1
This is Tam gia's territory, so you follow Tam gia's rules.
Lục Phong doesn't follow the rules.
He's vicious, reckless, and doesn't give a damn about anyone—not even Tam gia.
Tam gia told me to straighten him out.
“Hạng Niên, teach him the rules of the underworld.”
I stubbed out my cigarette and headed down from the second floor.
In the fighting pit, the stench of blood and sweat was so thick it made my head ache.
Lục Phong was still standing on the other man's hand, slowly twisting the toe of his shoe. The crunch of breaking bones rang out loud and clear.
He seemed to love that sound. He tilted his head, his face showing a chilling, childlike cruelty.
I stepped in front of him and said coolly:
“Move your foot.”
Only then did Lục Phong slowly lift his head to look at me.
He was tall—about six-two. I was six-one, but standing in front of him, I had no advantage at all.
He stared me up and down, his gaze precise and provocative.
At last, his gaze stopped at my throat.
He grinned, baring two sharp canines.
“Are you Hạng Niên?”
“I hear you're Tam gia's sharpest knife.”
“So did Tam gia send you here today to kill me, or sleep with me?”
A chorus of sharp intakes of breath rose around us.
This guy really wasn't afraid of dying, talking to one of Tam gia's men like that.
My expression didn't change as I stared at him.
“Tam gia told me to teach you the rules.”
“Rule number one: around here, nobody gets to call himself ‘I’ except Tam gia.”
Lục Phong raised an eyebrow and pressed down harder with his foot.
The man beneath him screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
“Oh? So what should I call myself?”
Lục Phong asked as if teasing me, grinding his foot down even harder.
“Your grandson? Or your great-grandson?”
I couldn't be bothered to waste words.
My body reacted faster than my thoughts; I chopped the side of my hand down at the back of his neck.
Lục Phong reacted fast, ducking low and sweeping his leg straight at my lower body.
I took a step back and dodged it easily.
His attack missed, but he didn't get angry. He used the momentum to roll across the floor, then looked up at me, his eyes alight with excitement.
“You're tougher than that useless guy from before.”
I looked down at him.
“Get up.”
Lục Phong laughed, slowly got to his feet, and brushed the dust off himself.
He came closer, then suddenly reached out and gave my waist a quick touch.
Then he leaned in, his voice low and raspy, his breath warm against my ear.
“With a waist this soft, I bet you're great in bed.”
I narrowed my eyes, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it behind his back.
There was a sharp crack as his joint dislocated.
“Rule number two: keep your hands to yourself. Do that again, and I'll cut it off.”
“Got it?”
Lục Phong looked at me, his eyes as dark as ink.
After a moment, he grinned broadly.
“Got it, Brother Niên.”
2
Tam gia told me to take Lục Phong to Nam Thành to collect a debt.
Old man Trần still owed Tam gia money. He'd been dragging his feet for half a year without paying.
Tam gia's meaning was clear: let the kid stir up trouble while I stood by and watched—as long as nobody died.
I was driving, while Lục Phong sat in the passenger seat with one leg propped on the dashboard, so casual it was irritating.
“Brother Niên, how long have you been with Tam gia?”
I glanced at him.
“What's it to you?”
Lục Phong leaned toward me, resting his elbow on the car door as he watched me with curious eyes.
“Just... curious, that's all.”
“Be too curious and you'll die young,” I replied casually.
“But I was born curious.”
He reached out and poked my shoulder with his index finger.
“I'm curious what's under those clothes. Curious whether you'll still look so proper when someone pins you down.”
I slammed on the brakes, and the car screeched to a stop at the side of the road.
I unbuckled my seat belt and turned to face him.
“Lục Phong, I'll say this one more time: stay half a meter away from me.”
“Otherwise, I won't hesitate to send you to meet the King of Hell before you meet old man Trần.”
Lục Phong raised both hands in mock surrender and grinned.
“I was just messing around. Don't get worked up, Brother Niên.”
I started the car again, still seething inside.
3
When we reached old man Trần's turf, I held out a pack of cigarettes and said:
“Old man Trần, Tam gia's a little short on cash lately.”
Old man Trần chuckled, but showed no intention of paying.
Instead, he pointed at Lục Phong and asked, “Who's this young man?”
Before I could answer, Lục Phong stepped forward.
He pulled up a chair and sat on it backward, resting his chin on the backrest, looking both cocky and downright obnoxious.
“I'm Tam gia's new dog.”
“I bite people for Tam gia.”
Old man Trần's smile immediately froze.
“Easy there, young man. Getting worked up won't do you any good.”
Lục Phong pulled a butterfly knife from his pocket and spun it rapidly around his fingertips.
“I have to get worked up. I'm afraid I won't be able to bite through your old bones otherwise.”
I frowned.
Tam gia had made it clear: get the money, not blood.
And this kid was clearly trying to wreck the relationship beyond repair.
Old man Trần's expression darkened. He clapped once, and more than a dozen bodyguards rushed into the room.
Lục Phong gave a mocking laugh, stood up, and turned to ask me:
“Brother Niên, are you just going to watch, or are you joining in?”
I sighed. “Make it quick and clean.”
Before I could finish, Lục Phong charged forward.
He fought viciously, every strike aimed at a vulnerable spot.
