Beginning with the Ubume Bird

“`

On June 28th, Year of Bingyin, favorable for trading, marrying, nothing prohibited.

Li Yan, wearing a pair of vividly colored shorts, lay under a sun umbrella, clenching a form in his hand. In just a few days, he would have a boxing match with Xu Tianci.

“Worried you’ll lose?”

Li Yan chuckled and tossed the boxing match form aside, his gaze naturally falling on Judy, who was walking toward him.

The sapphire blue swimsuit perfectly showcased the woman’s curves, her tender and round cheeks, and the slightly upturned chin added a few degrees of sweetness to her smile.

These days, Li Yan’s life had been exceptionally lush. Now, hardly anyone below the seventh ring was willing to face this “Yama” in the ring, and Li Yan, who was just one match away from ticking off the “Fight to the seventh ring in Kowloon City” in the Yan Fu case, was in no hurry at all. He didn’t take the initiative to fight any matches, except for maintaining his condition by practicing at the Fuyi Building every day and being inseparable from Judy.

Inseparable my ass, Li Yan cursed inwardly. His eyes scanned over Judy a couple of times before he suddenly asked, “Judy, you hungry?”

“Huh?”

Judy sat down next to Li Yan, her legs together and her palms supporting her cheeks.

“How about I treat you to wonton noodles?”

“Ha?”

…

The wisps of steam dissipated in the air, and the shop buzzed with noise.

Judy took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling. Her fair palm pressed against the table, forcibly suppressing her anger: “Speak to me now, and I’ll pretend nothing happened.”

Li Yan lifted the big bowl in front of him, slurping it hungrily, burying his face in it and ignoring Judy’s words.

A dangerous smile appeared on the woman’s face:

“I spend millions every night to support your fights, and I spend thousands on calvin klein underwear for you, and now you want to break up with me over a bowl of wonton noodles that’s barely eighty bucks?”

Judy’s voice wasn’t loud, but it almost drew the attention of everyone in the shop. Even Li Yan nearly choked on the broth in his mouth.

Li Yan put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and suddenly raised his hand. Judy bit her lip, waiting for Li Yan to explain, but instead, he signaled for the waiter to come over.

“Another bowl, thanks.”

“Bang!”

Judy slammed the table and stood up, her eyes nearly spewing fire.

Li Yan snorted with laughter: “Come on, Judy, don’t get so worked up. This isn’t like you at all.”

“Listen to me…” Judy’s tone was dark, “If I wanted, I could have you swimming in the sea by tonight. I guarantee by tomorrow, there’d be no more ‘Yama’ in Kowloon City. Believe it or not?”

Li Yan steeled himself and said, “Judy, it really scares me when you talk like this in front of me, but let’s settle each account clearly. In the boxing matches, I never made you lose money. The clothes and watches you bought for me have been shipped to your villa in Repulse Bay, postage on me. We’ve been together for barely twenty-something days, if it’s not working out, break up, we haven’t slept together, so no loss on either side, you get it?”

Judy’s teeth ground together; she gave a nod.

“Good, very well.”

She grabbed her handbag, and after one last look at Li Yan, she left without any hesitation.

“Wait.”

With a cold snort, Judy asked reluctantly, “What else do you want?”

Li Yan thought for a moment and replied nonchalantly, “Anyone who practices martial arts knows a bit of medicine. The sedative prescription I made for you the other day is a family secret. It’s very effective for insomnia and palpitations. You may be frustrated with me, but take care of yourself; your body is your own.”

The woman turned around, her teeth clenched, and said, “I’m going to flush it down the toilet when I get back!”

The sound of her high heels receded. Li Yan bowed his head, dipping some greens in the soup, taking a couple of bites. The bowl of wonton noodles Judy left was barely touched. She couldn’t even get used to eating in Lan Kwai House, naturally, she wouldn’t care for the food stalls in Causeway Bay or Temple Street.

Li Yan reached out, pulling Judy’s leftover bowl of wonton noodles in front of him and started devouring it without a second thought, silent for a long while.

The apartment at 22 Su Miao Street, everything about this place was fine except for the pungent smell from the fishball factory. Li Yan could have chosen to live in the Fuyi Building, which offers air conditioning, drinks, and even women.

