Chapter 105: Choose Humanity Over Servitude (3.3)

It had been many years since Long Fei had been this drunk. When he woke up the next morning, it was already ten o'clock.

Opening his eyes, he realized he had been stripped completely naked. He was stunned for a moment, then began to laugh. If the people outside knew that Yang Danni had served him with such meticulous care, the entire seaside would probably be in an uproar.

The living room had been tidied up perfectly. The remaining half-barrel of wine from the previous night was now stored in the pantry, and a lingering fragrance drifted over, intoxicating and sweet.

Long Fei sat on the sofa and read the note Yang Danni had left behind. The tone was like that of a newlywed, thoughtful wife, and the handwriting was elegant and refined, possessing the grace of a cultured young lady, yet without the aimless fragility of a willow in the wind. The sharpness of the brushstrokes revealed a truly distinguished upbringing.

Knowing there was breakfast prepared by Yang Danni in the kitchen, Long Fei went to the other bedroom. He immediately found Tie Niu and Gouzi lying on the bed fully clothed. However, the moment he pushed the door open, the two men woke up with sharp alertness and sprang from the bed.

Seeing it was Long Fei, they seemed to realize where they were, and the murderous aura radiating from them instantly vanished. Tie Niu scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile. "Brother Fei, why are we here?"

"Don't even start, you idiot! You think you walked in here yourself? Brother Fei must have brought us in!" Gouzi laughed from the side.

Long Fei smiled without explaining. "Go take a shower quickly. Wear these two sets of clothes for now."

Taking the clothes from Long Fei, Tie Niu frowned; they were clearly too small for him. Gouzi also looked displeased. He really didn't like the pure white color of the clothes; he preferred colorful, slightly feminine styles, which he felt suited his long, draped hair better.

"Stop frowning. I'll go buy you some new ones right now, won't that satisfy you?" Long Fei was as patient as he had been when they were children. In truth, Gouzi was a few months older than Long Fei, but everyone was accustomed to respecting Long Fei as the leader, and he always took great care of them.

Long Fei quickly bought them two sets of clothes that matched their usual styles and colors, and these fit perfectly. Once they changed, the two men immediately perked up. They ate the breakfast Yang Danni had prepared along with some noodles Long Fei cooked, and the three of them made a meal of it.

After finishing lunch, the three sat on the sofa. Long Fei lit a cigarette and fell into deep thought. He remained silent for a long time, which made Tie Niu and Gouzi nervous. They knew him too well; his reaction meant only one thing: he was about to question them, and it would be a formal, serious interrogation where no lies would be tolerated.

Seeing Tie Niu and Gouzi sitting there as obediently as kindergarteners, their hands resting on their knees, Long Fei finally smiled. "It was Uncle Fu who told you to come back, wasn't it?"

Tie Niu nodded with his usual honest smile. Gouzi also nodded, but he lowered his head.

"Did Uncle Fu say anything else to you?" Long Fei asked calmly.

Tie Niu shook his head. "Uncle Fu said that from now on, we should follow you! Oh, and he told me to protect you well! Brother Fei, don't worry. Even if Uncle Fu hadn't said anything, I would still protect you. Heh, even though I can't beat you in a fight, if anyone tries to hurt you, Tie Niu will be the first to snap their neck!"

Long Fei nodded. He knew Tie Niu’s nature well. If someone truly intended to harm him, Tie Niu would be the first to throw his life away to stop them. Tie Niu had said as much when they were children, and he had lived by those words for years. In his heart, Long Fei was his heaven and his faith. No one was allowed to disrespect that faith. Other than Long Fei and the others, he had no family in this world, and he had no interest in romance. He lived for that faith, and he valued it more than his own life.

"What about you, Gouzi?" Long Fei turned his head, a meaningful smile on his face. "I think Uncle Fu must have told you something, right?"

Gouzi hesitated for a moment. Beside him, Tie Niu’s expression darkened, and the killing intent emanating from him made Gouzi uncomfortable. Finally, Gouzi whispered, "Brother Fei, don't worry. You saved my life. I said back then that my life belongs to you."