His butterfly knife flashed in his hand, and within moments, several men were sprawled on the floor.
But he showed restraint—every strike cut skin and drew blood, but he never hit a tendon or bone.
I didn't join the fight. I just stood behind him, ready to stop anyone who tried to attack from behind.
Before long, only old man Trần and his two closest bodyguards remained in the room.
4
On the way back, Lục Phong fiddled with his bloodstained butterfly knife, seeming to be in a great mood.
“Brother Niên, did I do good today? Am I qualified to be Tam gia's dog yet?”
I kept my eyes on the road and replied coldly:
“Tam gia needs money, not enemies.”
Lục Phong couldn't have cared less.
“What's life without enemies?”
“Still water is boring as hell.”
Suddenly, he leaned over and gave me a light kiss on the cheek.
I slammed on the brakes and cranked the wheel. The car fishtailed before coming to a stop on the deserted road outside the city.
I grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against the car window.
“Lục Phong, you're really asking to die, aren't you?!”
He wasn't afraid at all. He even licked his lips.
“Brother Niên, you look a lot sexier when you're angry.”
I was so angry I laughed.
“Lục...”
Before I could finish, he climbed over from the passenger seat and pressed me down.
The car was cramped, and the two of us were pressed close together, so close there wasn’t a sliver of space between us.
He panted against my ear, his hand already familiar with the way to slip into my pants.
“You taught me the rules. How about I teach you a few other things?”
I shoved him away and grabbed him by the throat.
“Don’t mess with me. You’re the one who’s getting me worked up—you won’t be able to handle it.”
I squeezed until his face turned red, but his eyes still shone with excitement.
“Your body’s a lot more honest than your mouth.”
I threw him back into the passenger seat and drove straight downtown, my face cold and saying nothing.
5
After that, it was like Lục Phong had unlocked a new skill—teasing me became his daily routine.
Once, he even dared to pull something right in front of Tam gia, lightly brushing his foot against mine under the table.
I’d warned him plenty of times— with a look, with words, even with my fists.
It was useless.
He had skin like a rhinoceros; the more I threatened him, the more he enjoyed it.
Tam gia seemed to have noticed something too. One day, he called me in for a private talk.
“A Niên, that kid Lục Phong… has he been giving you trouble?”
I lowered my eyes.
“No, sir. He’s been good.”
Tam gia smiled faintly and poured me a cup of tea.
“Good. That’s what I like to hear.”
“That’s just how he is. You’re the only one who can keep him in line.”
“Keep a close eye on him. Don’t let him do anything outrageous.”
I lifted my teacup.
“You can count on me, Tam gia.”
That night, Tam gia held a banquet to celebrate acquiring a new harbor.
Lục Phong had been instrumental, and they plied him with plenty of liquor.
He couldn’t hold his liquor. After just a few drinks, his eyes grew unfocused and he staggered when he walked.
I wasn’t sure where he lived, so when the banquet ended, I decided to take him home with me.
On the way, Lục Phong went limp as a rag doll, leaning his whole weight against me.
He mumbled something I couldn’t make out, burrowing his head into my neck and rubbing against it.
His warm breath and soft, silky hair left me flustered and unsettled.
I gave him the bed in my bedroom and planned to make do on the sofa for the night.
I’d just turned around when he grabbed my wrist.
I turned back to meet his hazy, mist-filled eyes.
Lục Phong wasn’t drunk.
Or at least… he wasn’t drunk enough to lose consciousness.
“Don’t… go. I feel awful.”
“Drink some water. You’ll feel better.”
“That’s not the part that feels awful.”
He pulled my hand down.
“This part feels awful.”
It was like I’d been burned; I jerked my hand away at once.
But he wouldn’t let go. He wrapped both arms around my neck, hanging off me like an octopus.
“Please, help me… I’m about to explode…”
6
Lục Phong clung to me, his whole body burning hot as he pressed himself against me.
The smell of liquor mingled with his hot breath against my neck, warm and ticklish.
I looked down at him.
He looked back at me, eyes half-lidded and cheeks flushed.
His lips were slightly parted; his whole body seemed to invite someone to pluck the forbidden fruit.
Nothing like his wild, frenzied self during the day—now he was even more dangerously alluring.
I swallowed, my voice turning hoarse.
“Lục Phong, do you know what you’re doing?”
He rubbed his face against my chin, purring like a stray cat begging for affection.
“I do.”
“I’m seducing you.”
“Please… sleep with me just once, okay?”
I stared at him for a long moment, then raised my hand and chopped him once on the back of the neck, knocking him out.
The light outside the window shifted from deep blue to silvery white.
I was awake almost the entire night.
The ashtray was overflowing with cigarette butts.
A rustling sound came from behind me.
Lục Phong had woken up.
“Hey…”
I didn’t turn around.
“If you’re awake, get the hell out.”
There was silence behind me for a few seconds.
Then I heard him get out of bed.
He walked over and stopped in front of me.
He no longer smelled of liquor, and he didn’t touch me—not even standing within arm’s reach.
“Hạng Niên, you really know how to hold back.”
With that, he opened the door, slammed it shut, and left without a backward glance.
I stayed where I was, staring at the door still trembling from the slam, an inexplicable emptiness settling in my chest.
Damn it… I let him stay the night, and he still had the nerve to slam my door like that.