Los Angeles
The Ten Rings Gang Base
Razor Fist stood at the entrance to the practice room, his metallic appendage gleaming in the dim light. The retractable blade mounted on his right arm twitched slightly as he debated whether to disturb Wenwu with his report.
Even though the leader of the Ten Rings was merely practicing his forms without the mystical rings adorning his arms, everyone in the organization knew the cardinal rule: never interrupt Wenwu during training. Such transgressions often ended fatally.
After hesitating at the threshold for several minutes, Razor Fist finally steeled himself and entered.
"Sir, there's been an incident in San Francisco," he announced, keeping his voice steady.
Wenwu halted mid-strike, his face darkening with irritation. Without turning to face his lieutenant, he asked, "What happened?"
"Your son Shang-Chi was located by Richard Wesley this morning in front of the hotel where he worked," Razor Fist replied promptly. "Wesley appeared to threaten him, but then... left him alive."
Shang-Chi encountered Richard Wesley? And lived?
Wenwu spun around, his eyes cold as he fixed Razor Fist with an intense glare. "Speak clearly!"
"According to our surveillance, Wesley appeared at the hotel with clear hostile intent toward your son and his female companion," Razor Fist elaborated without hesitation. "He destroyed the woman's phone with some kind of energy blade, apparently as a warning. But then he simply... departed. Your son remains unharmed."
Richard Wesley? Wenwu's brow furrowed in thought.
This was unexpected. Wesley's reputation suggested he didn't make idle threats or show mercy without reason. If he had spared Shang-Chi, it meant something had changed his mind.
"There's more, sir," Razor Fist continued carefully. "Wesley was also seen with two unknown Asian women. One appeared to be from... unusual origins. Our contacts suggest they may be connected to your late wife's homeland."
Ta Lo. Wenwu's expression hardened at the implication.
"Very well. I understand," Wenwu said dismissively, but instead of returning to his practice, he began moving toward his private armory. "Prepare the men. We're going to San Francisco."
"Yes, sir!" Razor Fist responded, though he noticed the deadly intent in his master's voice had shifted away from his son.
Unlike before, Wenwu now summoned the ten rings to his arms, the ancient artifacts humming with power as they circled his forearms. If Wesley wanted to involve himself in family matters, he would learn the cost of such interference.
San Francisco
Ying Li and Ying Nan's Apartment
Ying Li might not have been a master chef, but her culinary skills were impressive nonetheless. The dishes she prepared carried unique flavors that deviated from traditional Chinese cuisine in surprising ways.
Though she used common Chinese ingredients, something about her cooking technique—or perhaps something else entirely—infused her food with a distinctive taste that defied simple description.
When Ying Li had offered to "broaden his horizons," Richard had initially suspected she planned to serve something unpleasant as petty revenge. He couldn't have been more wrong. The dinner she prepared was a genuine feast for the senses—visually appealing, aromatic, and utterly delicious.
"How did you prepare these dishes?" Richard asked, genuinely impressed. "I employ several Chinese chefs at my manor, but their cooking is completely different from yours."
"Of course it's different," Ying Li replied with a hint of pride. "This is Ta Lo's cooking secret!"
Though she didn't elaborate further on the recipe, Richard quickly pieced it together. The ingredients were ordinary, and the kitchen tools were standard. After eliminating those variables, only one possibility remained.
"Did you use 'Chi' when preparing these dishes?" Richard asked calmly, studying her reaction.
While he couldn't identify the specific energy that constituted the "Chi" flowing through Ying Li and Ying Nan's bodies, from what he had observed so far, it seemed similar to the mystical life energy described in various esoteric texts.
Ying Li regarded him with surprise but nodded silently in confirmation.
After the meal, Ying Nan, who had spent the day shopping, volunteered to handle the dishes. Richard and Ying Li remained in the living room, regarding each other in silence.
After several minutes, Ying Li finally spoke: "You've had your dinner. When are you leaving?"
"Leaving? I don't recall saying I was departing tonight," Richard countered.
Hearing this, Ying Li immediately protested, "There's no room for you here. You can't stay overnight!"
"The false memory I implanted in Ying Nan included you enthusiastically inviting me to stay the night in your room," Richard replied with unsettling calm.
"You... you are completely shameless!" Ying Li sputtered, momentarily stunned before pointing an accusatory finger at him.
"Do Ta Lo practitioners typically avoid profanity?" Richard asked with feigned curiosity. "That's the third time today you've called me 'shameless.'" He shrugged nonchalantly.
If circumstances were different, Ying Li would have loved nothing more than to teach Richard a lesson using Ta Lo martial arts. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. Not only was her body resisting any impulse to attack him—thanks to his mental tampering—but the gap in their respective power levels was simply too vast.
Noticing how her chest rose and fell with indignation, Richard smiled. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. I'll be gone shortly—you needn't worry about what I might do to you tonight."
While he found Ying Li attractive, Richard had no intention of forcing himself upon her. Beyond the fact that coercion held no appeal, such behavior violated his personal code. Jokes were jokes, but certain lines shouldn't be crossed. Though he wouldn't describe himself as virtuous, he maintained his own principles.
"It had better be that way!" Ying Li retorted immediately.
Richard said nothing more as he picked up his tea. When Ying Nan emerged from the kitchen, he stood and addressed both sisters: "I'll return at nine tomorrow morning. Have your luggage ready."
With that declaration, he activated his teleportation ability directly in front of them, vanishing instantly from their sight.
