RTCBM 10

As soon as he returned to his team, Mu Yuan grabbed the roster and flipped through it. His eyes skimmed past the earlier names and went straight to the participant list for Quan Xing’s team.

There, printed clearly in black ink against the white paper, were two familiar characters: “Wen Shang.”

“What the hell!”
Mu Yuan’s eyes widened as he checked it again and again, unable to believe it.
“What the hell is going on?”

At that moment, Quan Xing’s leader, Shen Dandong, happened to walk over to Sheng Yi’s side and was chatting with their boss, Qin Hong. Mu Yuan quickly put on a bright smile and walked over to greet Shen Dandong.

“Boss Dong, long time no see. You look even younger than before. One of our brothers was just praising you, saying that even though you are over fifty, you look like you are barely past thirty. You must have some secret for staying young. Maybe you could teach me a few tricks sometime.
I could really use them in the future.”

Shen Dandong laughed heartily and shook his head, pointing at Mu Yuan.

“You little rascal, your mouth is still as sweet as ever.”

“Not at all,” Mu Yuan said with a grin.
Then, steering the conversation carefully, he asked, “By the way, why did Quan Xing change all their cannon players this year?”

“The old team had already competed in four or five tournaments,” Shen Dandong said.
“Among the four gangs, ours had the oldest lineup. It was about time we stepped aside and let the younger ones have a chance to shine.”

“I have seen those four before, but that one over there looks a little unfamiliar.”
Mu Yuan pointed discreetly in Wen Shang’s direction but quickly dropped his hand to avoid being noticed. “Boss Dong, is he a new member of your gang?”

“He is not exactly a new member,” Shen Dandong explained with a smile. “He has been serving as an external strategic advisor for Quan Xing for the past five years, helping us with business development and action plans. Thanks to him, our gang’s business has grown a lot in recent years. Although Ah Shang never went through the formal initiation ceremony, he is basically half a member of Quan Xing already. He used to stay overseas most of the time, which is probably why you never saw him around.
Since he returned this year, I thought it would be a good idea to bring him along to the Flower Cannon Festival, so everyone could get to know him properly.”

Enemies really did have a way of crossing paths no matter where you went.

When noon arrived, the village chief officially opened the festival. The twenty cannon players from the four gangs quickly moved into position.

At the sound of the gong, they shot forward like arrows released from a bowstring, racing toward the Dingcai Cannon that was suspended high in the air above the field.

The five members Sheng Yi sent out this year had all participated in the previous two tournaments and had built up a lot of experience. Each of them had a role.

Mu Yuan and He Dongying were the strikers, responsible for seizing the cannon, while the other three members focused on obstructing the players from the other gangs.

According to the competition rules, as long as no physical violence or direct body collisions occurred, any form of interference was considered fair play.

Mu Yuan and He Dongying were leading the pack. They had already reached the base of the pole where the Dingcai Cannon was suspended.

He Dongying planted his feet firmly, lowered into a stable stance, and held out his hands. Mu Yuan lifted his front leg, pushed off with his back foot, stepped onto He Dongying’s palms, and launched himself onto his shoulders. From there, he sprang upward, soaring through the air and grabbing the red Dingcai Cannon, which looked almost like a relay baton.

Their teamwork was flawless, clean, fast, and precise.

Mu Yuan landed steadily on the ground and gripped the Dingcai Cannon tightly.
Without wasting a second, he sprinted toward the Flower Cannon platform in the center of the square. Only by placing the Dingcai Cannon securely onto the designated spot would he secure true victory.

The other gangs, of course, would not make it easy for him.

From behind, players had already started closing in fast.

While sprinting, Mu Yuan shouted,”Dongzi! Cover me! Keep them away from my side!”

He Dongying was alone against three teams trying to cut Mu Yuan off. He was clearly stretched thin but did everything he could to slow them down, buying Mu Yuan precious seconds.

Suddenly, a figure darted past Mu Yuan and blocked his path.

Wen Shang.

His sharp gaze locked onto the Dingcai Cannon in Mu Yuan’s hands, like a predator eyeing its prey.

Mu Yuan focused all his attention on guarding against Wen Shang and completely forgot about the other Quan Xing players closing in from behind.

One of them slammed hard into Mu Yuan’s side. He almost lost his footing and stumbled to the ground but managed to clutch the Dingcai Cannon tightly to his chest.

Another Quan Xing player suddenly stuck out his foot, tripping Mu Yuan hard.
The man snatched the Dingcai Cannon from Mu Yuan’s grasp and sprinted toward the Flower Cannon platform.