But he didn’t move.

During the day, Kowloon City had poor lighting; even at noon, Li Yan felt an unshakable chill.

“Meow~”

Li Yan picked up the lively kitten with a smile, and the kitten didn’t struggle, looking around curiously.

He looked up at the number plate on the door, not in a hurry to return to his own room 413, but instead he went to room 411 where Xiu and her daughter lived—sure enough, the door was open.

“Xiu, your Ami ran out again. Xiu?”

Li Yan gently pushed the door.

“Creak.”

Even with Li Yan’s willpower, the pungent smell in the room made him frown; he could hardly imagine how such a frail girl like Xiu could live in such conditions.

“With the factory smelling so bad, you should close the windows properly.”

Li Yan put down the cat and went to secure the window shut.

“Who are you looking for?”

“`

The raspy voice by his ear sent shivers down Li Yan’s spine, making him subconsciously raise his knees, but realizing this was Xiu’s home, his mind flicked like lightning from a kick to a retreat, and he lightly stepped back two paces to take a better look.

The skin was coarse and wrinkled, lips tight in a dark purple hue, eyes dead like those of a fish; the wary gaze reminded Li Yan of the Dragon Granny from “July 13th”.

Li Yan opened his mouth with residual fear, “You…”

…

“Snow Maiden and the Seven Friends, seven little dwarfs~”

“Snow Maiden and the Seven Friends, seven hearts together~”

“The seven dwarfs, so many schemes~”

“The witch won’t sleep well after meeting them~.”

Xiu wiped her face, holding the crumpled money in her hand. She climbed the stairs step by step, humming an unknown nursery rhyme.

It wasn’t until she reached the front door of her home that she realized it wasn’t locked properly, and then she heard the sound of a man’s voice inside, scaring her so that her mouth fell open as she pushed the door and entered.

Li Yan stood on a stool, fiddling with the light bulb. In the kitchen, a woman wrapped in an apron was stir-frying something.

“Xiu, you’re back.”

Li Yan nodded to the girl.

“Li, Brother Li?”

“Your cat ran out, so I brought her back and took the opportunity to change the light bulb for you.”

“Li boy, stay and have dinner with us.”

The woman’s voice came from the kitchen.

“Sure. Thank you, Auntie.”

Li Yan looked at Xiu, who was silent and looking down, and said with a smile, “Hey, Xiu, Brother Li will give you a hundred bucks if you go buy some pork to bring back, okay?”

“No need, we’ve got plenty at home.”

Xiu suddenly lifted her head, answering with a radiant smile.

Li Yan looked deeply into her eyes.

“Is that so.”

…

The light bulb flickered with a crackling sound and then brightened up.

The three of them sat around the table.

“See, I told you it would work.”

“I haven’t yet thanked Li boy for always looking out for my girl.”

“It’s nothing, Auntie. Your char siu tastes really good. Ah, but it’s odd; even with the windows closed for so long, the room still smells. I’ll bring some incense next time, good for warding off evil spirits.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“I always eat plain rice, I’m really sorry.”

“We’re neighbors; no need to feel sorry.”

A smile cracked on the weathered face of the woman,

“Xiu is still young, and it’s so chaotic outside. I’m always worried something might happen to her. At my age, I only have one daughter; if something happened to Xiu, I’d be resentful even as a ghost. Don’t you think?”

Li Yan smiled but didn’t say anything more. The meal was fairly harmonious.

“See you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Clang.”

Xiu closed the door, then silently turned around to find her mother sitting motionless in a chair, her face a pallid gray.

Facing the number 411 on the door, Li Yan stood for a while, then picked up his phone and dialed a number.

“Hello?”

“Red Ghost, are there any spots left in the building? I’m thinking of moving there…”

Li Yan’s tone hesitated, “Red Ghost, I’ll call you back later.”

With that, he hung up the phone.

“Hello? Hello?” Red Ghost called into the phone a few times, only to hear a series of busy signals, “All this supernatural stuff,” he muttered.

Opposite Li Yan, a blond man in a deep red vest walked over; Li Yan recognized him as a thug from Hua Shanjiu’s entourage.

“Le wants to see you, says he found the thing you were looking for.”