Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

"Tiger, should we...should we do this?" Lili's voice trembled with fear, like a leaf shaking in the wind, tears welling in her eyes, almost spilling over. She gripped Tiger's sleeve, her knuckles turning white. "Murder is punishable by death...If the authorities investigate, we'll both lose our heads! Even if we can run, where can we hide in this vast world?"

"This is the only way we have!" Ah Hu abruptly shook off her hand, his voice filled with a desperate ruthlessness. His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and blood seeped from between his fingers. "Look at the kind of life we're living now! Today the one-eyed man stole our cornbread, tomorrow his henchmen ripped off our coats. If this continues, we'll either freeze to death or starve to death! If we don't do this, we'll be like rats hiding under bridges for the rest of our lives, begging for food wherever we go! Kill them, and this area will be ours. I'll be the boss, and then nobody will dare lay a finger on us. We'll have a decent place to live, and we'll have hot meals every day. That's what a good life is!"

Finally, with Ah Hu's eyes red with tears, he persisted, perhaps driven to desperation by the daily bullying—the torn clothes, the trampled bread, the bruises from the beatings were etched into his very bones. Lili ultimately didn't stop him anymore. But that night, under the dim oil lamp, as she carefully wrapped the gleaming iron blade in layers of coarse cloth and placed it in his arms, her hands trembled violently, the cloth crumpled under her fingertips. She lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper: "...Be careful."

That night, the moonlight was completely obscured by dark clouds, and the slum was deathly silent, save for the distant howls of stray dogs. Ah Hu, clutching the metal shard hidden in his robes, crept silently, like a leopard poised to pounce, into One-Eyed Dragon's hideout—a dilapidated warehouse—where the sounds of boisterous drinking games were emanating. Lili, meanwhile, crouched beside a pile of garbage outside the warehouse, her heart pounding in her chest, her ears perked up, each second feeling like she was being fried in oil.

Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from the warehouse, followed by the crash of overturned tables and chairs, the shattering of bottles, and a cacophony of curses and shouts of fighting. Lili covered her mouth in terror, tears finally streaming down her face, but she bit her lip hard, refusing to utter a sound. After what seemed like an eternity, the noise gradually subsided, finally fading into deathly silence, leaving only the heavy stench of blood wafting from the cracks in the door, choking her and making it almost impossible to breathe.

Ah Hu emerged covered in blood, his face splattered with dark red spots, his eyes terrifyingly empty. He grabbed Lili's hand; it was hot and sticky, reeking of blood that couldn't be washed away. The two of them, one in front and one behind, dragged the corpses of One-Eyed Dragon and his three henchmen to the riverbank like dead dogs. The murky river water rippled with black waves, carrying a putrid stench. They struggled to push the bodies in, watching the heavy flesh twitch a few times before being swallowed by the swift current, leaving not even a bubble.

From then on, they did indeed establish themselves in the slums. Ah Hu became the new "boss," and no one dared to bully them anymore; some even brought them rice and flour. However, Ah Hu's once clear eyes gradually held something indescribable, like a layer of indelible dust, devoid of their former light. Lili also rarely smiled anymore, often sitting in a corner lost in thought, her fingers unconsciously rubbing her cuff—where a bloodstain still clung.

The empty wine bottle on the table wobbled and crashed to the floor with a clatter, the liquid spilling down the table leg and forming a small puddle. A strong stench of alcohol mingled with the smell of tobacco filled the air. Ah Hu let out a burp, his head lolling to the side as he slumped onto the table, half-asleep, his brow still furrowed, as if lost in a restless dream. He mumbled incoherently, his voice slurred, "Lili...don't run...I didn't mean to..."

Zhang San was kicked so hard he saw stars and lay on the ground for a long time, unable to recover. His forehead hit the table leg, and blood mixed with cold sweat trickled down his face. He groggily raised his head, and Ah Hu's image in his vision was blurry, like looking through frosted glass. But his survival instinct made him stare intently at the other man, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded: "I...I'm just a thief, trying to make a living...Can...can you give me a chance..." Before he could finish speaking, another dull pain shot through his chest. The kick had been so hard that even breathing was painful.

Ah Hu stood rooted to the spot, blood still dripping from his arm, staining half his sleeve red, trickling down his fingertips and spreading into a small, dark patch on the ground. He smirked, a cold smile playing on his lips, the murderous intent in his eyes still lingering: "I'm not new to this business. Who do you think you can fool with your little tricks?" He'd seen plenty of people trying to save their lives—begging, wailing, feigning helplessness. Zhang San's act was nothing more than a clown in his eyes. "If you really only wanted to steal money, why were you clinging to my leg and biting me so hard? Do thieves fight like this?"

Zhang San was speechless for a moment. He opened his mouth to explain, but found his throat tight and he couldn't utter a single word. He knew he had given himself away, but at this point, he couldn't think of any other way but to play dumb.

Just then, a gust of wind slipped in through the crack in the broken window, swirling a few pieces of paper on the ground. One of them, a piece of kraft paper, stood out, its edges neat, unlike Ah Hu's crumpled account book. Zhang San's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered—it was something he had hidden in his waistband, which had accidentally fallen out when he was kicked!

Ah Hu's gaze was instantly drawn to the piece of paper. He had been pondering Zhang San's motives, but now his eyes narrowed sharply, like a hawk spotting its prey. He strode over, bent down, and picked up the paper. The paper had several neat lines of printed text, and below them were two signatures: one was "Li Jianjun," and the other... was "Lili."

"Heh." Ah Hu gripped the paper tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, his voice as cold as ice. "I was wondering why you insisted on coming into my room. I thought you were here to steal money. Turns out you're here to find this."

Zhang San stared at the paper in Ah Hu's hand, his blood seemingly freezing instantly. He hadn't paid any attention to it when rummaging through the drawer, assuming it was just ordinary scrap paper. He never imagined it was such a deadly thing! He clearly remembered that Li Jianjun had asked him to find the agreement signed by Lili, promising him half a month's worth of food if he got his hands on it. At the time, he'd thought it was a good deal and hadn't even asked what was written in the agreement. But judging from Ah Hu's reaction, this piece of paper carried far more weight than he'd imagined.