“Fuck!” Mu Yuan cursed loudly, boiling with rage. These newcomers from Quan Xing had absolutely no sense of rules or decency, blatantly breaking the no-contact rule.
They were seriously asking for a beating.

“I’m going to smash you bastards!” Mu Yuan shouted.

He quickly scrambled to his feet, brushed the dust off his clothes, and charged after them.

He Dongying and the other Sheng Yi teammates rushed over too. Mu Yuan raised his hand and gave a quick signal. Everyone immediately understood. They scattered into a loose formation and closing in on the player holding the Dingcai Cannon, forming a hunting circle.

Realizing he could not escape, the Quan Xing player panicked and threw the Dingcai Cannon toward Wen Shang, who was further away. But Mu Yuan saw the opportunity, lunged forward, and snatched it back before Wen Shang could catch it.

This time, he would not let it slip away again.

The Flower Cannon platform was right ahead. Mu Yuan grabbed onto the frame and began climbing, step by step, toward the top.

Last year, people had complained that the ten-meter platform was too short and not thrilling enough. This year, the organizers decided to raise it to twenty meters, doubling both the difficulty and the danger.

Mu Yuan was the first to reach the platform.
The others were closing in behind him, the crowd roaring in excitement, cheering wildly for their respective gangs.

The closer he got to victory, the less room there was for mistakes.

Mu Yuan climbed with everything he had.
Suddenly, a huge force yanked violently at his ankle from below. He lost his balance and almost fell, barely managing to cling tightly to the metal frame to save himself.

The one who had grabbed him was the same Quan Xing bastard who had tripped him earlier.

This time, Mu Yuan showed no mercy.

He stomped down viciously on the man’s hand, forcing him to let go.

But in that split second of distraction, Wen Shang caught up from behind and tore the Dingcai Cannon right out of Mu Yuan’s hands.

Wen Shang did not waste time. As soon as he got hold of the Dingcai Cannon, he started climbing fast, trying to reach the top first.

But there was no way Mu Yuan would let him have his way. The Dingcai Cannon could be sacrificed, but this sick pervert had to be taken down.

Mu Yuan gritted his teeth and pulled himself closer. He reached out and grabbed the hem of Wen Shang’s shirt with both hands, clinging on tightly and refusing to let go.

“Wen Shang, you shameless bastard!” Mu Yuan roared.

“Who’s really being shameless right now?” Wen Shang retorted, grabbing Mu Yuan’s wrist and trying to pry him off. But Mu Yuan clung on even harder, determined to fight him to the bitter end.

“You are the shameless one! All you Quan Xing bastards are shameless pieces of shit!” Mu Yuan shouted, giving him a fierce shove.
“You broke the rules. Let’s see you break the rules again!”

Mu Yuan was not just using his hands anymore. He kicked, stomped, and lashed out with his feet.

Wen Shang finally lost his temper.
The two of them clung to the metal frame of the Flower Cannon platform, punching and kicking at each other like wild animals.

The others realized something was wrong and quickly tried to climb up to separate them.

But the platform was not the same as solid ground. With so many people rushing up at once, the structure could not bear the weight. It shook violently and soon collapsed.

What had started as a personal clash between Mu Yuan and Wen Shang somehow spread to everyone else. The once-celebratory Flower Cannon Festival erupted into a full-blown brawl, complete chaos breaking loose across the field.

“This is outrageous!”
The elders and uncles from all sides could no longer stand it and finally roared in anger.

“The Flower Cannon Festival is supposed to strengthen the bonds between our gangs.
Look at you brats, completely going against that purpose. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of the Flower Cannon Festival. Look at the mess you have turned yourselves into!”

Mu Yuan was the first to step forward, completely unrepentant.

He pointed straight at the Quan Xing group, speaking righteously.

“They were the ones who broke the rules first! Everyone saw it! They were the ones who slammed into me, tripped me, and dragged me. Why should the rest of us get scolded along with them?”

“You are saying you did not break the rules by throwing punches first?” Wen Shang fired back coldly.

“Fuck off! I only fought back because your people started it first,” Mu Yuan shot back.
“You expect me to just sit there and take it?
Did you newbies even bother reading the rules before the competition? If you don’t even know the basic rules, go home and play with mud.”

“So if someone breaks the rules, you have to follow them? If someone eats shit, why don’t you eat it too?” Wen Shang mocked.

“Fine!” Mu Yuan roared. “Do you want me to take a dump right here? If you dare eat it, I’ll fucking eat it too! You up for it?”

Wen Shang gave him a look of pure disdain.
“Disgusting.”

