A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1572 Sealing Yu Xiu! (Please Subscribe!)
Hua Shier was still wondering which storyline's "Baoqiang" this was.

But just now, after hearing this guy threaten to beat him to death—judging by his tone, his personality, and the sickly woman in his arms—he already knew who the other person was. Most likely, it was Feng Yuxiu, the one who "determines both superiority and inferiority, and life and death."

He originally thought that with Feng Yuxiu's personality, even if a gun was pointed at his head, he would fight to the death, but he didn't expect the guy to back down so quickly.

Hua Shier glanced at the woman in Feng Yuxiu's arms and immediately understood what was going on.

In the original story, Feng Yuxiu went on a killing spree after his wife became terminally ill and beyond cure. He chose to "kill his wife to prove his Dao," severing his last ties with her, which triggered him to completely lose control.

But the fact that the couple is still on a boat smuggling themselves to Hong Kong Island means they haven't reached that point yet.

Judging from his reaction just now, Feng Yuxiu clearly still holds onto the hope that his wife is alive.

Hua Shier grinned and tapped the gun barrel against his forehead:
"It's best to avoid making jokes like this in the future. If my finger slips and I accidentally beat you to death, you little bastard, then the joke won't be funny anymore."

Feng Yuxiu still had a hint of resentment in his eyes, but he still nodded in the end.

Hua Shier waved his hand: "Put it away."

Zhang Meng, Wang Shenxiu, and Luo Jialong then tucked their guns back into their waistbands and covered them with their clothes. Hua Shier also lowered his gun accordingly.

The moment the gun left Feng Yuxiu's forehead, Feng Yuxiu's previously softened gaze suddenly turned ferocious.

He held his wife tightly with his left hand, twisted his waist and hips violently, his spine swung like a whip, his shoulder propelling his elbow, his elbow propelling his wrist, and his right hand, in the shape of an eagle's claw, swiftly grabbed at Hua Shier's collarbone.

At the same time, he shouted sharply:

"A gun is swift from seven paces away, and within seven paces—"

At such close range, Feng Yuxiu was confident that he could subdue the ruthless bandit in front of him with a single move.

Once we capture him, we can use his life to force him to pay for his wife's medical treatment.

If he can be cured, perhaps his life will be spared; if not, then his life will be used to atone for the humiliation of having a gun pointed at his head.

Ke Feng had only shouted halfway through—

boom!
Hua Shier arrived late but arrived early, smashing the butt of his gun squarely onto Hua Shier's head.

Ren Fengyu was thick-skinned and had a good ability to withstand blows, but this blow still made him see stars and he almost fell over.

That seemingly inevitable eagle-catch move was violently and directly countered by this seemingly casual smash.

Before the brief dizziness had subsided, the dark muzzle of a gun was already pressed against his forehead again.

Hua Shier completed the second half of the sentence for him, speaking slowly, as if teaching a primary school student to recognize words: "Within seven steps—the gun is both accurate and fast."

His friends behind him, seeing that the crisis was over and hearing what he said, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Hua Shier looked Feng Yuxiu up and down and sneered:
"You can't even dodge the butt of my gun, what are you trying to talk nonsense about? If it weren't for the pitiful woman in your arms, believe me, I would have shot you right now."

Feng Yuxiu also came to his senses at this moment. The fierceness in his eyes faded, replaced by an uncontrollable astonishment:

"How come you reacted so quickly? You're a trained martial artist too, aren't you?"

Hua Shier chuckled as he holstered his gun, his tone as casual as if he were asking what he had for dinner that day:
"I wouldn't presume to call myself a martial arts expert. I have, however, eaten some midnight porridge a few days ago."

"Eating porridge at night" is a Cantonese expression. In the past, martial arts practitioners would work during the day to make a living, and only gather at their master's place at night to practice their skills.

After training, one needs to replenish their energy, but it's not advisable to eat a large meal in the evening. Masters usually only prepare some porridge for their disciples. Over time, this bowl of porridge became a synonym for martial arts practitioners.

Upon hearing him admit to having practiced it, Feng Yuxiu's expression became extremely complex, containing resentment, unwillingness, and above all, anger at the violation of his beliefs.
"You're a martial artist, why are you using a gun? You don't deserve to be called a martial artist!"

