Chapter 39: An Unexpected Encounter with Wang Fuliang at the Black Coal Mine

Li Qi dodged and parried almost instinctively.

Lu Yan’s face filled with astonishment. The guy had actually dodged it? He knew that among the entire special operations team, no more than five people could defend against his surprise attack. Lu Yan slid his foot and followed up with an elbow strike. Li Qi gritted his teeth and pushed forward hard with both palms joined. With a boom, their strength collided; Lu Yan merely swayed, but Li Qi stumbled back three steps.

Li Qi inwardly marveled at the man’s immense strength, while Lu Yan, face flushed, struggled for a long moment before saying, "You saw that, right? That’s what fighting looks like without a foundation. What I just did was a demonstration of a wrong example."

Li Qi burst into laughter. This guy was truly stubborn. Lu Yan scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He was proud and looked down on fancy, superficial moves, but after those two exchanges, Li Qi’s reaction time and physical fitness had earned his respect. He became serious and began training Li Qi with a focused approach.

The sounds of clashing in the training room echoed from the afternoon until seven in the evening, only stopping when Liang Bing knocked on the door. Liang Bing walked in carrying meals for five and set them on the table by the entrance. By then, both men in the room were soaked in sweat, their expressions grim. An invisible killing intent filled every corner of the room. Liang Bing silently closed the door and left. Two lunatics—that was his assessment.

As soon as the door closed, Li Qi and Lu Yan rushed to the food. Even while eating, they glared at each other, stuffing food into their mouths as if in a competition. Lu Yan felt Li Qi was a fraud; his physical prowess was impossibly high, yet he played the part of a weakling to hide his true strength. Since that was the case, he couldn't be blamed for using every dirty trick to torture Li Qi.

Joint locks, the short-range bursts from the Baji Quan style that could cause one to lose consciousness, and various maiming techniques from the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands—he showered them on Li Qi as if they were worthless. Li Qi, meanwhile, made rapid progress through this torture. Just two hours later, he had already begun to offer resistance. Consequently, Lu Yan began to suffer as well.

After the meal, the two sparred for another three hours. That night, they spread their military overcoats on the floor and slept in the training room. Lu Yan poured out all his theoretical knowledge, and in the end, neither of them knew when they had fallen asleep. The next morning was another half-day of mutual devastation.

When Liang Bing arrived with lunch at noon, Li Qi began to put on his clothes. Lu Yan looked puzzled. "We agreed on three days, didn't we? I still have so many moves I haven't taught you."

In truth, Lu Yan had already come to view Li Qi as his protégé, as if he had discovered an unpolished gem. Li Qi’s various attributes were astonishing, and his progress was rapid; he didn't need to be told any technique twice, and after a few attempts, he could replicate it precisely. It was as if he were born for this. His attitude had long since shifted; now, he was eager to cram every skill he had into Li Qi’s head.

But Li Qi shook his head. "That’s enough. I’m not joining the special forces; I don’t need to go that far in this field."

Lu Yan wasn't having it. "No way! Auntie Qiu said you have to learn from me for three days! It’s only the second day and you want to run? Are you welching on a deal?"

Li Qi looked at him with disdain. "You wooden block with no appreciation for romance—your moves are always the same, and you don't provide any emotional value. I’ve already been kind and beautiful enough to accompany you for one night. Be a good boy and head back to your team. We won't find happiness together."

Liang Bing couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. Li Qi was truly sharp-tongued; these were the standard lines used by escorts to belittle men. Lu Yan felt deeply wounded, so he angrily devoured the five-person portion of food, eating even the share Liang Bing had saved for himself.

Li Qi parted ways with him at the entrance of the police station. This time, Lu Yan held Li Qi’s hand seriously and said, "Auntie Qiu wants you to join the military. With your combat ability, as long as you pass the political vetting, I can take you directly into my squad. If nothing else, ten years from now, I’ll have you covered in medals."

