Chapter 3

On the second day at noon, in the restroom of the second middle school.

"Old Fat, I heard you let that useless guy in your class cut his face and you followed him. Is it true or not?" A tall guy with a cigarette in his mouth asked Li Shuang while tilting his head. Li Shuang's face turned serious, "If you dare to call him useless guy again, I'll beat you to death!"

The tall guy's eyebrows twitched as he pinched the fat on Li Shuang's face and shook it back and forth, "Basketball, do you know who you're talking to?"

Li Shuang opened his hand and stared, "F*** you, Gao Qiang. Do you think I'm afraid of you? Don't think you're cool just because you know a few people!" Gao Qiang chuckled, "You're tough, kid. You and that basketball wait for me in the classroom after school today. If you dare to leave before I arrive, I'll break your legs!"

Li Shuang stared at his eyes, "I'll wait for you, just afraid you won't come."

Back in the classroom, Li Shuang told Liu Xiangtian what happened. Liu Xiangtian asked Li Shuang, "Who is Gao Qiang? What does he do?" "He's the tall guy who used to be with me all the time. Last time, he stole your money with me." Li Shuang looked at Liu Xiangtian carefully, but seeing that he didn't care, he continued, "He's Gao Qiang, who has been hanging out since elementary school. He has a bunch of people under him. Now he's the head of the thugs in Class 6 of the third year."

Liu Xiangtian nodded and asked, "How many people can you find?" Li Shuang thought for a moment and said, "Reliable ones, maybe five or six. The others are just bluffing cowards who will run away when things get tough."

"Okay, then go find those reliable ones and bring them to me," Liu Xiangtian said. Li Shuang agreed and ran out.

At 6 pm that evening, in the second-floor classroom of the second middle school.

Li Shuang stood behind the classroom, picked up a chair, and slammed it hard on the ground. "Bang!" There was a loud noise in the hallway. The chair was smashed to pieces. Li Shuang bent down and picked up a two-foot long "square stick" and brought it to Liu Xiangtian's seat. "Tian Ge, you can use this in the fight later."

Liu Xiangtian shook his head and said, "No need for that." Li Shuang didn't dare to say anything else and put the square stick under a desk, hoping the boss wouldn't keep it for himself.

Soon, the tightly closed door of the classroom was kicked open by someone. The sudden noise startled Li Shuang. He turned his head and saw Gao Qiang leading seven or eight people into the classroom. "Okay, you two really have the guts, waiting for me here!" Gao Qiang turned back and laughed loudly to the people behind him, "Hahaha, look at these two idiots!"

Liu Xiangtian didn't say anything and sat coldly in his seat. Li Shuang's anger flared up after hearing this, "Gao Qiang, if you are a man, fight me one-on-one. The loser will be your father!"

"Fight you one-on-one? Get the hell outta here! Take a look in the mirror and see how ugly you are!" Gao Qiang turned to Liu Xiangtian and said, "Kid, come over here!"

Liu Xiangtian slowly stood up and walked towards Gao Qiang, with Li Shuang following behind him. Gao Qiang looked at Liu Xiangtian, who was half a head shorter than himself, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes. "You've been acting very arrogantly lately, trying to steal people from me. Li Shuang is a basket case, if you want him, I'll give him to you. But I can't swallow this anger, what do you say?"

Liu Xiangtian lowered his head, his slightly long hair covering his eyes. His lips moved and he spoke in a cold voice, "If you're smart, you'd better swallow this anger. Li Shuang has his own choices."

Hearing Liu Xiangtian's cold voice, Gao Qiang's heart skipped a beat for no reason. But when he saw Li Shuang, who was smiling behind Liu Xiangtian, he threw his momentary weakness out of his mind. "Are you pretending to be an idiot with me?" He grabbed Liu Xiangtian's hair and pulled it down, lifted his leg, and kneed him in the face. Liu Xiangtian knelt on the ground, blood flowing from his nose. Li Shuang yelled and rushed towards Gao Qiang, but was pushed down to the ground by several people who had come with Gao Qiang.

With a cruel smile on his face, Gao Qiang kicked Liu Xiangtian again and knocked him down. "What's wrong, are you giving up already?" Gao Qiang stamped on Liu Xiangtian's face with his foot and turned to ask Li Shuang, "This is your shit boss, and now he's under my foot! Hahaha~~~~~~"

Li Shuang struggled to get up, but four or five people held down his hands and feet respectively. "Gao Qiang, I'll fuck you..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was kicked in the face by someone next to him. Li Shuang coughed and spit out a mouthful of blood.