Hua Shier burst out laughing upon hearing this, his laughter filled with undisguised mockery:

"Your words speak for the Qing Dynasty. They probably thought the same thing when they faced the foreign devils."

He tapped Feng Yuxiu's forehead twice with the muzzle of the gun; the force wasn't great, but the insult was extremely strong.
"Are you fucking stupid? How can you say such outdated things? It's clear you've only ever practiced martial arts like Xia Ji, you don't know how to use your brain, and you'll never amount to anything!"

Feng Yuxiu gritted his teeth and squeezed out, "If you have the guts, put down your gun and fight me."

Faced with such clamor, Hua Twelve certainly couldn't back down.

He tucked the gun behind his waist, beckoned to Feng Yuxiu with a finger, and smiled nonchalantly:

"Very well. Let's determine who is superior and who is inferior, and also decide life and death."

Zhang Meng, Wang Shenxiu, Luo Jialong, and Mouse were all completely dumbfounded. What was going on? How did things escalate from a simple conversation to a life-or-death fight?
Mouse couldn't help but shout, "Boss Tianlong, isn't this a bit much?"

Hua Shier waved his hand dismissively, his tone carrying a touch of solemn江湖气 (a kind of江湖, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry):

“He’s already made such a fuss, it’s not in my nature to refuse. This is a fair fight—if I get killed by him, it’s because I’m not as good as him, and you shouldn’t retaliate against him.”

"To determine who is superior and who is inferior, and to decide life and death?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Yuxiu's eyes suddenly lit up, as if something buried deep in his heart had been ignited.

Upon hearing Hua Shier's subsequent words, a genuine look of appreciation flashed in his eyes.

Feng Yuxiu lowered his head and whispered a few words in his wife's ear. The woman, pale-faced, clutched his sleeve tightly, refusing to let go. Feng Yuxiu gently patted the back of her hand, carefully placing her against the cabin wall for stability. Then he turned around and solemnly clasped his hands in a respectful greeting.
"Good sir. I misunderstood you earlier. If you kill me, it's because I'm not skilled enough, not your fault. Let's have a duel—to determine who is better and to decide life and death. But..."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "If you beat me to death, then I'll entrust my wife to you."

"grass!"

Hua Shier quickly drew his gun again, pointing it at Feng Yuxiu with a wary expression.
"Don't come any closer! Are you trying to scam me?"

"I was just killing time anyway, so I played along, and you pull this on me? Your wife's illness isn't cheap to treat, you obviously can't afford it and are trying to pin it on me. Ha—tui! You've got a death wish!"

Feng Yuxiu was taken aback at first, then his face flushed red with anxiety, and he hurriedly explained, "That's not what I meant."

Hua Shier pointed his gun at him, refusing to budge an inch.

"That's what you mean. I'm not fighting you anymore, it's too costly. Behave yourself, or I'll be shot dead."

Mouse and the others realized that Yu'er was just teasing this silly guy, so they all relaxed and watched the show with smiles.

Mouse then turned to the group of card players and said, "Come on, let's continue, we can't play anymore."

Feng Yuxiu couldn't explain it clearly. He knew the other party was a martial artist and had several guns in his hand, so he really couldn't gain the upper hand.

Without a word, he turned around, picked up his wife, and slowly sat down against the cabin wall.

Hua Shier also put away his gun, and the group acted as if nothing had happened. The other stowaways in the cargo hold, seeing the commotion subside, finally felt relieved.

In the darkness, Feng Yuxiu's eyes shone brightly, staring intently at Hua Shier without blinking.

Hua Shier initially ignored him, but the guy seemed determined to keep going, and Hua Shier finally got fed up. He pointed at Feng Yuxiu and asked impatiently:

"What are you?"

Zhang Meng and the others burst out laughing on the spot. This joke is quite popular online. If the other person is from Northeast China, the next thing they would say is definitely "What are you looking at?"

Feng Yuxiu was silent for two seconds, but then asked about something else:

"I want to ask if you can cure my wife?"

Hua Shier scoffed, "Your wife has a terminal illness. You'd believe me if I said she could?"