After his departure, Ying Li finally exhaled in relief. She picked up the Dijiang creature "Qiuqiu" beside her, placed it on her lap, and stroked it affectionately as one might pet a dog.
Around two in the morning, Ying Li—clad in white training attire and lying on her bed with closed eyes—suddenly snapped awake. She sat upright, gazing intently toward the window with a grave expression.
BOOM!
Within seconds, her bedroom wall exploded as if struck by a rocket. Debris flew in all directions like deadly rainfall.
Though she couldn't immediately identify her attacker, Ying Li instantly channeled the "Chi" flowing through her body, systematically disintegrating each brick fragment hurtling toward her.
After neutralizing the immediate threat with Ta Lo martial techniques, she grabbed the Dijiang ball from beside her bed and tossed it into the living room for safety.
Then, alone, she approached the gaping hole in her wall.
It's him?
On the rooftop of the adjacent residential building, Ying Li spotted a middle-aged man dressed in an immaculate white suit. Though she had never encountered him before, something about his appearance struck her as eerily familiar.
Wenwu!
The assailant who had just obliterated her bedroom wall was none other than Shang-Chi's father—the notorious leader of the Ten Rings organization.
After identifying Wenwu, Ying Li quickly scanned her surroundings.
As she expected, Ten Rings warriors clad in distinctive black armor had positioned themselves strategically across nearby rooftops and throughout the streets below. They moved with disciplined precision, forming a perimeter around the apartment building.
This is bad.
Though Wenwu's appearance was unexpected, Ying Li immediately understood how he had tracked them down.
Ying Nan!
Her sister had spent the day shopping throughout San Francisco using Richard's Centurion Black Card—leaving an electronic trail that would have been child's play for the Ten Rings' intelligence network to follow.
Worse still, judging by Wenwu's murderous glare, he clearly viewed the sisters as Richard's accomplices—or perhaps as leverage to draw Richard out.
Though Richard had spared Shang-Chi, Wenwu wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could challenge him directly. Unable to immediately exact revenge on Richard himself, he'd chosen to strike at what he perceived as easier targets first.
As Ying Li assessed the dire situation, Ying Nan—now fully dressed—appeared at her side.
Seeing both sisters standing together at the jagged opening in the bedroom wall, Wenwu turned to his lieutenants—Razor Fist and Death Dealer—and issued his orders in a glacial tone. "Capture them alive. I want to use them to draw out Richard Wesley."
"Yes, sir!" Razor Fist responded immediately.
Death Dealer, his face concealed behind an ornate mask that gave him the appearance of a traditional assassin, offered a silent nod of acknowledgment.
But instead of advancing, they remained motionless, as if suddenly transformed into statues. The surrounding Ten Rings warriors displayed the same unnatural stillness.
Witnessing this anomaly, Wenwu instantly realized something was amiss.
A voice spoke from behind him.
"You think finding me would be difficult?"
"I checked into a five-star hotel nearby using my real name. You could have simply sent someone to investigate."
The speaker was none other than Richard Wesley.
Though he had departed from the sisters' apartment earlier, he hadn't returned to the Hellfire Club's base. Instead, he had secured accommodations at a luxury hotel in the vicinity, anticipating Wenwu's inevitable move.
He had prepared himself for Wenwu's arrival, though he was mildly disappointed that the ancient warlord had chosen to target the sisters instead of confronting him directly. It showed both cowardice and a willingness to harm innocents—exactly the kind of behavior Richard despised.
Hearing Richard's voice, Wenwu spun around with lightning reflexes, his right arm slicing through the air in a practiced motion. As he completed the gesture, the five iron rings adorning his right forearm blazed with an intense blue light before launching toward Richard with the velocity of artillery fire.
In an instant, the five rings closed the distance between them.
Richard made no attempt to evade the attack. Instead, he activated his Omega-level matter manipulation abilities.
Under Wenwu's watchful gaze, Richard slowly raised his right hand. Though he performed no other movement, the five iron rings changed trajectory mid-flight, redirecting themselves to Richard's extended arm as if returning to their rightful owner.
This...
Wenwu's expression soured as he witnessed this unexpected development.
Though he couldn't comprehend exactly what Richard had done, Wenwu didn't hesitate. He explosively propelled himself forward, launching his body toward Richard while simultaneously raising his left hand for a devastating strike.
Confronted with Wenwu's assault, Richard eschewed both his supernatural abilities and template skills. Instead, he countered with a right hook, the newly acquired five rings gleaming on his forearm.
BOOM!
Their fists collided with unwavering force. The tremendous impact generated a thunderous shockwave that rippled outward from the point of contact, visibly distorting the air around them.
Though Wenwu was the master of the Ten Rings, the moment Richard had claimed the five iron rings, he had instantaneously comprehended their functions and activation methods.
Richard deliberately restrained his power during this exchange. Had he unleashed his full strength, even without the rings' enhancement, his super strength and enhanced physique would have allowed him to incapacitate Wenwu with a single blow.
The fact that Wenwu now possessed only five of the ten rings further diminished his capabilities. Even with the complete set, Wenwu's physical attributes would have been vastly inferior to Richard's.
Richard's measured response served dual purposes: he wanted to evaluate the extent to which the five rings amplified Wenwu's natural abilities, but more importantly, he intended to claim the remaining five rings from Wenwu's left arm.
"Your Ten Rings are impressive," Richard declared calmly, his eyes fixed on Wenwu's. "Now they belong to me."
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