“Where are you?” Shen Yanzhou asked.

The person on the other end of the line was in no hurry, his voice oozing a mixture of ruthlessness and slickness: “Mr. Shen is a smart man. Listen closely to this sound and take a guess at where this might be.”

The receiver was lifted higher.

The roaring blast of an airplane flying low over a rooftop drifted through the line.

In a city like Hong Kong, the only place where you could hear the sound of planes so incredibly close and loud was

“Kowloon Walled City?”

“Correct.” The man let out a maniacal laugh. “Come in from the absolute worst entrance on Tung Tau Tsuen Road, keep walking straight in, head toward that stall selling dog meat, and look down.”

“Remember, Mr. Shen. This place is a lawless zone where the police station won’t step foot. Don’t expect to bring that crowd of suit wearing bodyguards of yours in either. You can only come alone.”

“How do I know what you’re saying is true? What if you’re just bluffing me?” Shen Yanzhou asked with a cold smile.

If it were that useless brother Shen Xiuming, it would be somewhat believable, but the person in question was Shen Xici. He didn’t think Shen Xici would be this careless.

“Bluffing you? You really underestimate us, Mr. Shen. There are rules on the streets, and it’s not my first day mixing in this crowd.”

The person on the other end was well prepared and didn’t waste any more words. The sound of rustling movements came from the phone, followed immediately by a dull thud.

“Ugh—!” A heavily suppressed cry of pain traveled over the call.

Even though it was just a brief sound, Shen Yanzhou could tell that it was indeed Shen Xici’s voice.

“Well? Mr. Shen, does that voice sound familiar?” the man teased playfully. “It looks like your brother has quite a backbone. Even after treating him to a round, he can still hold it in without screaming.”

“But since you don’t believe it, let me show you something much more tangible.”

Right after that, a video message was sent over.

When Shen Yanzhou tapped it open, he saw Shen Xici with both hands tied behind his back by a thick hemp rope. The clothes on his body were already torn to shreds and completely covered in mottled bloodstains.

A hand wearing a leather glove entered the frame, grabbing Shen Xici by the hair and forcing him to lift his head.

That face, which was usually as warm and smooth as jade, was now covered in bruises, and the corners of his mouth were badly split open.

“Mmph…” Shen Xici struggled to open his eyes, his gaze unfocused. Yet, the moment he spotted the camera, he shook his head desperately. With a cloth gag stuffed in his mouth, he could only let out muffled, indistinct roars:

“Mmph… mmph! (Don’t come! Brother! Don’t come!)”

“Mr. Shen, my patience is limited,” the man on the other end of the line continued. “If it passes midnight and you still haven’t arrived, I’m afraid these precious hands your brother uses to fight lawsuits will be completely ruined.”

With that, the person hung up the call.

The phone slipped from his hand, falling onto the soft sofa.

The same feeling of utter helplessness from ten years ago when his parents met their accident rushed over Shen Yanzhou like a tidal wave.

Shen Xici was his only remaining family member in this world.

Although they weren’t related by blood, over the past decade or so, it was Shen Xici who had accompanied him through the most difficult days.

If Shen Xiuming died, then so be it, but nothing could happen to Shen Xici.

Absolutely nothing.

Shen Yanzhou stood up from the sofa and looked at the man sitting cross legged on the carpet. “I need to go out.”

Before he could take a step, his clothing tightened.

Sanqianwan had grabbed the hem of his silk bathrobe.

“I heard it just now.” The man’s voice was very deep, devoid of the tenderness from when they were exchanging sweet words earlier. He looked up, his dark eyes staring straight into Shen Yanzhou’s.

“You’re going to Kowloon Walled City to save your brother, right?”

“Yes.”

The man pressed his face close to Shen Yanzhou’s bare calf. “I know that place inside out. I know which alley can fit a car and which path is dangerous.”

“Let me drive, alright?”

Looking at him like this, Shen Yanzhou couldn’t help but recall the words this man had spoken while sitting on the carpet just moments ago

“If it were me, I would just take her by force.”

“I have someone I love very, very much. No one else will do except him.”

