Chapter 1: The Entanglement of Love and Hate, Haicheng's Solitude

  The two of them boarded the train to the north the next day, and their destination was not Harbin, but Inner Mongolia. Gao Chufeng said she envied the free and easy atmosphere of the vast grasslands, and dragged Li Huqiu here. What kind of scenery could there be in late October? Li Huqiu knew it all too well, but didn't want to dampen her enthusiasm, so he silently accompanied her on their journey north. During the trip, whenever they needed to rest or eat, Gao Chufeng would always ask for only one room, and every night she would cling to him as if she couldn't get enough. Li Huqiu felt that she had a huge secret hidden in her heart, but didn't want to say it. From her actions, it seemed like she was treating every day as if it were the last.

  Finally arrived in Hulunbuir. From the Hailar train station, took a hard seat all the way, eating instant noodles all the way, Gao Yunfeng got off the train like a little bird out of its nest, jumping and waving to greet Li Huqiu. In a hand-pulled noodle shop with lamb meat, Li Huqiu accompanied her to have a meal of boiled lamb dumplings and a big plate of lamb meat. The boss introduced that there was a Lama Temple nearby, Gao Yunfeng became interested and insisted on going.

  That was a very ancient temple, with red and yellow buildings standing on the grassland at the edge of the town, and the incense was surprisingly thriving. Before Li Huqiu and Gao Chufeng entered the temple, they saw a small beggar by the roadside, with all four limbs intact, but extremely thin. Gao Chufeng's sympathetic heart overflowed, and she walked over to ask him if he had eaten, and the little beggar replied that he hadn't. Gao Chufeng put 50 yuan into the little beggar's bowl and said: "Little brother, haven't you eaten? Sister will take you to eat barbecue, okay?"

  Gao Chufeng thought Xiaojiaohua would definitely cheer and rush to go, but unexpectedly, that little rascal shook his head, indicating that he was unwilling to go. The charm of barbecue can't even tempt him. Li Huqiu watched from the side and suddenly understood that this little rascal had a mind of his own. Li Huqiu walked over and gently pulled Gao Chufeng's arm, who looked at him in confusion, hesitating for a moment. Someone on the side said: "Please raise your hands, you two. You're both eating 'inside food', leave a way out for your brother." Li Huqiu turned his head to look at the speaker, a young man in his early twenties, wearing a green military coat and a dogskin hat, who was also sizing them up with a sneer.

  This is a colloquialism. Li Huqiu nodded and asked in a Jianghu tone, "The waters of the Cang Sea have three thousand." The man replied, "I only take one ladle."

  It's really a family affair, Li Hu immediately determined that the other party was also a fellow practitioner. He guessed that this little beggar and the young man in front of him were in cahoots. This combination of big and small is actually the most common scam on the rivers and lakes. The small one is the bait sent out by the big one, specializing in setting up stalls and begging, which can be used to ask for some money and attract other people's attention. And what about the big one? It hides nearby, waiting for the right moment to strike.

  Li Huqiu clasped his fists and asked: "Old brother, how tall are you?" The man replied: "Two zhang three."

  Two people were speaking in a low voice on the path, Gao Yu Feng listened with wide eyes, curious about this one move that didn't reveal her skills. If it weren't for Li Hu Qiu being by her side to block the way, she would have revealed everything cleanly. However many failures couldn't stop Miss Gao's enthusiasm for Jianghu gossip. She interrupted and asked Li Hu Qiu what those few sentences meant? Li Hu Qiu pointed at her and smiled at that person: "She is an outsider, forgive her ignorance." That person smiled but didn't say anything. Gao Yu Feng said: "On such a cold day, this small and thin child, you still let him out to beg?" That person's face suddenly turned gloomy. Li Hu Qiu quickly pulled Gao Yu Feng away, gave that person a fist bump, and hastily left without saying anything. Gao Yu Feng continued to ask him: "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

  Li Huqiu said, "One more sentence can ruin someone's rice bowl, this is a matter of life and death. Originally, you're not a Jianghu person, that's fine, but I'm here with you, he'll definitely misunderstand you as intentionally pretending to be stupid and ruining his rice bowl on purpose." Gao Chufeng said, "What kind of broken Jianghu has so many rules?" Li Huqiu said, "In short, when going out, use your mouth less and eat more, that's the way to go."