Li Qi looked troubled. "I have certain requirements for physical appearance, and you are just too ugly. We really aren't a good match. Even if you force it, I won't be happy."

"Get out!" Lu Yan was so furious he felt like spitting blood. He didn't want to deal with this jerk anymore and drove off.

After saying goodbye to Liang Bing, Li Qi hopped on his bicycle and headed toward the mountains. Passing a steamed bun shop, he bought a few large buns and tucked them into his military overcoat. After a moment’s thought, he bought a piece of black cloth at the market, tore it into a large triangle, and tucked it into his jacket. It was for a mask; if a conflict broke out, he didn't want people at the mine to recognize him immediately. After all, they were all in Niuxin Town, and there was no telling who might know him, which could lead to endless trouble.

He cycled for over an hour until he reached a secluded spot, then decisively shouldered his bike and hid it in a snowdrift by the roadside. From there, he proceeded into the mountains on foot. He wasn't far from Si Longzi’s illegal coal mine now; another few miles in, and there would be thugs hired by the mine patrolling. Mastering combat techniques, Li Qi was confident that as long as he didn't run into anyone with a firearm, he could take them down.

Following his memory, he navigated through the mountains and entered a natural cave. Locally known as the Bat Cave, it was deep and long, consisting of nine large caverns connected together with countless smaller tunnels and multiple exits. Li Qi had often played there as a child. Later, after two children got lost and their parents spent two days searching for them, the town adults forbade their children from coming to the cave. Of course, these bans meant nothing to Li Qi; he had explored almost every branch of the Bat Cave.

Li Qi moved expertly through the cave, eventually crawling up a steep slope on all fours and emerging from a cave mouth. Si Longzi’s illegal coal mine appeared in his line of sight. It was dusk, and the cold mountain wind, laden with snow, seemed to drill into his bones. Li Qi relied on his youthful, vigorous constitution to withstand the sub-zero temperatures, though he was still struggling.

As the saying goes, a wealthy man in a fur coat might freeze standing in the snow all day, while a lumberjack in a thin shirt chopping wood would be sweating. So, he crawled along the ground toward a dilapidated shack. There was a faint flickering of light inside. Li Qi leaned against the base of the window, finally able to shield himself from some of the wind and snow, and wrapped his military coat tighter as he listened to the movements inside.

"Brother Fuliang, why did the boss have you take the night shift?"

"I couldn't keep my mouth shut, could I? I saw the Li family's third son getting close to Chief Xu of the police station, so I kindly reminded the boss to be careful. As a result, the boss said since I’m so sharp, I should be the one to keep watch. He put me on sentry duty right then and there."

"Hahaha..." The other two laughed along.

Wang Fuliang said bitterly, "The boss is truly ungrateful. A few days ago, the miner I brought back from that brat Du Ming’s place was quite something—he even had a camera. The boss gave Du Ming a hundred yuan, but didn't give me a single cent. It’s like I owe him something."

"What happened to that miner?"

"What could happen? Beat him up and throw him in the coal mine to work. But he was soft and delicate; he couldn't do the work at all. He’s truly a machine for producing waste, completely useless. I reckon in a few days the boss will just dump him in the slag pit."

The speaker was careless, but the listener was attentive. Li Qi captured the key information from Wang Fuliang’s words. A camera! In these times, cameras were rare; ordinary families didn't have them. When the chance to take a photo came, a whole family would have to put on their best clothes and tidy up. The miner who had been captured was very likely the reporter from the provincial capital he was looking for.

It seemed the man had entered the mine a few days earlier than he had anticipated and was now trapped. What was he to do? Rush in to save him? That was too difficult. And what did "brought back from Du Ming’s place" mean? Was this Du Ming the younger brother of his sister-in-law, Du Li?

Just as Li Qi was lost in thought, he saw two figures appear on the stone road carved out by coal trucks. A tall man was shoving a smaller person toward the shack. A familiar voice rang out: "One of you from Si Longzi’s, come out! Someone has escaped from your mine!"