Suddenly, Liu Xiangtian, who was lying on the ground, grabbed the ankle that was stepping on his face with his left hand, causing Gao Qiang to startle. With his right hand, Liu Xiangtian drew a spring knife and stabbed it into Gao Qiang's thigh. "Ah~~" Gao Qiang screamed like a pig being slaughtered, holding the wound on his leg and taking a few steps back. Liu Xiangtian stood up, walked to Gao Qiang's side, and punched him in the face. Gao Qiang's henchmen were a little confused when they saw blood, not knowing what to do.

While they were stunned, Liu Xiangtian continued to attack Gao Qiang with punches and kicks, his bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely. Before long, Gao Qiang was beaten bloody and fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the others' confusion, Li Shuang stood up, grabbed the prescription hidden under the table, and hit the person who had kicked him earlier in the head with it. The man groaned and knelt down, blood oozing from his fingers. Li Shuang shouted, "Brothers, come out!"

Not long after the words fell, there were chaotic footsteps in the corridor. Before long, seven or eight people entered the classroom. Li Shuang shouted, "I'm fighting for real!" and swung his stick at the other people. When another group of people came in and saw Li Shuang fighting, they immediately surrounded the people brought by Gao Qiang and beat them mercilessly.

Liu Xiangtian grabbed Gao Qiang's hair and lifted his head. Gao Qiang was now in a daze, one eye swollen shut and the other looking at the people in front of him with a confused expression. He said, "Kid, I give up this time. It's because I'm not as ruthless as you. If you want to beat or kill me, go ahead. I won't be a mom's boy who groans and cries!"

Liu Xiangtian put the spring knife blade against Gao Qiang's neck and said, "You have two choices now. Either be hanged or join me. It's up to you." Liu Xiangtian stepped back two steps after letting go of Gao Qiang. At this point, the others all stood behind Liu Xiangtian. A clever student immediately brought over a chair, and Liu Xiangtian sat on it with a slight smile, his legs crossed and his fingers lightly moving across his face.

Gao Qiang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and asked one of his henchmen who was lying on the ground, "Brother, what's your name?"

"Liu Xiangtian," replied Liu Xiangtian, putting the knife back in his pocket.

"Good, Brother Tian. I respect you. From now on, you're my big brother!" Gao Qiang felt that the person in front of him was not only ruthless but also very smart, and he should be a remarkable figure in the future.

Liu Xiangtian stood up, patted Gao Qiang on the shoulder, and said, "Haha! From now on, we're brothers. What's mine is yours!" After speaking, he walked out of the classroom. Gao Qiang watched the figure disappear at the door and remembered the earnest look on Liu Xiangtian's face when he patted his shoulder earlier. At that moment, he felt an inexplicable happiness.

The people who came in later were a little stunned. They were Li Shuang's friends, and Li Shuang had told them earlier that there was a person who was his boss and asked them to come and meet him. However, they were disappointed when they saw Liu Xiangtian, who seemed ordinary. They went along with Li Shuang calling Liu Xiangtian "Brother Tian" out of respect for Li Shuang, but they were not convinced. Unexpectedly, this seemingly ordinary person had quickly defeated Gao Qiang and made him obediently become his underling. Now they truly respected Liu Xiangtian.

Li Shuang broke the silence and said to the people next to him, "Damn, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and take Qiang and our injured brothers to the hospital!" The others quickly lifted Gao Qiang and his injured henchmen. Gao Qiang pushed away the person who came to help him and struggled to stand up, saying, "I can walk on my own! Lao Fei, you call me Brother Qiang now? Just slap me and give me a date to eat!"

Li Shuang awkwardly smiled and said, "Brother Qiang, what are you talking about? From now on, we're brothers. Following Brother Tian to conquer the world will surely not be wrong. Come, let me help you!" Li Shuang supported Gao Qiang, whose body was shaking, but Gao Qiang pushed his head and said, "Damn it, you little punk...!!" The group of people walked towards the hospital, laughing and joking.

Liu Xiangtian walked slowly on his way home, thinking about what had happened in the past two days. How could he avoid being bullied by others? Only by being stronger than others. How could he be stronger than others? He had to be ruthless enough. The school's notorious bullies were basically under his control, and the only remaining factors were from outside the school. Liu Xiangtian decided to establish his own power, centered around Erzhong and recruiting some small-time thugs in society. These people were young and had no qualms about fighting. In other words, they were ruthless enough. With their youthful passion and blind admiration for heroes, they were also easy to control. Now Liu Xiangtian's mind far surpassed his actual age, and even some adults could not compare to him.

