Chapter Twenty-Five: Southern Horses, Northern Deer, Eastern Bears, Western Wolves

It was Saturday.

On days like this, Shen Ye usually made a trip home. In high school, students only had Saturday afternoons off. His younger sister, Shen Xiaoyun, only spent this half-day at home each week. Such was the pressure of being a high school student.

He returned home and saw his sister, Shen Xiaoyun. She stood about 1.6 meters tall, with an oval face— not stunningly beautiful, but certainly graceful and fresh. Her hair was tied in a ponytail that fell behind her head. She wore the red-and-white uniform of Ning County First High School, which made her appear especially pretty. Seventeen years old, she was in her second year of high school. As she ate the dishes their mother, Lin Mei, had cooked, she chatted with Lin Mei and their father, Shen Jiaping.

Their father wasn’t too unreasonable; he knew his daughter boarded at school and only came home on Saturdays, so he too made a point of coming home then, rather than spending all his time at the mahjong table.

Shen Ye patted his sister’s head. “Little sis, today your brother has a gift for you.”

“A gift?” Shen Xiaoyun asked curiously. The siblings had always been close, but her brother rarely had much money and seldom brought her gifts. Today was a rare occasion.

“It’s a good one.” Shen Ye smiled, walked into the house, and took from the cabinet a perfectly wrapped phone and its box. “Here you go.”

Shen Xiaoyun’s eyes lit up when she saw the phone. “An iPhone 6S Plus— that’s at least six thousand yuan!”

She was about to open the package, but paused, looking at Shen Ye suspiciously. “Big brother, you’re not usually flush with cash. How could you afford this? Don’t tell me you’ve gone astray. Brother, you must stay on the right path.”

Shen Ye gently slapped her head. “You’re just a child, don’t worry so much.”

Seeing her doubt, Shen Ye explained, “Your brother runs Seaside Cottage— business is excellent. I make five or six thousand a month in net profit. You’re my only sister; buying you a good phone is perfectly normal.”

“So that’s it.” Shen Xiaoyun nodded. “Thank you, big brother— you’re the best. You’re so handsome, so dashing.”

Their father, Shen Jiaping, grumbled on the side, “What, your father isn’t handsome? Not dashing? Sigh, nobody respects me.”

“You’re handsome too, Dad. For your age, keeping up such a stylish look is rare.” Shen Xiaoyun quickly flattered him, soon lifting Shen Jiaping’s spirits.

At her age, Shen Xiaoyun was the happiest of all. What high school student wasn’t a little vain? For girls, the competition was simple: clothes or phones. Before, she had only a knockoff smartphone worth five or six hundred, hardly something to show off. But now, with the top-tier iPhone 6S Plus, those girls flaunting their VIVO and OPPO phones would have nothing to boast about.

The family ate and chatted idly. Just then, Shen Jiaping answered a phone call. Words like “loan shark” and “kidnapping” could be heard.

When he hung up, his face was grim.

“What happened, Dad?” Shen Ye asked.

“Something serious,” Shen Jiaping replied, his expression dark. “Your cousin Shen Die— you remember him?”

“I do,” said Shen Ye. “We went to the same university, Yangning College. He majored in law, I in Chinese literature— both tough fields for finding jobs.”

“Exactly,” Shen Jiaping continued. “Your cousin never found work after graduation, just kept opening shops— every one lost money. Over the years, he used up most of the retirement savings your uncle left behind. Recently, he opened a clothing store two hundred square meters in size— that takes a lot of capital. I wondered where he got it.”

“Turns out, he borrowed from a loan shark. Specifically, from Lu Youwei.”

“He owes a full three hundred thousand. When it came time to repay, your cousin vanished. But Lu Youwei isn’t easy to fool. Your cousin’s wife, Wen Xiuting, was kidnapped by Lu Youwei’s men. They say the wife must pay the husband’s debt.”

“Borrowing from Lu Youwei— that’s madness,” Shen Ye cursed.

There were four underworld bosses in Ning County: South Horse, North Deer, East Bear, and West Wolf, each a major player.

South Horse referred to Ma Guosheng, who started with demolition work and then moved into real estate, flourishing until he crossed paths with Shen Ye— who brought him down swiftly.

North Deer was Lu Youwei, infamous for his loan-sharking. He lent money readily, but collected with even more enthusiasm. Fail to repay, and you’d be beaten until you had no choice but to pay. If you fled, your family would suffer. Lu Youwei had forced many into prostitution, and rumor had it some were even trafficked for their organs.

North Deer also reportedly ran several nightclubs. The most luxurious, Big Wave Nightclub, was said to be his.

East Bear was Xiong Xinxing, another who got rich through demolition and real estate. That industry was notorious for its wealth and shady dealings— more lucrative than even drug trafficking.

West Wolf’s real name was unknown; everyone called him Wolf King. He operated casinos, an illegal business, but managed to run them openly, his influence immense. He was said to organize huge gambling events on international waters, and also owned nightclubs.

None of these four were to be trifled with.

Ma Guosheng, South Horse, had fallen at Shen Ye’s hand. The other three took the chance to expand, seizing much of Ma’s old territory.

Lin Mei, their mother, was worried. “I’ve heard Boss Lu has considerable power. They’ve kidnapped Xiuting— who knows what they’ll do. Xiuting is a good girl; marrying your cousin was such a pity.”

“What will they do? Heh.” Shen Jiaping, who gambled and mingled with all kinds, answered. “What do you think? Most likely, they’ll force her into prostitution. Lu Youwei’s gang has done this plenty of times.”

“No, surely not— Xiuting is such a good girl,” Lin Mei fretted. “Would calling the police help?”

“Boss Lu has connections up high, and he’ll never admit to kidnapping. There’s nothing anyone can do,” Shen Jiaping shook his head.

Shen Ye pondered. He’d been busy with his restaurant lately, and now that it was running smoothly, it was time to act for justice again. And with Lu Youwei stepping into the limelight, he had only himself to blame.

The next target: Lu Youwei!

(The previous chapter was slightly revised. If you read the earlier version, you can go back and reread. Also, the transitional chapter is over— next comes the fierce and thrilling slaughter. The core of this book is the annihilation of evil!)