Chapter 115: Graceful Concession

This room is truly perfect for a boxing match—so spacious. Long Fei lightly dodged a fierce kick from Xiao Liu, all the while quietly gauging the young man’s strength and skill. Xiao Liu did not disappoint; he unleashed a series of aggressive military-style punches, each fist cutting through the air with force, accompanied by sharp, ruthless leg strikes. Yet, despite his relentless assault, he failed to even graze Long Fei’s clothing. This only seemed to invigorate Xiao Liu further. At this moment, he no longer underestimated Long Fei, nor did he seek revenge or to teach him a lesson. His sole focus was to spar with a master and learn from the encounter.

Having finished his military-style routine, Xiao Liu was caught off guard when Long Fei prepared to sweep him off his feet with a kick, but Xiao Liu suddenly switched tactics to Muay Thai. Long Fei, intrigued, decided to hold back again, curious to see how well Xiao Liu could wield Muay Thai.

Muay Thai emphasizes speed, precision, and ruthlessness, bearing many similarities to traditional Chinese martial arts. However, it places greater emphasis on elbows, knees, and joint strikes. Unfortunately, although Xiao Liu’s Muay Thai appeared credible, it paled in comparison to his earlier military punches. After only a few moves, Long Fei shook his head and sighed, “Your military boxing was better. Why bother learning Muay Thai if you don’t master it? You’ve only scratched the surface, which is useless!”

Xiao Liu said nothing but intensified his attacks, delivering a fierce elbow strike. Long Fei chuckled lightly, “You’ve finished your performance. Be careful—I might strike when you least expect it.”

Hearing this, Xiao Liu became alert, continuing his assault but remaining vigilant for Long Fei’s sneak attack. Yet, once the words were spoken, it hardly counted as a surprise.

With a loud thud, Long Fei launched the same lethal groin strike. Xiao Liu was knocked down in bewilderment. Truly, the most vulnerable part of the human body might be the groin. No matter how skilled or adaptable one is, a well-placed strike there will bring anyone to their knees or force them to curl up in agony.

“This move really works. I’ll have to use it more often!” Long Fei thought.

“I told you I’d sneak attack you. Wasn’t it a bit too sudden? How about we start over?” Long Fei grinned mischievously.

After a long moment, Xiao Liu slowly lifted his head, his face pale and pained like many of Long Fei’s previous opponents, yet he still weakly shook his head. Seeing Long Fei sit back down on the sand, Xiao Liu struggled to stand, took several deep breaths, and then painfully approached.

“Well? Still want to test me some more?” Long Fei lit a cigarette and prepared to toss it to Xiao Liu, who waved it off. So Long Fei smoked it himself, his expression unreadable.

Xiao Liu shook his head with a wry smile, “No need. Although your moves are indeed underhanded, you warned me beforehand, yet I still got hit. I can only admit my skills are inferior. I sincerely admit defeat.”

Damn, that easy? Might as well have kicked him as soon as he walked in and saved the trouble of all this talk.

“Alright then, since that’s settled, hurry up and hand over what I came for. I’m busy—got a lot to do in a short time, and I need to get back!” Thinking of Yang Danni, a familiar itch stirred within Long Fei, as it felt like ages since they last shared a physical connection. Then there was Ye Qian, that little enchantress. Long Fei frowned but also felt a faint smile. Though Ye Qian was a bit mischievous and headstrong, being with her brought inexplicable joy.

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Handing Long Fei a disc, Xiao Liu brightened, “All the information you need is on here. But I don’t know exactly what mission President Ye sent you on. If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word.”

“Ha, forget it. If you want to stay alive, it’s best you don’t ask questions. Just do your job quietly. As someone once said, the more you know, the less happy you are. So don’t be too curious—curiosity killed the cat, and it can kill a person, too,” Long Fei said with a faint smile.

Actually, Xiao Liu wasn’t as disagreeable as Long Fei had initially thought. At least he accepted defeat gracefully after being bested by Long Fei’s cunning and ruthless style. That alone made him better than many others, so Long Fei’s advice was well-intentioned.