Mu Yuan nearly took off his shoe to slap him in the face. “You sick fuck, who brought up eating shit first? Huh?”

“Enough! Both of you, shut the hell up!” Qin Hong and Shen Dandong barked in unison.
“You are completely out of control!”
“You have disgraced the name of your gangs!”

The entire crowd fell silent.

Mu Yuan and Wen Shang stopped talking, but the hatred in their eyes could have shredded each other into pieces.

In the end, it was the respected village chief who stepped forward to mediate.

“Young men are always hot-blooded. But sometimes fighting solves nothing. What was supposed to be a joyous celebration has been ruined. In the end, who benefits?
Remember, harmony comes first. Friendship before competition.”

Mu Yuan scoffed inwardly.
Friendship, my ass.
Competition was always first.
Who the hell wanted friendship with that sick bastard?

Because of the chaos, this year’s Flower Cannon Festival ended abruptly without a champion. After the event, all the participants involved in the brawl were forced to stay behind to dismantle the structures and clean up the mess.

Mu Yuan, parched from the heat and anger, ran to the convenience store, bought two ice pops, and started chomping down both at once.

Other gang members were hanging around too, sitting outside on folding chairs, sipping drinks. When they saw Mu Yuan, they all called out cheerfully.

“Mu Yuan-ge!”

A few of the Quan Xing newbies who had played dirty during the contest approached him, bowing respectfully.

Mu Yuan shot them a glance.
“What do you want?”

One of them said, “Sorry, Mu Yuan-ge.
We were new and didn’t understand the rules. If we offended you earlier, please forgive us. We hope you won’t hold it against us.”

Another quickly chimed in. “Mu Yuan-ge, our boss already gave us a good scolding.
We really know we were wrong. We are truly sorry.”

Mu Yuan waved them off with the ice pop in his hand.

“Alright, alright. I am not that petty.
As long as you know your mistake, it is over.”

“Thank you, Mu Yuan-ge! By the way, would you like to come eat with us?” the Quan Xing boys invited warmly.

Mu Yuan could not fend off their enthusiasm and got half-dragged over to their table.

“Here, sit here, Mu Yuan-ge.”

One of the boys pulled out a chair for him.
Mu Yuan was just about to sit when he noticed Wen Shang was sitting at the same table.

Before Mu Yuan could react, Wen Shang stood up and turned away.

“Where are you going?” someone asked.

“Changing tables,” Wen Shang said flatly.

“But you were sitting here all along.
Why change now?”

“So I don’t catch anything from sitting with lowlifes,” Wen Shang said, clearly aiming his words at Mu Yuan.

He made no effort to hide his disdain, shaming Mu Yuan right there in front of everyone.

Mu Yuan’s face darkened. He grabbed one of the half-eaten ice pops and hurled it straight at Wen Shang’s head.

“Fuck you, you idiot! I have been holding back with you for too damn long!”

Not stopping there, he threw the second one too, nailing Wen Shang again.

Both shots landed cleanly.

Wen Shang’s anger exploded. He turned around, ready to storm back and fight, but the Quan Xing boys rushed to grab him, trying to calm him down.

“Brother, easy, easy! Let’s keep it peaceful today! No more trouble!”

While everyone was busy holding Wen Shang back, Mu Yuan, still fuming, kept taunting from behind, full of arrogance.

“Come on, bring it! Let’s see who ends up begging for mercy on the ground!”

“Let go of me!” Wen Shang roared.

No one dared. If another fight broke out, everyone would end up punished again.

“Hold it together, Wen-xiong! Please, stay calm! Think rationally!” the boys kept pleading.

Mu Yuan laughed so hard he nearly doubled over. “Hahaha! Wait, did I hear right? They call you Wenxiong? ¹In Chinese, Wen-xiong (文兄)” means “Brother Wen”, a respectful title. Mu Yuan deliberately twists it into Wen-xiong (文胸), which sounds similar but actually means bra

Seeing his temper settle, the others finally relaxed.

“You guys tell Boss Dong for me,” Wen Shang said coldly. “I have some matters to handle at the newspaper and TV station.
I won’t be attending tonight’s dinner.”

He turned and walked to the parking lot.
He got into his car and slammed the door so hard that the entire vehicle shook.

Mu Yuan, who had been laughing just a second ago, instantly froze.

Only now did he remember.

That sick bastard still had the incriminating video in his hands.

He had been so busy showing off that he had completely forgotten about the one thing that could destroy him.

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  In Chinese, Wen-xiong (文兄)” means “Brother Wen”, a respectful title. Mu Yuan deliberately twists it into Wen-xiong (文胸), which sounds similar but actually means bra