“No need.” He reached out, brushing away the man’s fingers that were gripping the edge of his clothes.

“Don’t have those kinds of thoughts about me.”

The moment he was rejected, the light in the man’s eyes dimmed, but he didn’t let go. Instead, his rough, large hand moved up along the fabric, forcefully gripping the wrist Shen Yanzhou used to push him away.

“I know you don’t have any thoughts about me.”

“But how could I just stand by and watch you go alone?” The man’s gaze shifted back into wet puppy eyes, his voice low and raspy as he pleaded.

“Don’t reject me on this too, alright?”

“Fine,” he said helplessly.

Sitting inside the Maybach, Shen Yanzhou’s mind was a chaotic mess, entirely filled with the image of Shen Xici’s blood covered face from the video.

His hands resting on his knees were tightly clenched into fists, his nails digging so deeply into the flesh of his palms that they almost cut through, yet he couldn’t feel the pain.

Suddenly, a warm, rough hand stretched over, wrapping around his cold and trembling fist without taking no for an answer.

Shen Yanzhou tried to break free, but the man slid his fingers between his even more dominantly, forcing open the self sacrificing grip of his fingers before locking their hands together.

“Focus on driving,” Shen Yanzhou said, looking at the man at the wheel.

“Like this, I can’t focus.” Sanqianwan steered the wheel with a single hand, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. The car was moving fast, yet it was incredibly steady. With his other hand, his thumb rubbed against the back of Shen Yanzhou’s hand, over and over again.

“Are you very worried about him?” the man asked tentatively.

Shen Yanzhou turned his head to look out the window. “He’s my brother.”

“Brother…” Sanqianwan chewed on the word, his grip on Shen Yanzhou’s hand tightening slightly.

Taking advantage of a red light, he turned his head, his dark eyes, sharp like a wolfhound’s, staring at Shen Yanzhou in the dim light with an unreadable expression.

“Is he just a brother?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I was thinking, you’re so tense over him. Even knowing it’s a trap ahead, even knowing that Kowloon Walled City is a place that swallows people whole, would you really give up your life just to save him?” The man’s voice dropped lower.

“Or rather, is he someone special to you?”

Before Shen Yanzhou could answer, the man added on his own, “Then again, he’s a top lawyer. Although he looks miserable right now, he’s usually the type of gentleman who is as warm and smooth as jade.”

“Do you like that type? Do you like someone who is clean and proper, someone who can stand in the spotlight and handle lawsuits for you?”

Shen Yanzhou found it ridiculous. “He’s my brother and my only family. What does that have to do with liking someone?”

“Does it really have nothing to do with it?” Sanqianwan let out a self deprecating chuckle, restarted the car, and slammed the accelerator to the floor.

Yet, he never once let go of the hand holding Shen Yanzhou’s.

Not only did he not let go, but he even took a mile when given an inch, pulling Shen Yanzhou’s hand to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss against it.

“Don’t like that type.”

While watching the street views outside recede rapidly, the man rubbed his cheek against Shen Yanzhou’s palm.

“That kind of person can’t lift a finger or carry anything on their shoulders. When something like this happens, they can only cry and scream for their brother to save them.”

The man secretly observed Shen Yanzhou’s expression. Seeing that he didn’t truly get angry or pull his hand away, he then continued:

“I’m different. If it were me tied up over there today, I would never let you come to save me. Even if I died there, I wouldn’t let you frown even once.”

“Just focus on driving your car properly for me.” Shen Yanzhou forcefully pulled his hand back, his gaze turning toward the window once more.

The car sped along the entire way, and the scenery outside the window gradually began to change.

The standalone villas on the mid levels and the brilliant lights of Victoria Harbour were left far behind, replaced by increasingly crowded streets and more and more dilapidated buildings displaying signs for Saunas, Mahjong, and Bonesetting.

The Maybach slowly came to a halt in front of a narrow alley entrance.

“We’re here.”

“The car can’t go any further ahead. We can only get out and walk.”

The man turned off the ignition, leaning over to help Shen Yanzhou unbuckle his seatbelt.

The distance was extremely close, their breath intermingling.

