68: Brother, you've worked hard!

These past few days,

Li Zhan's life had become exceptionally disciplined.

At five in the morning,

while the streetlights of Lianhua Residential Area were still lit, his figure could already be seen by the artificial lake inside the complex.

The cold winter wind cut across his face like a knife,

yet he wore only thin training clothes as he ran at a steady pace around the lakeshore.

His white breath condensed into frost under the streetlights, and his footsteps startled the small animals nesting in the grass.

"Too slow."

He glanced down at his watch and frowned, quickening his pace.

These few months of urban life had caused his physical fitness to drop significantly; he was actually a bit winded after a ten-kilometer run.

Back when he was practicing boxing with his master, he could have performed three more sets of forms after such a run.

By the seventh lap, Old Zhou's figure appeared at the end of the path,

also dressed in sportswear, clearly well-prepared.

"A-Zhan, pushing yourself this hard?"

Old Zhou adjusted his breathing and ran alongside him.

Li Zhan didn't speak, only slightly increasing his speed.

Old Zhou kept up immediately, and the two tacitly replaced their warm-up with a race.

As the sky turned a pale blue, the two stood barefoot on the bluestone slabs by the lake.

Li Zhan's feet were in a standard T-step, his knees slightly bent as if sitting on a high stool, and his spine was held perfectly straight.

This was the most basic stance training of the Fist Style; he remembered his master saying,

"If the stance work is unstable, the boxing technique will surely be superficial."

Old Zhou, meanwhile, held the "Mountain-leaning Stance" of Dongan Fist, his legs as steady as a rock.

The two stood in silent confrontation, sweat sliding down their taut muscles, yet neither moved first.

"Can you hold it?" Li Zhan asked in a low voice.

Old Zhou grinned. "A-Zhan, don't underestimate me."

Sweat dripped from his chin onto the stone slab, quickly forming a small puddle.

After only twenty minutes, his calves began to tremble.

He gritted his teeth, imagining his master's rattan cane pressing against his tailbone.

"Sink your waist!"

He barked in a low voice, forcing himself to hold on for another ten minutes.

As the sky gradually brightened,

he suddenly opened his eyes and threw a Spear Hand strike into the morning mist, the air making a crisp "crack" sound.

This movement, which used to be effortless, now caused a wave of soreness in his shoulder.

At eight in the morning, the gym at Xinyue Entertainment was still empty.

Li Zhan removed the outer padding of the punching bag, revealing the inner liner filled with iron sand,

With every punch, the bag didn't budge, but the recoil made his wrists go numb.

Old Zhou wasn't idle either, fiercely practicing elbow strikes against another bag,

the dull thuds echoing through the empty gym.

"Not enough power."

Li Zhan shook his numb wrists and knelt on one knee to begin finger push-ups.

His knuckles pressed against the hardwood floor; with every push-up, a faint sound could be heard from his bones.

This was a crude method from the Fist Style to train Iron Wire Fist, which could enhance the hardness of the finger bones.

Sweat converged into streams on his back, and his muscle lines were sharply defined under the lights.

"Come."

Li Zhan stood up, breathing heavily, jumped into the octagon, and beckoned to Old Zhou with a finger.

Without a word, Old Zhou flipped onto the stage, and the two immediately engaged in a head-on exchange of blows.

Li Zhan's Fist Style was fierce and compact, while Old Zhou's Dongan Fist was powerful and heavy,

Amidst the clashing of elbows and knees, neither gained the upper hand.

After a close-quarters struggle,

Li Zhan suddenly changed his move, a Spear Hand strike aiming directly for Old Zhou's throat,

Old Zhou reacted extremely fast, sidestepping to block and countering with a backhand Smashing Elbow.

"Bang!"

Both stepped back simultaneously, their chests heaving violently.

"That's got kick."

Li Zhan shook his wrists, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

Old Zhou rubbed his numb forearms and smiled through gritted teeth,

"Again?"

Li Zhan wiped the sweat from his face. "That's enough for today. Any more will damage the foundation,

Returning to peak condition isn't a matter of a day or two; it has to be a gradual process."

Although his body hadn't fully recovered,

that long-lost combat instinct was slowly awakening.

At ten in the morning, he stood before the bathroom mirror checking his injuries.

The bruises on his shoulders had turned purple, and his knuckles were covered in scabs.

The man in the mirror had eyes as sharp as knives, and his muscle lines had become fierce once again.

"Still a long way to go," he muttered to himself,

but his gaze had already regained the ruthlessness only possessed by the boy who used to practice boxing under his master's stick.

