Hua Muying was flustered by the commotion and quickly asked, "Brother Ma, where are you taking them?"
Ma Da shot him a sidelong glance and said, "Since they’ve joined the Ten Thousand Dragons Society, they’re our people now. Where I take them is none of your damn business!"
"What, you got a problem with that?"
Hua Muying hastily waved his hands. "No problem, no problem."
Though he said that, his heart was racing with worry.
He had deliberately revealed that Xiao Hu and the others used to be pickpockets, laying their cards on the table, to test whether these Ten Thousand Dragons Society members genuinely intended to take the kids in. It was also his way of being upfront.
Besides, he wanted to remind Xiao Hu and the others not to be foolish enough to use their old tricks on these gangsters.
But he never expected Ma Da to be so shameless—losing the bet and then outright breaking his word by taking them away.
Now it was over. Xiao Hu and the others would probably be lucky to escape with their lives.
Just then, Ma Da seemed to remember something. "These kids are so skilled. Why didn’t you have them work in this line of business instead of begging?"
Hua Muying really wanted to snap back, "You should ask Zhao Tianyi from your Ten Thousand Dragons Society about that."
Stealing was illegal, but begging wasn’t.
"Brother Ma, this business is all about territory. If these kids accidentally trespass into someone else’s turf and get caught, having their limbs broken would be the least of their worries. Plus, they’re all over sixteen now."
"What do you mean?" Ma Da didn’t get it.
"Brother Ma, sixteen means they can be charged as adults," one of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society members reminded him.
Ma Da finally understood, and the disdain in his eyes when he looked at Hua Muying faded a little.
At first, he couldn’t stand the guy, especially since this punk had the audacity to collect and sell information about the young mistress.
But after this exchange, he found himself warming up to him.
At least this guy hadn’t ruined those kids.
"Alright, you can go now."
Hua Muying hesitated. "What about Xiao Hu and the others—"
"What?" Ma Da narrowed his eyes. "Don’t trust the Ten Thousand Dragons Society?"
"I trust you, I trust you." Hua Muying didn’t dare say another word and left.
After seeing him off, Ma Da plopped onto the sofa, crossed his legs, and pulled out his phone to call one of his underlings.
"Make sure those brats get cleaned up properly!"
After hanging up, he checked the time and dialed the young mistress’s number to ask how she wanted to handle the kids.
As he was talking, Yun Cheng walked over with a set of keys.
Ma Da, curious, asked, "Brother Yun, what are those keys for?"
Yun Cheng replied, "Remember the taekwondo training center next door? It’s vacant now. The young mistress and I thought we’d turn it into a martial arts school and enroll those kids."
There had indeed been a taekwondo training center next to the Ten Thousand Dragons Society, but after the gang moved in, the place packed up and fled like they’d seen a ghost.
If they hadn’t left, the owner probably would’ve died of a heart attack.
The reason? A few kids from the taekwondo center, seeing the Ten Thousand Dragons Society members dressed in their intimidating black suits and sunglasses, had marched over to challenge them, shouting in their tiny voices, "We learn martial arts to fight bad guys!"
The next day, the owner refunded their tuition, and by the third day, he’d fled in the dead of night, leaving his sign behind.
It was like he feared he’d end up dead in the streets if he stayed a second longer.
Ma Da and the others were speechless.
"A martial arts school sounds good. Those kids are too scrawny—some exercise would do them good."
Ma Da then sighed. "The young mistress is too kind, setting up a whole school just for them. Though it’s a bit extravagant."
Yun Cheng shook his head. "Ma Da, you’ve got it wrong. This school isn’t just for them."
Ma Da blinked. "Brother Yun, what do you mean?"
Yun Cheng glanced at Ma Da’s belly, which looked like he was five months pregnant, and said, "The young mistress’s exact words: ‘The Ten Thousand Dragons Society does not tolerate beer bellies. Anyone overweight must shed the excess fat.’"
???
Ma Da looked down at his own beer belly, his face turning beet red, nearly on the verge of tears.
Oh no… this was aimed at me!
"Uh… Brother Yun, could you put in a word with the young mistress? Exempt me—I’ve got a natural pituitary deficiency."
"Pituitary deficiency? What’s that mean?"
"I can’t exercise!"
"..."
"Tell her yourself."
"Never mind then."
Ma Da rubbed his belly indignantly. "The world’s gone to hell. What crime has my belly committed? It just ate a little too much!"
…………
A few hours later.
While Ma Da was gloomily rubbing his belly and scheming how to dodge the training, the boys returned.
Each of them was now dressed in clean clothes, their hair neatly trimmed into short styles. Their once sallow faces were now rosy, and they looked much livelier.
Ma Da gave them another once-over and nodded in approval. "Much better."
When Xiao Hu and the others saw the intimidating fat man again, their expressions had changed completely. They had been convinced they were done for, trembling with fear the whole way, especially Xiao Hu, who deeply regretted pulling Ma Da’s belt off—maybe the others wouldn’t have been dragged into this if he hadn’t.
Just when they thought it was the end, they were suddenly taken to a bathhouse.
The moment they stepped in, the bathhouse attendants fought over who got to scrub them.
"Good lord, how many years has it been since you washed?"
"This is my shot at a Guinness World Record!"
The amount of grime scrubbed off each kid was measured in pounds—they nearly clogged the drains.
The truth was, they hadn’t been allowed to bathe regularly. The traffickers who controlled them forbade it, since the dirtier they were, the more money they could make.
Their skin had cracked from neglect, and some even bled during the scrubbing.
But none of them made a sound.
As long as they weren’t being hauled onto an operating table to have their kidneys harvested, their willpower held strong.
Pain was better than death.
After the bath, the Ten Thousand Dragons Society members gave them new clothes, took them to a clinic for treatment, and then for haircuts before bringing them back.
Through it all, Xiao Hu and the others gradually shifted from sheer terror to an indescribable feeling—overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness.
Xiao Hu looked down at his clean, neatly pressed clothes, then glanced around at the members of the Wanlong Society—who, despite their rough and intimidating appearances, were now treating them with unexpected kindness. His heart swirled with mixed emotions.
So this is what it feels like to be treated like a human being...
Ma Da studied them and asked, "What are your names?"
The five boys answered immediately.
"Xiao Hu."
"Xiao Bao."
"Xiao Shi."
"Xiao Xiang."
"Xiao Lang."
Ma Da chuckled. "Well, isn’t this a game of Animal Chess!"
"What about your full names? What are they?"
Xiao Hu and the others exchanged glances before shaking their heads.
"We... don’t have full names."
They had been treated like livestock by the traffickers who raised them—no one had ever bothered to give them proper names.
Ma Da and Yun Cheng, who had just returned from the law office next door, fell silent.
"It’s alright. You’ll have full names from now on," Ma Da reassured, patting Xiao Hu on the shoulder.
Then, he gestured to the stern-faced young man beside him. "This is your martial arts master, Yun Cheng—Yun-ge. Starting today, you’ll be his disciples."
It wasn’t an exaggeration. Yun Cheng was the head of the new martial arts school, teaching professional combat skills—or more accurately, sanda (Chinese kickboxing). These boys would officially become his students, so calling him "Master" was only fitting.
Xiao Hu and the others froze for a moment before suddenly dropping to their knees in unison, bowing respectfully. "Master!"
Seeing this, even Yun Cheng’s usually cold expression softened slightly. "Get up. There’s no need for such formalities."
Only then did the boys rise to their feet, their once-dull eyes now flickering with a faint glimmer of hope.