At home, Liu Xiangtian remained unchanged and was still a well-behaved son, the pride of his parents. At school, he was still a good student in the eyes of his teachers, a top student. But his reputation had spread around Erzhong, and all the thugs around knew that there was a new king rising in Erzhong - Liu Xiangtian, who was exceptionally brutal in fights and used a spring knife as his weapon...

On this day, Liu Xiangtian was as usual, attentively listening to every word the teacher said in class. He believed that no matter what he did in the future, culture would always be the most important thing. Having an exceptional mind was more practical than having a strong body. After class, Li Shuang ran in from outside and whispered to Liu Xiangtian, "Brother Tian, San Yan's men want to see you."

Liu Xiangtian was focused on solving a problem on paper and didn't even lift his head. He replied, "Hmm, tell him to wait a bit. Let me finish this problem first."

Li Shuang nodded and hurriedly ran out. Three-eyes, whose real name was Zhang Zhidong, was a notorious thug in the area around the school. He was famous for his fierce fighting skills and had once left a two-inch-long scar on his forehead during a brawl, making him look like he had three eyes. Hence, his nickname.

When Li Shuang ran downstairs, he saw two groups of people standing on the school playground. One was led by Gao Qiang and consisted of about seventeen or eighteen people, and the other was made up of around ten of Three-eyes' henchmen. Gao Qiang was squatting on the ground smoking a cigarette with his head cocked to one side. When he saw Li Shuang returning, he flicked the cigarette butt away and stood up, asking, "Old Fat, where's Tian-ge?"

"He'll be down in a minute. Let them wait," Li Shuang replied, slightly out of breath.

Gao Qiang was unhappy with Li Shuang's appearance and said, "Damn, you look like a pig. Can't you lose some weight? You get winded after a few steps."

"Damn it, it's easier said than done," Li Shuang said, looking at the impatient Three-eyes' men and adding, "Wait a little longer. Our boss will be down soon."

"What the f*ck is this guy talking about? He really thinks he's something!" A man wearing yellow sunglasses exclaimed loudly.

Li Shuang's blood boiled at his words. Without warning, he punched the man in the face, sending the sunglasses flying. Three-eyes' men didn't expect such a sudden attack and quickly reached for their hidden knives. The leader gestured to them to calm down and apologized, "This young man is new here and doesn't know any better. Sorry about that."

Li Shuang laughed, "No problem, no problem!" Then, with a stern face, he stared at the man who was taken away and said, "Teach your new guy some manners before he talks sht again, fck!"

The leader's face changed, but quickly put on a forced smile and said, "Sure, I remember this punch, brother. Hehe."

"You can remember your mom, asshole!" High Qiang had been holding back for a while on the side, and seeing the way the leader acted only made him angrier. He cursed and kicked him in the abdomen. The leader bent over and backed up a few steps, and was supported by his men. The Three-Eyed gang's members pulled out their knives, and the men that Li Shuang and High Qiang brought also took out their weapons. The two sides faced each other, each looking for their opponents with fierce glares. Just then, Liu Xiangtian strolled out of the teaching building with his hands in his pockets.

"Ha ha, what a lively scene!" Liu Xiangtian arrived in the center of the crowd, ignoring the knives in the opponent's hands. The leader of the other side asked while rubbing his belly, "Hey kid, what are you doing?"

Liu Xiangtian didn't say a word, and Li Shuang loudly declared, "This is our boss!"

The leader sized up Liu Xiangtian and thought to himself, "What the hell? Did they run out of people at this high school and had to find an undernourished kid to be their boss?" Liu Xiangtian didn't miss the disdain in his eyes and stood there with a smile.

After a moment of consideration, the man nodded and said, "Thanks, Boss Xie. Our boss wants to talk to you about something. Would you be willing to join us for a get-together tonight?"

"Sure, you name the time and place, just not too late," Liu Xiangtian replied promptly.

The man nodded again and suggested, "How about Xinxin Billiards Hall after school? Our boss will be there waiting for you. What do you say?"

"Great, it's a deal," Liu Xiangtian had been wanting to meet this Three-Eyed thug for a while, and never expected him to come looking for him. Watching the group leave, he turned to Li Shuang and Gao Qiang, saying, "You two are too impulsive. You need to change that in the future." Gao Qiang lowered his head without a word, while Li Shuang loudly explained, "Boss, it's because they were being too arrogant. If they hadn't insulted you first, I wouldn't have taken action."

Liu Xiangtian chuckled, "I'm not blaming you guys. I'm just reminding you to always keep a clear head, so you don't get into trouble unnecessarily."

