borrow money from a poor guy like you! Besides, if I really needed money, would you dare not give it?" Lou Jun took a deep breath, "Li Pu, no more nonsense. Today, I'm going to step on you, and you can't avoid it."

Lou Jun used to be the bully in Li Pu's neighboring class. Near the end of elementary school, he came to bully Chen Xian. Li Pu caught him in the stairwell and beat him up badly. The next day, he came back for revenge and got beaten up again. After three times, he realized he couldn't beat Li Pu head-on, so he cried to the teacher, which got Li Pu scolded by the teacher and then by his father. However, being beaten up in front of classmates was too embarrassing, and Lou Jun harbored deep resentment. After the "Starfall Incident," he moved to the current city and started junior high. He still couldn't focus on studies and started hanging out with older delinquents, becoming a bully at the city's No. 1 Junior High. His personality had become even more arrogant. This time, meeting Li Pu, he naturally wanted to settle old scores.

The delinquent he followed was nicknamed Little Tiger, with long, flowing hair, clearly imitating the character Chen Hao Nan from the popular "Young and Dangerous" series. Since these movies were repeatedly shown in video halls, countless delinquents were influenced, from their behavior to their appearance, trying to mimic the gang leaders in the movies.

Although he didn't look as good as Ching Yee Keen, Little Tiger had a bit of a gangster vibe with his long hair and deliberately cool tone, but his eyes kept drifting towards Chen Xian.

So young! So innocent! This face and demeanor are perfect! No matter what, I have to get her! With this thought, Little Tiger swallowed his saliva and even cared less about helping Lou Jun—how could the little bit of money from the new recruit compare to such a beautiful girl?

"Kid, you have a grudge with my little brother. To settle this, you can't just walk away without a word." Little Tiger, holding a cigarette, smiled at Li Pu and pretended to be fair, "But since you're a student, I don't want to bully you. Is the girl next to you your friend? From today on, call me Brother. I'm Little Tiger, everyone in the East Gate area knows me."

"Brother Tiger? This..." Li Pu hadn't answered when Lou Jun, his little brother, became unhappy. They had clearly come to step on Li Pu, but now it seemed like they were recruiting a new member.

"What, you have a problem with that?" Little Tiger gave Lou Jun a displeased look, making him swallow his complaints. Little Tiger was known for his brutality, often using a bottle to smash people's heads after just a few words.

"So, what do you say?" Little Tiger, holding a half-smoked Hongtashan cigarette, continued, "Call me Brother, and this will be settled."

Based on his experience, junior high students would be scared like quails in such a situation. If they could settle it by just calling him "Brother," who wouldn't give him face? After these two young students called him "Brother," he would take them to places like the roller rink, billiard room, or dance hall to show off. Most young girls at this age were naive, and after a few days out, they would be easy to get—Little Tiger had used this method to seduce several pretty schoolgirls.

But the young boy in front of him didn't seem scared. He calmly looked at the group surrounding him.

"Are you called Little Tiger? You look to be in your twenties, right?" Li Pu scanned the group, his gaze finally settling on Little Tiger, "In your twenties and still recruiting junior high students as your followers. Looks like you're not doing so well."

This sarcastic tone showed no sign of submission. Little Tiger's triangular eyes narrowed dangerously, his lips twitched, and he sneered, "Brat, you seem to have some guts, daring to talk back to me..."

"Don't you know what 'death' means!" With a shout, Little Tiger slapped Li Pu's face.

A slap from Little Tiger, who was used to fighting, would shock even seasoned street thugs. But before his hand reached halfway, his hair was firmly grabbed, and a powerful wrist force pulled and pressed him, forcing him to bend over.

What happened? In that instant, Little Tiger couldn't understand—this was just a junior high kid, how could he move so fast and have such strength?

He had been overconfident, thinking his Chen Hao Nan hairstyle made him look cool, but it was a weakness in a fight. With his neck pressed down, he could only roar, "Everyone, don't move, I'll take care of him myself!" He raised his hands to grab the arm holding his head, using his left hand to grab the wrist and his right hand to strike the elbow from below.

This was a basic joint lock technique from grappling and combat, showing that Little Tiger wasn't just a pretty face but had some fighting experience. If this move succeeded, the other's arm would be useless.

But before he could complete the move, he was hit with a hook punch. His brain buzzed, and then came intense pain and stars in his eyes.

His jaw and half of his cheekbone were shattered.

A single overwhelming punch stunned him, and all his techniques vanished. Little Tiger staggered back a few steps and then collapsed—knocked out in a classic KO.

Beside him, Lou Jun's eyes widened in shock, first with pure astonishment, then with fear. His face showed the bizarre expression of a fox who came to hunt rabbits with a tiger, only to see the tiger killed by a rabbit.

Holding someone's head down? Is this a joke? Am I dreaming? If it were me, I'd be scared, but this guy easily took down the brutal Little Tiger? Lou Jun couldn't believe what he saw.

In Little Tiger's group, besides Lou Jun, there was another delinquent and a high school student. The delinquent was a frequent fighter, and the high school student was a promising athlete from a sports school, strong and capable, even more so than the average delinquent.

"Damn, you dare to touch Brother Tiger?" The high school athlete, ignoring the logic, jumped forward with a powerful swing.

True to his sports school training, his forward swing was well-executed, enough to knock out a typical peer.

But before Lou Jun could see clearly, the athlete stumbled, his sneakers slipping on the ground with a "squeak," and he fell forward, losing balance.

"Damn, my leg... my leg is going to break!" The athlete, tears and snot streaming, lay on the ground clutching his leg, screaming. Li Pu's foot, faster than his punch, had stomped on his thigh—simple and brutal, the impact was like a hammer.

—A hammer that almost crushed his bones and flesh.

"You... where are you from?" The other delinquent, in his twenties, knowing he wasn't as tough as Little Tiger, didn't dare to attack, but bluffed, "I and Little Tiger follow Brother Zhu Yi from the East Gate! If you touch us, your whole family will suffer!"

Lou Jun's face turned even uglier, "Li Pu, you actually dared to hurt Brother Tiger. Fine, you're tough. But your dad is just a dock worker, you can't afford this. I'm telling you, this won't be over easily."

Lou Jun's family was just a well-off individual household, but Little Tiger was a bully in the East Gate area, and Brother Zhu Yi had dozens of followers. Without a strong background, provoking them would mean serious trouble.

Li Pu seemed completely unfazed by Lou Jun's threats. He just looked at his right hand, his eyes bright, and clenched his fist—this hand, which had deliberately suppressed its power, had just knocked out a strong adult in one hit.

"Xian..." He said to the girl behind him, "I really have become strong."

---

Page break for ads

---

Page break for ads