Li Zhan took a gulp of water and looked at the calendar on the wall.

There were less than 40 days until the Underground Boxing Match,

but the fighting spirit within his body had already been completely ignited.

He had to make this body remember the taste of pain once again.

Old Zhou leaned against the doorframe, with several bruises still on his chest, but his gaze remained sharp.

"You alright?" Li Zhan asked.

Old Zhou rotated his shoulders and grinned,

"We continue tomorrow."

—

At twelve noon, deep in the alleys of Xiaobian Village,

a small eatery with a sign reading "Chen's Stir-fry" emitted the savory aroma of cooking.

When Li Zhan pushed open the door to the innermost private room,

Captain Zhao was already sitting there, drinking and snacking on peanuts.

"I heard you went up against Bai Shaqiang from Tiger Gate?"

Captain Zhao poured a glass of baijiu for Li Zhan. "He's not someone to be trifled with."

Li Zhan picked up a piece of braised pork, the meat stewed until tender,

"I know what I'm doing. The matter is settled, I was just set up by the Ninth Master."

"Ninth Master?"

Captain Zhao sneered. "He's a famous old fox in our Chang'an. You'd better be careful."

Li Zhan raised his glass. "What's the situation at the Sub-bureau now?"

"Director Zhang is definitely going to take early retirement."

The bureau hasn't made the matter public; after all, it would have too much of an impact on the bureau's image."

Captain Zhao suddenly lowered his voice. "The thing is, we don't know who will take his position,"

several factions are watching, and Director Li is also making moves."

His chopsticks paused at the edge of the bowl, and Li Zhan looked up. "Do you need me to do anything?"

"You don't need to worry about the matters above,"

Director Li is fairly confident; after all, he led this process."

Captain Zhao refilled his own glass,

"What you need to do now..."

Is to ensure there's only one voice in Chang'an's underworld as soon as possible. That'll be best for everyone."

The two clinked their glasses.

"Good, that's exactly what I was thinking. I'll start making moves in the next couple of days.

But as for Captain Wang's side..."

Li Zhan tilted his head back and drained his glass, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Outside the room, the sound of the proprietress calling out dishes could be heard.

Captain Zhao waited until the footsteps faded before speaking.

He gave a cold laugh,

"With Director Zhang down, Captain Wang can barely protect himself. It's just a matter of going through the procedures now.

I'll keep him occupied for the next few days.

But remember—"

He tapped his finger lightly on the table,

"Don't make too much of a scene,

Otherwise, if it affects Director Li's operations, the loss will outweigh the gain."

Li Zhan lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke,

"Understood. I'll finish it quickly; there won't be any noise."

Captain Zhao also lit a cigarette and suddenly asked,

"That..."

"That Officer Lin... how is she doing now..."

The cigarette in Li Zhan's hand paused,

The image of Lin Xia being trained by him recently appeared before his eyes.

This woman, during yesterday's training session, had actually taken the initiative to hug him.

She probably got addicted to listening to the surveillance tapes after going home lately.

A wicked grin appeared at the corner of his mouth, which he quickly suppressed.

"Officer Lin... she's doing fine,

I've moved her to my side to handle some clerical work now.

As you know, it's not safe to put her in other venues,

And I don't want her to know too much about what goes on in those places.

With her by my side, I can keep an eye on her..."

Captain Zhao nodded, his mind at ease.

He glanced at Li Zhan again. "Did she... do anything... out of line?"

Li Zhan tried hard to keep a straight face,

It was way too out of line. An undercover agent getting addicted to eavesdropping on wall-listening...

But her feel was indeed very good...

“Out of line?

Does installing a bug in my office count?

But it's no big deal,

I have a clear conscience, and besides... this is Officer Lin's job,

I'll do my best to cooperate...”

Captain Zhao's lips twitched,

He shot Li Zhan a sympathetic look and raised his glass,

“Brother... you've had it hard...”

Li Zhan also raised his glass and replied with difficulty,

“Sigh, just sharing Director Li's burdens...”

...

When he pushed open the door of the private room, the midday sun was so bright it was hard to keep his eyes open.

Li Zhan pulled out his sunglasses and put them on,

He heard Captain Zhao's final instruction drift over from behind him,

"Try not to cause any deaths; the situation is tight right now.

If someone does die, then clean it up thoroughly."

At the mouth of the alley, Old Zhou's car had already started.

Li Zhan climbed into the passenger seat. "To the Gambling Den office. Call Big Courage and Shui Sheng."