Li Shuang and Gao Qiang nodded in agreement and said, "Got it, Tian Ge!" They thought that what their leader said made sense. If Tian Ge hadn't come just now, they might not have had the upper hand even though they had more people.

Gao Qiang hesitated for a moment and said, "Tian Ge, I don't think Three-Eye has any good intentions in inviting us. Do you think we should..."

Liu Xiangtian said solemnly, "If we want to establish ourselves here, we must pass tonight's test. It may be dangerous, but if we don't have the courage, why bother getting into this line of work?" Gao Qiang blushed and nodded, "Tian Ge, tell us what to do tonight. I'll follow your lead!"

Liu Xiangtian nodded thoughtfully and fell into deep thought.

The bell for the end of class at No.2 High School rang, and the school gates were immediately crowded with students. For some reason, students rushed towards the already narrow gate. The first person to come out shouted "YE~~S~" excitedly, as if he had just won the lottery.

Between the first and second floors of the teaching building, there were more than 20 students standing on both sides of the stairs, hands in pockets and cigarettes in their mouths. Whether they smoked or not, at least they thought they looked cool. When they saw a pretty girl passing by, they whistled and cheered, saying, "Jackpot! She's really beautiful! So easy on the eyes~~" "Get lost, what kind of eyes are those? She looks like Pigsy's second aunt... Haha!" "Damn..."

Li Shuang and Gao Qiang were not as happy as the others in the crowd. Li Shuang asked Gao Qiang, "What time is it?" Gao Qiang checked his watch and patted him on the shoulder, "It's only after school, why are you so nervous? I can handle any big problem."

Li Shuang swallowed nervously and said, "Damn, if we're not nervous, we're lying! That guy is Three Eyes!"

"What's wrong with Three Eyes? He's still human. He drinks too much and pukes, eats too much and poops, doesn't he?" High Qiang's words drew laughter from everyone. Li Shuang laughed and said, "You have too many fancy words, old man."

At this time, Liu Xiangtian walked down the second-floor corridor, and everyone straightened up and bowed, "Hello, Brother Tian!"

Liu Xiangtian nodded and asked, "Did you bring everything?" Li Shuang said, "Brother Tian, don't worry, everyone has a weapon."

"Okay, let's go. We can finally go meet the legendary Three Eyes!" Liu Xiangtian joked. Seeing Liu Xiangtian so relaxed, everyone was even more at ease and chatted and laughed all the way to "Xinxin" Billiards Hall.

"Xinxin" Billiards Hall is located to the left of Erzhong, and Erzhong students usually come here to play pool. First, it's close to the school, and second, it's cheap, with a cue stick costing only five cents. (But the pool tables are worn out!)

Upon arriving at 'Xin Xin' pool hall, Liu Xiangtian and his companions found that the place was entirely dominated by San Yan, as there wasn't a single customer around. San Yan was playing pool with one of his lackeys when he noticed Liu Xiangtian and his group entering, and he greeted them with a few laughs. The pool hall was dimly lit, and it wasn't until he walked in that Liu Xiangtian could get a clear look at San Yan's appearance. San Yan was in his early twenties, about 1.78 meters tall, with a crew cut. His first impression was that this person was very open and easy-going, always smiling.

San Yan also sized up Liu Xiangtian, nodding and asking, "You're the recently famous Liu Xiangtian, right?"

Liu Xiangtian chuckled and replied, "So, San Yan knows my name already. I wonder if it's a blessing or a curse?"

San Yan was taken aback for a moment before laughing again. "Brother Xie is a discerning person! I like that! Haha!" He picked up a pool cue and handed it to Liu Xiangtian, saying, "Brother, would you like to play a game?"

As Liu Xiangtian had never played billiards before, he still confidently accepted the cue from Three-Eyes and said, "Okay. Even if I don't know how to play, I have to play, otherwise it would be disrespectful to Three-Eyes." Three-Eyes squinted his eyes and replied, "Hmm, I like the way you talk, brother!" He then fiercely broke apart the rack of balls, "I shouldn't interfere with what you do in school since it's not my business, but it's a bit too much to start a gang on my territory without telling me about it."

Liu Xiangtian had watched others play and knew how to play. He took the cue and attempted to pocket the sixth ball, saying, "I've just started playing billiards, and I still have some things I don't understand. I hope Brother Three-Eyes can give me some guidance." However, he missed the shot.

"I wouldn't say guidance, but we're all cooperating with each other!" Three-Eyes sunk a ball into a pocket. "You've been collecting quite a bit of money from the school lately, haven't you?" he asked.

"Not too much, just a few hundred yuan a day from poor students," Liu Xiangtian replied, wiping the cue tip.

