Chapter Five: First Encounter with the Hongmen Society

When Zhang Xiao exposed Carosius’s lie, the wrinkles on the old man's face seemed to gather together. He had not expected his words to be so easily unraveled, and for a moment, anger and embarrassment welled up within him. Yet, as Zhang Xiao had said, there was little he could do. He could only reply with a dark expression, "I may not be able to strike at you myself, but that doesn't mean others can't. One word from me, and my Mage Guild will relentlessly hunt you down."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiao knew that the president of the Mage Guild before him was truly enraged, as he would not have uttered such threats otherwise. Zhang Xiao said nothing, merely savoring the red wine in his glass with a half-smile.

Watching Zhang Xiao’s leisurely demeanor, Carosius realized he had spoken out of turn. The boy before him possessed abilities no ordinary person could contend with. Sending his mages to hunt Zhang Xiao would be like throwing meat to a dog—gone, never to return. With that realization, Carosius was left thoroughly helpless. He stared at Zhang Xiao for a long time before finally sighing and saying, "Alright, you win. But I genuinely need your help. If you aid me, I will grant any request you have."

This stirred Zhang Xiao’s heart, prompting him to consider. The other party clearly needed his assistance for something of great importance—so important that he was willing to agree to anything, provided Zhang Xiao could actually accomplish it. If Zhang Xiao refused, while Carosius could not harm him directly, he would undoubtedly create many troubles. It was said that teleportation arrays connected cities, but these were all controlled by the Mage Guild. If Zhang Xiao did not wish to travel on foot to another city, it would be best not to offend the mage before him.

Since the old monster promised to grant any request, Zhang Xiao thought it wise to hand over the Imperial Seal task to him. With this in mind, Zhang Xiao smiled and said, "Very well, but I have a condition."

When Zhang Xiao agreed, Carosius became excited. "Speak. Whatever your request, if I can fulfill it, I’ll grant it."

He knew Zhang Xiao would ask for much, but so long as Zhang Xiao helped him, any loss would be insignificant. Zhang Xiao did not hurry, pretending to ponder deeply, and when he still did not speak, Carosius pressed him impatiently, "Hurry up. Whatever treasure you want, I can give it to you—even help you return to the Eastern Continent."

Seeing the timing was right, Zhang Xiao said, "How about this? I heard that one of China's national treasures was lost in America. If you can retrieve it for me, I'll help you. After all, you know those things belong to our ancestors, and I would never pass up the chance to reclaim them."

His words made Carosius uneasy, fearing Zhang Xiao might refer to something obscure, perhaps just an ancient jade or a calligraphy piece—how would he ever find it? But Zhang Xiao’s next words finally allowed the old monster to breathe a sigh of relief. "The Imperial Seal, you know it, right? It’s the emperor’s jade stamp. If you can get it for me, I’ll help you with your task and guarantee its completion."

Carosius, though not fond of Chinese antiques, understood the significance of such a seal, akin to their own monarch’s scepter. He had not heard of the Imperial Seal specifically, but it must be an invaluable treasure, at least famous enough to be located. Difficult, yes, but not impossible. So Carosius replied, "Give me three days. We’ll meet here again then. I’ll bring you the item, and you’ll accept my task."

Zhang Xiao was surprised by Carosius’s confidence—three days to find the Imperial Seal. Yet he cared little; if Carosius succeeded, he could accept the task, and if not, he lost nothing.

With this thought, Zhang Xiao agreed. Carosius stood up, and suddenly, the air in front of him split open into a pitch-black fissure. Zhang Xiao’s eyes widened—was this a spatial rift? Carosius strode into the rift, which immediately sealed behind him. Such a strange method of teleportation—no array needed to stabilize space.

Though Carosius had left, Zhang Xiao was still awed by his power, and vaguely felt he may have made a mistake in accepting the old fox’s request. The commotion Carosius caused was indeed considerable; many people nearby glanced over. Losing interest in his meal, Zhang Xiao tossed out ten gold coins and strode from the restaurant.

Walking through the bustling street, Zhang Xiao was curious about the variety of items on display in the surrounding shops. He entered a sizeable store, only to see a figure rushing straight toward him. Though fast, the person was no match for Zhang Xiao’s gaze. Clearly, the figure had been thrown by someone. Normally, Zhang Xiao would not meddle, but noticing the person had the same skin and hair color as himself, he wondered if the man might be Chinese.