  Gao Chufeng's face suddenly became tense, pointing behind Li Huqiu and saying: "Ah, I've gotten you into trouble, he's called a few people over." Li Huqiu remained calm and composed, saying: "It doesn't matter, I'm here." After finishing speaking, he turned to face the newcomers. The leader was the young man who had released the pigeons earlier. Li Huqiu clasped his fists together in front of his chest and said: "As they say, when going out, one cannot bring a wife or a stick, but I've done both at once. If there's anywhere I've overstepped my bounds, I hope you gentlemen will forgive me. My name is Li Huqiu, junior, and I'm the helmsman of the Third Hand Restaurant in Haicheng South Station." There were four people in total, three of whom were tall and sturdy, while the leader was the thin young man who had worn a military coat earlier.

  Young man squints his eyes to size up Li Huqiu, no matter how he looks at it, he doesn't seem like a master of the helm. "Don't bully Liu Zi, whether or not she's a fool is still your word, since you're from the same door, you should know the rules, just say how this matter can be resolved?"

  As soon as the young man's voice fell, the three big men shook off their coats, revealing a robust physique, and incredibly, they were wearing nothing in the cold weather. It seemed like they often did this. This was intimidation, equivalent to telling Li Huqiu to hand over the money, otherwise, there would be no good fruit for them to eat.

  Li Huqiu indeed lived up to his reputation, saying: "Alright, I'll give it to Yezi, but before that, let me make one thing clear. It's because my wife has no taste and ruined the rules of the Taoist community that I'm giving this to Yezi, not because these three idiots' few pieces of cloth and flesh intimidated me."

  Gao Chufeng couldn't help but ask, "What is '狍子 meat'?" Li Huqiu told her, "In Northeastern dialect, 狍子 means fool. They call them 袍子 meat, which means that the muscles on their body are all useless, looking good but no use in a fight."

  Two men, one asking and the other answering, didn't put others in their eyes. The young man's cold laugh sounded: "Good, friend, you really have a kind, can't see that you are still a dependent on your elders, just don't know if your hands are as fierce as your mouth." After finishing speaking, he waved his hand and retreated to the back. Three sturdy men with heavy footsteps rushed towards Li Huqiu.

  Li Huqiu let Gao Chufeng fall behind, without saying a word, and with one swift step, he struck out with his palm, knocking the burly man in front to the ground. Immediately, he turned around and came to the side of another burly man, grasped his ear, and with a forceful pull, the man winced in pain, and as he twisted his head, Li Huqiu kicked him in the face, sending him tumbling down again. The remaining burly men and young men were instantly stunned, anyone could see that Li Huqiu's two moves were made with ease and precision.

  "It's not obvious that you're still a young master, we are not your opponents, but if you have the guts, don't leave, I'll find my big brother to deal with you." The young man refused the money handed over by Li Huqiu and led three strong men, after saying this ruthless sentence, they hastily left.

  Gao Chufeng stuck out her tongue, mischievously saying: "I've gotten you into trouble again." Li Huqiu comforted her: "It's nothing, women get into trouble, men solve it, that's the natural order of things."

  In the hotel room, Gao Yufeng was lying on Li Huzhou's body, releasing her passion. After the clouds dispersed and the rain stopped, Gao Yufeng lay on Li Huzhou's chest, whispering: "I suddenly feel that I am useless and selfish, so please don't be too good to me, don't take me too seriously, I'm afraid I'll hurt you."