Three Eyes laughed, "Brother, you're talking big! You make at least ten thousand a month!" The ball didn't go in, and Three Eyes continued, "I used to control this place, but now that you Second High guys have joined in, not a single one of my boys can get in. Brother, do you think you need to give me a way out?"

Liu Xiangtian smiled, "I wouldn't say I'll give you a way out! But since we've come to this point, I think we only have a few options to choose from?" Three Eyes leaned on his pool cue and looked at Liu Xiangtian across the table, "Oh? What are they?"

"Either you leave, or I leave, or we merge," Liu Xiangtian said.

"Haha, brother, you're speaking the truth!" Three Eyes' gaze turned cold, "Do you mean to kick me out of this place?"

Liu Xiangtian grinned and stared at Three Eyes, "Three Eyes, you don't need to scare me. Since I'm here, I'm not afraid of you. If we fight, we may not necessarily lose. But this kind of thing is not good for anyone." Liu Xiangtian paused and bent down to hit the ball.

Three Eyes didn't dare to underestimate this thin and weak young man in front of him. His intuition told him that this person was not simple, and his intelligence and courage were no less than those of an experienced old guy in the society.

Three Eyes took out a box of "Honghe" cigarettes from his pocket, took out two and handed them to Liu Xiangtian. Liu Xiangtian smiled and said, "Thank you," took one and put it in his mouth. Li Shuang walked over and lit cigarettes for Liu Xiangtian and Three Eyes. Three Eyes looked at Li Shuang and said to Liu Xiangtian, "This kid knows how to do things!" He paused for a moment and continued, "Brother, what do you want to do?"

"I suggest a merger. This way, everyone benefits and no one loses," Liu Xiangtian exhaled smoke.

"Haha! A merger? Hmm, that's a good idea. It benefits everyone," Three Eyes said while rubbing the pool cue in his hand. "But..."

Liu Xiangtian knew what Three Eyes meant, "Three Eyes, you mean who will be the boss, right?" Three Eyes nodded and looked at Liu Xiangtian with narrowed eyes. "I don't have the qualifications to compete with Three Eyes for the boss position. However, if I just give it up, my brothers below will think I have no backbone. So, there's only one thing to say..." Three Eyes furrowed his brows and asked, "What is it?"

"Head-to-head! You and me, whoever wins gets to sit in the boss's seat," Liu Xiangtian's eyes flashed with a cold light.

Three eyes were stunned, unable to believe that he was the one who said that. He looked at Liu Xiangtian again from head to toe. There was nothing special, just barely 1.7 meters tall and very thin. Who was this person? How could he dare to say such words?

"Hahaha~" Three eyes laughed out loud. "Can I trust your words, brother?" "Hehe, if I don't keep my word, what's the point of setting up a gang?" Liu Xiangtian replied.

"Alright, let's do it! You name the day," Three eyes said confidently.

Liuxiang Tian looked around and said, "This place is good, and I don't have much free time. I think we should do it now!"

"Hehe, sure!" Three Eyes replied.

Liuxiang Tian took off his shirt, and neither Lishuang nor Gaoqiang expected the situation to escalate to this point. Lishuang asked anxiously, "Tian-ge, are you really going to fight him alone? Three Eyes is famous for his fighting skills!"

Liuxiang Tian tossed his shirt to Lishuang and whispered, "This is the best way to settle things. We're weaker than Three Eyes and can't afford to fight him head-on!" He then walked towards the center of the pool hall.

Meanwhile, Three Eyes instructed his henchmen to move the pool table to the side and turned on all the lights in the room. He took off his shirt and rolled up his sleeves, getting ready for the fight. He couldn't help but feel ridiculous about fighting a half-grown kid, wondering if it would be humiliating to lose to him in public.

Liu Xiangtian came up to three-eyed and stood still without any nervousness, as if everything was under control. The pool hall was quiet, and everyone was watching the two men standing in the center of the court. An invisible pressure permeated the air.

As Liu Xiangtian had not shown any intention to start, Three-eyed spoke first: "Brother, can we start now?" Liu Xiangtian nodded in response.

"Be careful!" Three-eyed was no longer polite and threw a punch at Liu Xiangtian. He took a step back to dodge the punch, but then received a kick from three-eyed in the stomach, causing him to fall on his head. As he tried to get up, three-eyed didn't give him a chance and kicked him again in the stomach. Liu Xiangtian's body continued to slide for two meters before stopping. Li Shuang was about to draw his sword, but Gao Qiang stopped him and whispered, "Wait a little longer!" Li Shuang was so angry that he stomped his foot, and sweat broke out on his forehead.