Chapter 35: Lost

Second District.

Ice Spring Street.

At the end of the street, a sprawling manor, covering hundreds of square meters, was a scene of lively revelry. Numerous torches dotted the estate, and under the sweeping heat waves, the falling snow melted silently before it even touched the ground.

Ordinarily, the manor lay uninhabited, appearing like a forgotten ruin. Yet, only a select few knew that its true owner was Ma Zhong, a man wealthy enough to purchase half of Frost Street in the Third District.

Now, however, the manor had shed its usual desolate and decaying appearance. Captivating music flowed incessantly, and the flirtatious murmurs of women mingled with the boisterous laughter of men, creating a scene like a blissful paradise.

"Brother Ma's manor is truly impressive," Qian Fan remarked. "It's a shame it's been left abandoned for so long."

Qian Fan, dressed in the black and red uniform of an enforcer, sat in the front row. Squinting at the lightly clad women dancing on stage, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"What's there to regret?" said another enforcer sitting beside him. "Brother Ma's house in the Third District is even bigger than this one." He raised his glass, clinked it with Qian Fan's, and drained the fine wine.

"I'm truly envious," Qian Fan mused. "When will I be able to afford a manor like this?"

"With Han Meng dead, no one can disrupt our business," the other enforcer said. "In a few more years, each of us brothers will have a place like this."

"Hahahaha, come on, one more toast!"

"By the way, hasn't Brother Ma arrived yet?"

"He's on his way. He told us to start without him."

Qian Fan nodded, about to say something more, when Bone Blade, with an arm around a dancer, approached Qian Fan, grinning.

"Come, come, let's toast our Boss Qian!" Bone Blade said. "We had some misunderstandings before, but in the future, please take good care of our business..."

"Boss Bone, you jest," Qian Fan chuckled. "Brother Ma is hosting this time; I'm just here to tag along. But when it comes to business, it's certainly about sincere cooperation and mutual benefit, isn't it?"

"Well said, mutual benefit!"

The nineteen residents of Ice Spring Street present all rose and clinked glasses with Qian Fan. Among them were individuals involved in firearms, drug trafficking, and prostitution, yet at this moment, their smiles were so gentle and harmless that anyone who had mistakenly wandered in would likely have thought it was a gathering of business magnates.

"Boss Qian, how was that batch of goods from a few days ago?" Bone Blade asked, as if remembering something. He lowered his voice and chuckled, "The heart, and those other organs, the quality was good, right?"

"Good," Qian Fan nodded slightly. "The buyer was very satisfied."

"It's not often you see a buyer with such deep pockets, taking all the organs at once," Bone Blade mused. "That batch of goods, it went to Aurora City, didn't it?"

Hearing the words "Aurora City," Qian Fan's eyes narrowed, and he slowly spoke:

"Boss Bone, in this line of work, you should refrain from asking about things you shouldn't," he warned. "Be careful not to bring trouble upon yourself."

"Hahaha, my apologies, I'll drink a penalty!"

Bone Blade drained his glass in one gulp, his gaze fixed on the seductive, curvaceous dancers on stage. His hand, resting on the shoulder of the woman beside him, automatically slid down, and amidst her feigned protests, he began to toy with her casually.

"Speaking of which, it's always the same few acts every time... Isn't there anything else?"

"What else do you want to see?"

"I heard that performances in Aurora City include singing, skits, magic, opera, and such," Bone Blade countered. "How come here we only have dancing?"

"You said it yourself, that's in Aurora City," the other man retorted. "A place like the Third District, how could there be so many varieties? It's already good that we can find so many dancers and accompaniment for you."

"...How boring."

Bone Blade's cheeks flushed with alcohol. He pushed away the two beauties in his arms and walked straight to the center of the stage, disrupting the dancers' formation. They looked at each other in confusion and bewilderment.

On the side, beneath the stage, the musicians who had been playing drums and wind instruments also abruptly stopped.

"Don't stop, keep dancing..."

Bone Blade's body gently pressed against one of the dancers from behind, his hands slithering over her body. He then grasped her wrists, manipulating her dance steps like a marionette, making her move awkwardly and strangely on stage.

The dancer's face turned ashen with fear, but she dared not resist, allowing Bone Blade to do as he pleased with her body. The other dancers glanced at Qian Fan in the audience, feigned indifference, and continued to dance in unison...

The drum beats resumed, and the wind instruments played melodiously.

"Hahahaha, Bone Blade, you're dancing terribly!"

"You should let me do it instead!"

"No, I think he's dancing quite well! Keep going, keep going! Hahahaha..."

"Who knew you had a talent for dancing?" another person joked. "How about a pole dance for everyone!"

Seeing this, the crowd from Ice Spring Street below the stage burst into laughter, as if they had found some excellent entertainment, pushing the lively and boisterous atmosphere to a higher climax.

Just then, a figure pushed open the manor's large, snow-covered gate and slowly walked in.

"What? Has Brother Ma finally arrived?"

Everyone turned to look, their gazes falling on the front courtyard, but they all froze in place.

It wasn't Ma Zhong who arrived, but a young man draped in a large red opera robe. He silently stepped onto the stone path of the front courtyard, the swirling snow dusting his temples with white. In the pale world, that splash of vermilion was strikingly vivid and intense.

Upon seeing the person's face, most of the people inside changed expression, as if recalling something, their eyes filling with malice and venom.

At the same time, Qian Fan stiffened slightly. He exchanged a look with the enforcer beside him and rose from his seat.

"Brother Chen Ling, why are you here?" A warm smile appeared on Qian Fan's face. "Look how inconvenient this is; right after you left, the Second and Third Districts were unsealed, so we decided to hold a celebration. I was just saying we should have kept you here this morning... Come, come, since you're here, sit down and have a drink with us."

Chen Ling didn't answer. He calmly walked through the windy, snowy courtyard, his muddy soles tracking into the house and leaving deep imprints.

"No need," he said faintly. "I'm here to retrieve something..."

"Retrieve something? Did you leave something behind?"

Under everyone's gaze, Chen Ling walked through the banquet, step by step, onto the stage... His gaze, from beginning to end, was fixed on Bone Blade.

"Oh, I wondered who it was, turns out it's the great enforcer Chen..." The drunken Bone Blade sneered, releasing the dancer he was holding and pushing her aside. "What, dressed like that, are you going to put on a show for us brothers?"

Now that Han Meng was dead and Ma Zhong once again held absolute power in the Third District, Bone Blade and the others didn't believe Chen Ling would dare to court death. Now, both the Second and Third Districts were their domain!

"Hahahaha! Come on, let him perform!"

"Dressed like that, he must be here to perform opera, right? Which act will he sing?"

The crowd was in a fearless mood at this moment. They raised their wine glasses, their gazes toward the red-clad Chen Ling full of mockery.

Qian Fan's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. He vaguely felt that something was wrong.

"Chen Ling, just tell me what you lost," Qian Fan interjected. "I'll go find it for you."

"I lost a heart."

Chen Ling stared fixedly at Bone Blade's face.

"And my brother's life."

The next moment, a hand instantly pierced Bone Blade's chest!