  Li Huqiu, although young in years, was very emotional, all thanks to Yanzi's efforts. He liked the softness he felt when facing her and didn't mind getting into trouble because of it. "How did you think of saying that? Was it because of those people from daytime?" Gao Chufeng let out a low sigh and said: "I know your abilities are great, those people can't do anything to you, but there are some people who aren't worth your resistance, when they find us, I want you to promise me, don't take care of me, and don't look for me, it's best if you pretend you never knew me."

  Li Huqiu shook his head, just about to say that was my problem, when suddenly a knock at the door came from outside. The two of them quickly got up and put on their clothes. Li Huqiu waited until Gao Chufeng had finished dressing before opening the door. It turned out to be the young man from earlier in the day. "My big brother Bai Lang wants to meet with you," the young man said, tossing down these words before waving his hand at Li Huqiu and turning to leave.

  The middle-aged man sat quietly in the lobby on the first floor of the hotel, with an elderly person sitting beside him. Several young men stood silently around them. One of the young men leaned over to the middle-aged man's ear and said, "Just now someone knocked open their room door, and now there is only a woman inside." The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Let's go, right now." The elderly person sitting beside him said, "Old Five, can't you let Little Feng be free for a few more days?" The middle-aged man sighed, his expression seeming to relax slightly, but quickly regained its determination. "No! She has been crazy enough, she ran away and Huang Lao San knew everything from start to finish. This matter ends here, she must go back to North America with me. As for that young man, leave him to Uncle He to deal with. It concerns the dignity of the Qing Bang, please make sure it is handled properly."

  In the room, Li Huqiu comforted Gao Chufeng: "Don't worry, I'll go and come back, you just stay in the room. This is a state-run hotel, no one dares to make trouble here. Remember to wait for me." Gao Chufeng smiled gently and said: "Go ahead, I'll wait for you."

  Li Huqiu left, and Gao Chufeng couldn't sleep. She got up and walked to the window to look outside. The sound of knocking on the door came from the entrance, and Gao Chufeng thought it was Li Huqiu returning, so she opened the door and was immediately stunned. A middle-aged man with a expressionless face walked in.

  Gao Chufeng's face turned pale as she looked at him, her voice trembling: "You've come!" The middle-aged man nodded and said: "Enough madness, it's time to go home with Dad. Dr. Hanks says you need to go back for further treatment." As he spoke, his voice choked up, and he couldn't continue.

  Gao Chufeng said: "Even if I'm cured, what then? Will I have to accept your arrangements, become the bargaining chip for you to become the leader of the gang, and marry that idiot surnamed He?" The middle-aged man suddenly became angry: "What else do you want? Two years ago, you wanted to return to China to clear your mind, and I agreed. You said you liked being a thief, and I didn't stop you. I even found a master for you, Huang Lao San. The Great Thief King contest was held for a big event, and you wanted to participate too. I swallowed my pride and asked for favors on your behalf. You've been saying that in this life, you want to find a man you like and have a passionate romance. I've fulfilled your wish, but are you still not satisfied after a month? Don't forget, apart from being called Gao Chufeng, you're also the daughter of Qing Bang leader Gao Changfeng!"

  Gao Chufeng suddenly turned her gaze to the back of her father's head, her face changed, and she asked anxiously: "Where is Grandfather Huo? Is he looking for him?" Gao Changfeng nodded expressionlessly and ordered his subordinates: "Take Miss away." Gao Chufeng was tearful, and shouted hoarsely: "You won't leave me with any memories, will you? If he dies, it's all because of me... I also..." Gao Changfeng interrupted her: "What about you? Are you going to die too? Leave me and your mother heartbroken, and follow your beloved little thief to the grave?" Gao Chufeng pleaded weakly: "Dad, please spare him, he only likes me, he doesn't know anything."

  Gao Zhangfeng shook his head and said coldly, "It's absolutely impossible. Even if I spare his life, Huang Lao San won't let him off. One of the reasons I'm doing this is also because I received a request from Huang Lao San."