But to Xiao Liu, those words sounded unpleasant. He frowned but didn’t ask further. Instead, he handed Long Fei a note. “Alright, since you don’t want my help, I’ll just wish you good luck. Hope you complete your mission smoothly. Here’s my phone number—available 24/7. If you need anything, call me.”

“Nothing I need, but make sure you pay for my stay at this hotel later,” Long Fei joked.

Xiao Liu smiled, “Don’t worry; everything will be arranged.”

“Oh, and if I don’t call, don’t let anyone bother me. Send away anyone watching me in the hotel. I hate the feeling of being monitored,” Long Fei added, this time without smiling but still offering advice.

“I’ll take my leave then.” Xiao Liu declined any further agreement. He was a man of principle, willing to compromise only so far. So far, he only regarded Long Fei as a bodyguard for Ye Wentian, albeit a more skilled one. As a pure military man, he respected strength and thus respected Long Fei’s superiority.

Seeing the displeasure on Xiao Liu’s face, Long Fei sighed inwardly. Looks like he’d have to trouble Phoenix again.

After Xiao Liu closed the door, Long Fei spoke to the glass wall, “Tonight, clear out all the people assigned to him. Don’t kill them—just give him a warning.”

Phoenix’s figure seemed to descend from the wall itself, sharpening from a blur to clarity, bowing to Long Fei. “Understood.”

Noticing Long Fei hesitated, Phoenix waited a moment. Seeing no further words, Phoenix nodded and vanished again into a blur.

Long Fei sighed. He wasn’t used to being addressed this way by Phoenix. Though he wished she would call him “brother,” he could never bring himself to say it.

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Thinking about how this time he not only had to play a part but also show the Iga and Koga ninja clans a thing or two, Long Fei suddenly laughed.

Phoenix had been sent to Japan at eight to study ninjutsu. Her teacher was said to be a famed ninja master who mysteriously disappeared three years later, officially ruled a suicide, though the real reason was known only to Long Fei.

Being relentlessly tormented by one’s most prized disciple was unbearable for most—and Phoenix was a martial prodigy who not only surpassed her master but constantly used him as a training target. Eventually, that poor teacher ended his own life, unable to endure the torment.

If she were in Japan, Phoenix’s ninjutsu achievements would surely make her a grandmaster. No one in Japanese ninja history had become a jonin by eleven and a grandmaster by eighteen. Such a feat would sound unbelievable to most. Apart from the old man and Fu Bo, only Long Fei knew of Phoenix’s mastery of ninjutsu.

According to the old man, Phoenix was his secret trump card, rarely revealed. He once said he planned to visit Japan someday—probably a restless youth who wanted to fight fire with fire by sending Phoenix there. This always unsettled Long Fei. The old man’s depth of scheming terrified him deeply. Yet, the old man died prematurely, which brought Long Fei both relief and regret.

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As Xiao Liu stepped out of the room and toward the elevator, its doors slid open. Three striking foreigners emerged. The woman in front was voluptuous and stunningly beautiful. Xiao Liu thought she must be the legendary enchantress. Even more astonishing was that, despite her overt sensuality, she radiated an unparalleled purity. The blend of innocence and seductiveness in her was natural and harmonious, not contradictory.

Behind her stood two men: one tall, handsome, radiating noble elegance; the other a large, imposing black man with a shaved head, two large hoop earrings, a full beard, and a grim, dangerous aura.

Though only a glance, Xiao Liu sensed their extraordinariness. His martial instincts made him nervous. He tried quickly to pass them but was stopped by the enchanting woman.

“Handsome, can I ask you a question?” she spoke fluent Mandarin.

Xiao Liu’s expression shifted. Not all who speak Mandarin are Chinese, just as not all winged beings are angels but bird-people. But how did she know he was Chinese? This was Japan; he doubted she mistook the place for China. She must know something about him.

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. I mean no harm. Otherwise, you’d have met your maker by now. So no need to be nervous. I just want to ask you a question,” the woman smiled, seemingly reading his thoughts.