Aided by the dim, ambiguous glow of the streetlamp at the alley entrance, his gaze greedily traced the contours of Shen Yanzhou’s face.

A face this beautiful and exquisite would undoubtedly attract the covetous eyes of countless sewer rats. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two black face masks.

Unwrapping one of them, he hooked the loops over the ears, putting it onto Shen Yanzhou.

“The smell inside isn’t pleasant, and the air is dirty.”

After putting it on him, he then put one on himself.

“It’s very chaotic inside, the paths are narrow, and the crowd is mixed. Once we get out of the car, master must hold onto me tightly, otherwise it’s very easy to get separated.”

Rather than saying Shen Yanzhou was holding onto him tightly, it was more like the man was wrapping his own hand firmly around his.

The warmth coming from the palm was shockingly hot. He could feel the thick calluses on the other person’s palm, scratching against his skin until it tickled, yet it brought an unexpected sense of reassurance.

This feeling had been missing for far too long.

He remembered when he was very young, back when his parents were still alive, how two pairs of broad, warm hands would lead him from his left and right. Later on, he was forced to grow up, transforming from a child being led into the person who led others.

He had long since grown used to walking in front, used to being the person who provided safety to others, so used to it that he had forgotten what it felt like to be held and protected behind someone else.

When you are being led by someone, you don’t need to watch the road.

“Watch the steps,” the man reminded him.

The sky outside wasn’t completely dark yet, but inside the walled city, there was already no distinction between day and night.

Most of the shops on both sides didn’t have signs, only hanging red and green plastic lightbulbs.

The cramped walkway was packed with people showing all kinds of expressions—young thugs with bare chests and over the shoulder dragon tattoos, old men with cloudy eyes crouching in corners smoking water pipes, and scantily clad streetwalkers leaning against doorways to solicit customers.

The path in this place was truly too narrow, so narrow that it couldn’t even accommodate two people walking side by side.

The further inside they went, the more blatant the prying glances became.

In the stalls on both sides, greasy roasted geese hung in a row.

A few lackeys wearing floral shirts and picking their teeth crouched at a doorway, their eyes glued onto Shen Yanzhou’s body.

“Oh, whose young master is this? Must have walked through the wrong door, right?” A loose whistle sounded out.

Immediately following that was a burst of roaring laughter.

“Hey handsome, this path isn’t easy to walk. Do you want big brother to give you a hand?” A man with dyed yellow hair, holding half a cigarette in his mouth, deliberately blocked the middle of the road. His gaze scanned Shen Yanzhou downwardly, finally stopping on his eyes.

“Tsk tsk, the way these eyes are shaped is truly striking. It must look even better when crying.”

“Beat it,” Shen Yanzhou said coldly.

“Quite a temper.” The yellow haired man didn’t back off; instead, he grinned and leaned in even closer, reaching out a dirty hand to try and snatch Shen Yanzhou’s mask away. “Why are you wearing this thing? It would be such a pity to smother you. Come on, take it off and let big brother take a look…”

Several idle men crouching around also joined in the heckling:

“Ah Hui, go easy on him. Don’t go ruining someone’s delicate skin!”

“Looking at this whole outfit, I’m afraid some canary from the mid levels managed to fly out!”

“This kind of premium goods isn’t seen often in the walled city. If one could enjoy a night with him, it would be worth losing ten years of life…”

Just as Shen Yanzhou reached out his hand to punch someone, he was pulled into the man’s embrace, keeping his face from being exposed.

The man cut off the yellow haired man’s wrist.

Accompanied by a loud snap, the yellow haired man’s wrist bent backward. The entire man knelt straight onto the ground from the sheer pain, his face covered in a mess of mucus and tears.

“If your mouth is too foul, then you don’t need it anymore.”

“You dare touch my person in Tung Tau Tsuen? You must be tired of living!” Seeing this, the other lackeys who were watching the show cursed as they picked up nearby beer bottles and folding stools, surrounding them.

“Close the doors! Don’t let them run!”

“Kill this bastard!”

The commotion here had grown loud, blocking the narrow alleyways ahead and behind until they were completely packed.