Feng Yuxiu nodded earnestly, his tone devoid of any hesitation:

“I believe it. Because I have no other choice. I went to Hong Kong Island this time to bring her to see a doctor. But I know the hope is slim, and I don’t have that much money.”

Luo Jialong, who was watching the commotion, couldn't help but laugh and interject, "If you don't have money, why are you asking? Trying to get my boss for free?"

Hua Shier turned around and glared at him irritably: "Bullshit. How can it be considered prostitution if you don't pay?"

A few close friends chuckled. After years of being roommates, they were used to this kind of banter.

Feng Yuxiu, however, showed no sign of joking. With a serious expression, he explained earnestly:
"It's not free. You just said your family has a long history of traditional Chinese medicine—TCM treatments are cheap." His voice trailed off, and his face gradually turned red. Recalling the resolute determination he displayed when they were about to fight to the death, his current predicament truly reflected the saying, "Even a hero can be brought down by a penny."

Hua Twelve looked at him with a half-smile, her tone calm yet unquestionable:
“Your wife’s illness is expensive to treat, whether it’s traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine.”

Feng Yuxiu's wife weakly raised her hand, her fingers gently stroking her husband's dark, rough cheek. Her voice was as soft as a feather, as if it might be blown away by the wind at any moment:
"Ashu, my illness is incurable. How about we stop treatment? As long as you're by my side, that's enough."

"Ah Xue." Feng Yuxiu held his wife's hand, tears streaming down his cheeks and dripping onto her pale face.

Many people in the cargo hold couldn't help but look over here.

The air suddenly became very quiet, and in that instant, it was as if the classic song "A Lifetime of Love" was playing in my mind!
"The sea of ​​suffering stirs up love and hate; in this world, fate is inescapable. Though we are close, we cannot be together. Perhaps I should believe it is destiny."

The couple couldn't stop crying. In this atmosphere, they thought of the days when they supported each other through thick and thin, and then thought of the imminent separation of life and death. They were both a little overwhelmed.

Hua Shier said expressionlessly, "Mouse, if you sing again, I'll kill you."

The singing stopped abruptly. Mouse chuckled awkwardly and muttered, "Just trying to set the mood."

Hua Shier turned to Feng Yuxiu and his wife, his tone full of disdain:
"You two have had enough. Are you acting out a melodramatic romance drama, or are you playing Miss Duan from 'A Chinese Odyssey'?"

Feng Yuxiu raised the back of his hand to wipe away his tears, then wiped his wife's tears as well. Surprisingly, as soon as the music stopped, they both felt much better.

Ever since Hua Shier recognized the other party as Feng Yuxiu, he had been pondering one thing: whether he could recruit this person to his own cause.

His buddies, Mouse and the others, are ultimately undercover agents; they can't do the dirty work.

Hua Shier needs a decisive and ruthless person who can do things for him; otherwise, if he infiltrates the drug cartel and doesn't even have anyone willing to kill, wouldn't they be waiting to be discovered to be up to no good?

Feng Yuxiu is a perfect match for this knife!

This man isn't a bad person. If his wife's illness had been treated in its early stages, there would have been a very high chance of a complete cure.

The reason why it turned into a terminal illness can be summed up in one word—poverty.

Considering Feng Yuxiu's skills, even in such a desperate situation, he never considered using his martial arts to rob and steal or make ill-gotten gains, which shows that he still adheres to the bottom line of a martial artist.

Hua Shier is willing to give such a person a chance.

"I can cure her."

Hua Shier looked at Feng Yuxiu with a smile, and slowly posed the most crucial question: "But—what can you give me?"

Feng Yuxiu suddenly raised his head, his voice trembling: "Are you serious?"

Hua Shier rolled her eyes in annoyance: "You just said you believed it, and now you're asking if it's true. You can choose not to believe it, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Feng Yuxiu quickly interrupted, as if afraid he would change his mind, speaking rapidly and urgently:
"I believe you! I believe you! You can have anything I have. I sold my house in Foshan, I have over 200,000 yuan—is that enough? You can have it all, as long as you cure Ah Xue."

Hua Shier shook his head, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him:
"I don't want money. I'll cure your wife, and you'll do things for me."