"But the Old Man saved all of our lives. Now that he is dead, Uncle Fu has become our leader. But I don't like it. I don't know who I am living for, and I can't see what tomorrow will bring. This kind of life must come to an end. Do you understand what I mean?" Long Fei’s expression grew stern.

Tie Niu shook his head, simple-minded as ever. "I don't know, Brother Fei. I don't understand what you mean."

Long Fei nodded. "It's fine if you don't understand."

Seeing Long Fei staring at him, Gouzi felt a sudden sense of loss. He sighed, "Brother Fei, you don't trust me?"

Long Fei was taken aback, then burst into a hearty laugh. "We are brothers who have faced death together. You know that like you, I have no family in this world. If I can't trust you, then who can I trust?"

"Alright, Brother Fei. With those words, I have nothing to hide. It's true—Uncle Fu told me to stay by your side and monitor your actions!" Gouzi finally let it all out.

Upon hearing this, Tie Niu’s icy killing intent surged again. He moved with lightning speed, grabbing Gouzi by the throat, his voice fierce yet pained. "Brother Gouzi, I said, anyone who dares to harm Brother Fei, I will snap their neck. Even if it's you, that won't change!"

Gouzi was not as weak as he appeared. It was true he couldn't defeat Tie Niu, but even if he lost, Tie Niu would pay a heavy price. However, he never fought back against Tie Niu because he understood him too well.

"Tie Niu, let him go. You must never raise a hand against your brother again!" Long Fei felt a warmth in his heart. Having a brother like Tie Niu was a blessing.

Tie Niu, who had always been obedient to Long Fei, did not fail him this time. However, after letting go of Gouzi, he broke his habit and retorted, "Regardless, whoever is bad for you, I will kill them."

Long Fei sighed to himself. Tie Niu’s loyalty had always been this way, and he never doubted it. But for a person to worship and rely on another so completely made their own life seem rather tragic. Long Fei did not want Tie Niu’s life to have regrets. No one could see tomorrow, and no one knew what they might be forced to do. Long Fei didn't know either; life was like that, often forcing people to do things they didn't want to do.

"Don't be angry with Tie Niu," Long Fei said with a smile.

Gouzi also sighed, nodding, "I am your brother, and I am Tie Niu’s brother. Even if I betrayed myself, I would never betray my brothers!"

Long Fei felt a sudden surge of emotion, though he tried his best to control it. Still, his hand trembled slightly as he lit another cigarette.

"Good. Gouzi is right; we are brothers, and we will never betray one another. What I want to say is this: more than ten years ago, we were saved by the Old Man. That is a fact. But for over a decade, we have done many things for him. To put it bluntly, we have been his dogs for years. Even if the Old Man were still here, I would not be his dog forever. Likewise, I don't want my brothers to be dogs as I have been. We have been pawns for others for long enough. From now on, we must try to change our destiny. We couldn't change it a decade ago because we were young and weak, and one wrong move would have cost us our lives. But today, you have both mastered your skills. If we continue to be used and pushed around like this, it would be too cowardly!"

Long Fei had wanted to say these words for a long time but had never found the right opportunity. Now that the three brothers were gathered—it would have been a true reunion if Phoenix were here, too—he couldn't help but speak his mind.

"Heh, I still don't quite get it. But since the Old Man is dead, we don't have to serve him anymore. From now on, we’ll just follow Brother Fei. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it," Tie Niu said, still wearing that honest, simple smile.

Gouzi added, "That's right, Brother Fei. Don't worry. Just tell us how you want us to proceed."

"Good. Gouzi, I have a task for you. You are the best at tracking information, aren't you? I want you to investigate something for me—something from twenty years ago. Can you find out the truth?" Long Fei asked with a cryptic smile.

Gouzi was stunned. "Why look into something from twenty years ago?"

"Don't ask about that. Just tell me, can you do it or not?" Long Fei shook his head. There were some things better left unknown to them. Knowledge didn't always bring benefits; perhaps knowing less meant bearing less of a burden.

Gouzi nodded and said with a relaxed smile, "Brother Fei, you underestimate me. As long as it happened, I will definitely be able to dig it up."