A dozen or so people, holding all kinds of weapons in their hands, everyone looking fierce and evil.

“Are you scared?” the man whispered into Shen Yanzhou’s ear.

“How could I be scared,” Shen Yanzhou replied.

“But I don’t want you to look at these dirty things, so just hold me tight.”

With that, the man lifted his head, the gaze he used to look at this group of thugs instantly changing as he scraped his eyes fiercely across the face of the largest man standing right at the front holding a knife.

The large man was originally aggressive, but the moment he met those eyes and clearly saw the scars on the man’s wrist, his knife simply couldn’t hack down no matter what.

“B—” The large man’s face turned deathly pale, his lips trembling.

Sanqianwan didn’t speak, lifting his hand to place his index finger in front of his lips, making a shushing gesture.

The knife in the large man’s hand fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Not caring about how dirty the ground was, he knelt straight down and bowed deeply.

“I’m… I’m sorry!”

The surrounding lackeys: “Brother, what are you doing…”

“Shut up! Everyone put your damn weapons away for me!” The large man whipped his head around, slapping the face of the subordinate who was still in a daze, roaring until his voice cracked. “Anyone who doesn’t want to die get the hell out of the way! Scram!”

With that, he didn’t even dare lift his head, dragging the yellow haired man with the broken hand along as he led the group of people scrambling and crawling into the adjacent alley.

In the blink of an eye, the originally packed alleyway was completely cleared of people.

Only a mess remained on the ground, along with a few beer bottles that hadn’t rolled far away yet.

Hearing that the commotion had stopped, Shen Yanzhou broke free from the man’s embrace. Although he hadn’t seen it, he had heard the sound of someone kneeling and begging for mercy.

His gaze scrutinized the man, trying to figure out the truth behind it.

“Do they know you? Did they all run away because of you?”

Hearing this, the man blinked innocently, shook his head, and even rubbed his face into Shen Yanzhou’s neck. “How could they possibly know me…”

“I’m not some famous person. In the past, I was just mixing around to secure a meal, just an ordinary person begging for food everywhere. How could a big boss in a place like this remember a small character like me.”

Saying that, he lifted his hand, his rough fingertips brushing through Shen Yanzhou’s strands of hair. “Master, this is bad. It seems they recognized your identity, so they were all frightened into fleeing.”

“Recognized me?” Shen Yanzhou raised an eyebrow, not completely buying this explanation.

“Yes.” The man looked at his beautiful long silver hair and nodded.

“It’s probably because master’s silver hair is too eye catching and noticeable. In Hong Kong, who else keeps such beautiful silver hair besides master? So with just one glance, these people recognized it.”

At this point, the man took the opportunity to pull Shen Yanzhou a bit closer again, sighing in a low voice:

“After all, master’s grand name is feared even by the rats in this Kowloon Walled City. Unlike me, who can only follow behind master and ride on your coattails. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid I really would have had to fight them to the death.”

Although Shen Yanzhou still harbored doubts, right now was not a good time to dig deep into it. He only wanted to save Shen Xici quickly and take him home early.

He didn’t say anything more, allowing that rough, large hand to lead him as they continued walking deeper into the walled city.

Strangely enough, the rest of the journey was unbelievably smooth.

The walkways that were originally packed to the point where one needed to turn sideways just to pass through actually became spacious.

Those addicts who were originally crouching in the dark corners with greedy eyes like hungry wolves hurriedly bowed their heads the moment they saw their silhouettes, not even daring to breathe heavily. There were even quite a few people who nodded to them, revealing smiles that looked uglier than crying.

“How much further?”

“Almost there.” Sanqianwan’s voice came out muffled from beneath the mask.

The man knew the road conditions here like the back of his hand, leading him through the alleys with many twists and turns, avoiding several dead ends and puddles overflowing with sewage water.

Gradually, a scent of spices permeated the air.

“We’re here.” The man stopped.

Shen Yanzhou followed suit and halted his steps. He lifted his head to see a crooked sign

【Chen’s Fragrant Meat】.

Hanging up a sheep’s head to sell dog meat, this was exactly the meeting location the person on the phone had mentioned.