Feng Yuxiu paused for a moment, his gaze involuntarily sweeping over the bulging waists of Hua Shier and his brothers behind him, his voice becoming hesitant:

"I don't bully ordinary people."

Hua Shier laughed heartily, a laugh that was both frank and hearty:
"I know what you're trying to say. You don't need to get involved in our affairs. You just need to help me beat up the bad guys."

Feng Yuxiu looked down at his wife in his arms.

The woman weakly shook her head, her lips moving as she repeatedly whispered, "Ashu, don't agree."

Feng Yuxiu gritted his teeth, his Adam's apple bobbing down as if he were swallowing something hard:

"Ah Xue, I have no choice. I don't want to lose you."

He suddenly raised his head, his eyes surging with a desperate resolve, staring intently at Hua Twelve:
"Okay. I promise you. However, besides curing Xue, you also have one other thing to do."

"What?" Hua Shier looked at him with great interest.

"Fight me. If you beat me, I'll fight you."

Having just made a move, Feng Yuxiu realized that Hua Shier had struck him on the head with the butt of his spear after he had already struck first.

But he was not convinced.

He was convinced that he couldn't dodge the attack because he was holding his wife in his arms.

He wants a fight, a fair and square contest to determine the winner.

Hua Shier laughed. This was Feng Yuxiu—a man who loved his wife to the core, but was also a martial arts fanatic at heart.

"Okay. I'll fight you when we get to Hong Kong Island. If I lose, I'll treat your wife for free."

Two hours later, the fishing boat slowly came to a stop with the faint hum of its engine.

Snake Boy walked into the cargo hold from the bow of the ship in the dark and said in a low voice, "We're here. Get up, everyone, and hurry up."

The stowaways had been waiting anxiously. Upon hearing this, they all pushed themselves up to their feet, stretching their numb legs and straining their ears to listen for any sounds outside.

No one dared to speak loudly. Feng Yuxiu, carrying his wife, was the first to stand by the cabin door, followed by Hua Shier and a few others with Mouse.

As soon as I stepped out of the cabin, the salty sea breeze, carrying the coolness of the night, hit me.

Hua Shier glanced around in the dim moonlight. There was a low, rocky shore, and in the distance, he could vaguely see a few crooked trees and tangled bushes. Beyond that, it was pitch black, and he could not see any houses or lights.

Judging from the terrain, it looks like a remote wasteland in the northwest of Hong Kong Island.

"This is Longgutan."

Snake told her in a low voice, "Go south for one kilometer after you get ashore, there's a small road. Follow that road and you can catch a ride into Tuen Mun town. The rest is up to you."

He pulled a stack of crumpled papers from his pocket, picked one out, and handed it to Hua Twelve:
"Brother Long, take this."

Hua Shier took it and saw that it was a crookedly torn piece of paper with a few lines of handwritten words on it.

Zhang Meng leaned closer and asked, "What's this?"

"Steep. XXX Shanghai Street, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Tak Hing Building."

Snake Boy lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke into the night.

“Brother Long, you’re really generous, so I can’t be stingy. If you have nowhere to go, come here. When you get there, just tell me your name, and you’ll have a place to stay temporarily.”

Hua Shier glanced at the note and understood. Although he didn't need it, he still nodded to Snake Boy.

Thanks.

Snake waved his hand, signaling everyone to disembark.

One by one, everyone jumped off the boat and stepped onto the slippery rocks to reach the shore.

With my feet firmly on solid ground, the anxiety that had been hanging over me for two hours finally subsided.

Those who had reached the shore dispersed in twos and threes in the dark, each heading towards the distant shadows of the trees.

The fishing boat slowly retreated into the night with the low hum of its engine, soon becoming just a blurry outline that blended into the dark sea.

Feng Yuxiu stood still, holding his wife, and turned to Hua Shier, saying, "Come on, let's have a fight."

Hua Shier cursed in an annoyed tone:
"Go to hell! Hurry up and get out of here, the cops will be here soon." After saying that, he told everyone to walk quickly in another direction.

Feng Yuxiu stood there for a moment, then bent down and pulled his wife closer to him before striding after him.

At this moment, Hua Shier is the only hope he can grasp.

Thank you to the following brothers for their generous donations: 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, and King Gigi 16050. Thank you also to the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendations. Thank you so much!