With a gentle wave of his palm, Zhang Xiao sent a soft force to lift the person and set him down. The man, quick-witted, immediately realized someone had helped him. Turning, he saw Zhang Xiao standing there, with identical skin and hair, and more importantly, wearing a silver-threaded Taoist robe that radiated Chinese Daoist style.

"Thank you, brother, let’s go, they have numbers," he said, trying to drag Zhang Xiao away, but his strength could not budge Zhang Xiao. Seeing the man’s weakness, Zhang Xiao frowned, "So they beat you, and you just run? Won’t they beat you again next time?"

The man, stunned by Zhang Xiao’s words, replied, "They have more people—I can’t beat them. A wise man does not court disaster."

At that moment, several burly men strode forward, faces twisted in anger. "What, you got a problem?" one of them said, drawing a massive machete, and comparing its size to Zhang Xiao’s physique, laughing, "Ha ha ha, not even as big as my blade. Chinese, truly a useless bunch!"

Hearing such blatant insults to his homeland, Zhang Xiao’s expression darkened. Though not a rabid patriot, he would never allow foreigners to insult his country before him. With a swift point to the man’s chest, the burly fellow suddenly felt a sharp pain and sensed his strength draining away, a sensation akin to dying.

With a muffled thud, the brute collapsed at Zhang Xiao’s feet. The others, shocked, drew blades and swords, attacking Zhang Xiao with deadly intent, their auras flashing in various colors, clearly aiming to kill him. The man behind Zhang Xiao turned pale, but without hesitation, threw himself in front of Zhang Xiao, shouting, "Run!"

As blades charged with energy were about to strike him, the man closed his eyes, thinking, "It’s over. Hope I don’t lose too many attributes this time."

A cold snort suddenly erupted. Though not loud, to the brutes it was like thunder, sending them flying back and unconscious on the ground.

Zhang Xiao, not wishing to kill unnecessarily, had merely stunned them. The man who had shielded Zhang Xiao waited for a long time, but no blade fell. Opening his eyes, he saw chaos—the burly men sprawled in disarray, their fate uncertain.

With this disturbance, Zhang Xiao lost interest in browsing the shop’s wares and turned to leave. The man finally snapped out of his shock and hurried after him, calling, "Master, wait!"

Zhang Xiao turned to see the man running after him. Without another word, the man knelt before him, "You must be a master of the Hongmen. Please, let me join!"

Zhang Xiao was taken aback—Hongmen? Before the Great Change, he had heard of a powerful Chinese gang called Hongmen in America. He hadn’t expected it to persist after the Change. He helped the man up. "You’re mistaken; I’m not a master of Hongmen."

The man refused to believe him, "If you’re not Hongmen, how do you know cultivation techniques? Is it because my aptitude is poor and you don’t want to take me? No matter—I’ll work as your slave if you accept me."

Seeing the man’s certainty, Zhang Xiao’s interest was piqued. "Does Hongmen teach cultivation techniques too?" He had thought Hongmen was just a gang, but from the man’s words, it seemed they were like a sect, capable of imparting cultivation methods. If so, why were Chinese still bullied?

The man, puzzled by Zhang Xiao’s question, asked, "Are you really not Hongmen?" Zhang Xiao nodded, "I truly am not." With Zhang Xiao’s firm answer, the man realized he might have been mistaken. "Thank you for saving me, brother. My name is Li Fei. If you ever need me, I’ll risk my life to help you." With that, Li Fei prepared to leave. It was a blow for him to find Zhang Xiao was not Hongmen, but Zhang Xiao still needed answers, so he hurried after Li Fei, "Can you tell me about Hongmen?"

Li Fei smiled, "Of course, but it’s not convenient here. Let’s find a teahouse and talk." Zhang Xiao’s earlier actions had attracted much attention, and now people were glancing at them. Zhang Xiao, seeing this, grabbed Li Fei and used Divine Foot Technique to vanish on the spot. When Li Fei came to his senses, he found himself at the entrance of a teahouse.

Now, Li Fei was even more awed by Zhang Xiao’s abilities, worshipping him wholeheartedly. Seated in the teahouse, he began to tell Zhang Xiao the story of Hongmen.