Chapter 40: Blood Spatters

Fighting dogs are a breed specifically raised for dog fighting; these animals know nothing except tearing their opponents to shreds. These dogs, the heavier ones weighing around seventy or eighty jin, the lighter ones still about fifty or sixty, are almost the size of grown men. Their bite force is astonishing—against human skin, thin as paper, one bite is enough to pierce through.

An ordinary person encountering one of these fighting dogs, unless armed with a club or stick, would stand little chance of defending themselves.

Human versus dog fights are not uncommon in the underground boxing rings. There was even once a match where a man faced three fighting dogs; the man ended up torn and bloodied, a truly horrific sight.

Now, Lu Feng was up against seven fighting dogs, seven ferocious beasts.

The crowd was once again riled up with excitement, for fighting dogs never throw a match. Everyone began to shout at the top of their lungs, "Bite him! Kill him!"

Chen Lan, suspended above, was nearly on the verge of collapse upon seeing this scene. Covering her mouth, she cried out, "Run! Please, run!"

Lu Feng stared at the crazed, shouting crowd, at Bigmouth Owl laughing triumphantly, at Chen Lan sobbing uncontrollably above. The fire of anger surged within him.

Peace above all? Master! If it were you in my place, could you really still hold to peace above all?

As Lu Feng screamed within, a fighting dog lunged for him with bared fangs. He kicked it flying, then reached through the cage bars and grabbed the lock on the gate.

The lock was the size of half a palm, impossible to break open without a key for an ordinary person. But Lu Feng was not ordinary. Rage burning through him, he poured all his inner strength into his arm, gripped the lock, and yanked.

Bang!

With a resounding crash, Lu Feng forcibly twisted the lock open, flung the gate wide, and charged out.

Bigmouth Owl was momentarily stunned by what he saw. In that instant, Lu Feng darted up, grabbed him by the collar, lifted him off his feet, and before any of the thugs could react, hurled Bigmouth Owl into the iron cage. With another bang, he slammed the cage shut.

The mad dogs didn't care who their prey was; they pounced, tearing into him in a frenzy.

Screams echoed, blood-curdling and desperate. Bigmouth Owl kicked and flailed, his cries drowned by the chaos as the dogs mauled him within seconds, reducing him to a bloody mess.

The scene erupted into pandemonium—some screamed, some fled, some shouted curses.

Amid the chaos, Lu Feng rushed to the man operating the cage controls, seized him by the throat and threatened, "Let her down, or die!"

Terrified by the bloodbath in the cage, the man’s hands shook as he fumbled with the controls, lowering Chen Lan.

The moment Chen Lan touched the ground, Lu Feng ran to her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the exit.

Bigmouth Owl, torn by the dogs, was bleeding profusely. His lackeys panicked and rushed to save him, none caring to chase Lu Feng. Any thug who tried to block their way was knocked down with a single punch.

Lu Feng dragged Chen Lan out of the underground arena, jumped into a Highlander, and sped away.

Only once inside the car did Chen Lan manage to regain some composure. Clutching Lu Feng’s arm in panic, she asked, "Where's Xiaoxiao? Did you see her?"

"Xiaoxiao is at the police station—she's safe. We're going to pick her up now," Lu Feng replied.

"Should we call the police?" Chen Lan, completely lost, could only follow Lu Feng’s lead.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Feng decided that the underground ring was nothing but a den of villains. "Let’s call the police and let them handle the rest," he said.

Since Chen Lan’s phone and bag had been taken, Lu Feng used his own to dial the authorities.

In the world of gangs, if conflict arose, no matter who lost, neither side would ever call the police. The biggest taboo for a gangster was to involve the authorities—a tradition dating back to the days of the Hong Kong Royal Police. Reporting to the police meant inviting retribution from every other gang.

But Lu Feng was not a gangster. He had inherited his master’s will to heal and save lives, so calling the police weighed nothing on his conscience.

Besides, gang fights were always large-scale brawls, dozens of people hacking away with knives. Lu Feng was only one man—did they expect him to take on a hundred, cut down a hundred, a thousand? Not impossible, but far too exhausting.

Lu Feng feared nothing except trouble, so calling the police was the easiest way out.

...

The anti-crime squad responded swiftly; within five minutes, a team of special police stormed the underground ring. By then, most people had fled, Bigmouth Owl had been carried off by his men, leaving nothing but blood and chaos, along with a few unlucky members of Lianhong Society who failed to escape.

Lu Feng drove Chen Lan to the police station to pick up Xiaoxiao. The mother and daughter clung to each other, sobbing uncontrollably.

Even as her mother held her, Xiaoxiao clung tightly to Lu Feng’s sleeve, terrified he would leave.

"Be good, Xiaoxiao. I have important things to do. Let’s go home, okay?"

"No..." Xiaoxiao shook her head stubbornly, her voice breaking with tears. "Don’t go, big brother..."

Chen Lan looked apologetically at Lu Feng and tried to pull her daughter’s hand away.

Xiaoxiao burst into loud sobs. "Don’t go, big brother! Someone will take Mommy and me away...!" She reached out, wanting to wrap her arms around Lu Feng’s neck.

Lu Feng had no choice but to pick her up. Xiaoxiao clung to him like a baby koala, refusing to let go.

"Go ahead if you’re busy, I’ll take her home," Chen Lan said, trying to pry her daughter away. "Be good, Xiaoxiao. If you keep this up, big brother won’t like you anymore."

Xiaoxiao only cried harder, pressing her forehead to Lu Feng’s and begging, "Don’t stop liking me, big brother... I’ll be good..."

After a moment’s thought, Lu Feng said, "How about this—I'll take you both to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association’s annual meeting. Consider it a little getaway."

"Are you sure that's okay?" Chen Lan asked, concerned.

"A suite has been booked for me at the hotel. If you don’t want to attend the conference, you can just stay in the room," Lu Feng replied.

"Is that alright, Xiaoxiao? We can't get in the way of big brother's business," Chen Lan said, gently rubbing her daughter’s back.

Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously, showering Lu Feng’s face with kisses. "I’ll be good."

So Lu Feng drove Chen Lan and Xiaoxiao to the Lihua Hotel in Haizhu District for the annual meeting of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association.

It was already past eight in the evening. The day's session was over, but the conference would last three days. The first day was mostly for introductions and pleasantries; the real sessions would begin the next day.

As they returned to the hotel, they ran into Su Muyu and Su Muqing in the lobby.

Su Muyu glanced at Chen Lan and Xiaoxiao, then pointed at the little girl. "Isn’t that the girl?"

Xiaoxiao, shy, buried her head in her mother’s neck.

"Hey, you really did save her, you rascal," Su Muqing teased. "Who’s this pretty lady? Don’t tell me you’re hiding her away as your secret lover? That would be great! Sis, now you can see his true colors and not marry him!"

Her words, so carefree and shameless, left everyone in a moment of awkward silence.

Chen Lan, however, was gracious. After a quiet sigh, she introduced herself, "My name is Chen Lan, and I’m Xiaoxiao’s mother."

"I’m Su Muyu, and this is my sister Su Muqing. She always talks like that, don’t mind her," Su Muyu said, shaking hands with Chen Lan.