The first man swung his machete wildly.
Gu Xing tilted his head slightly—the blade passed just inches from his face.
Too slow.
He stepped in.
Bang!
A clean punch to the man's jaw sent him crashing to the ground.
"Get him!"
The rest rushed forward at once, blades flashing under the dim light.
Gu Xing moved.
He sidestepped one strike, grabbed the attacker's wrist, and twisted—crack! The machete fell. With a quick kick, the man dropped to his knees.
Another came from behind.
Gu Xing didn't even turn.
He ducked, spun, and drove his elbow straight into the attacker's ribs.
"Gah—!"
One by one, they fell.
Some were knocked out cold. Others couldn't even stand.
Within seconds, the numbers that once gave them confidence became meaningless.
From the ground, the scarred man—Fire Scar—groaned and pushed himself up slightly, his face twisted in anger.
"You… bastard…" he hissed.
Gu Xing glanced at him.
"You talk too much."
He stepped forward and delivered a final strike.
Thud.
Silence fell over the street.
Ten men.
All down.
He didn't even get to properly use his chi. He easily beat them.
Looking around he noticed the closed windows and doors around him. Thankfully he is located in a hidden area and no one saw Fire Scar hurling fireballs at him.
"Mutants. What is going on?" Shaking his head, Gu Xing dusted off his hands and pulled out his phone.
"…Yeah," he said calmly. "I'd like to report an incident."
---
Not long after, police sirens echoed in the distance.
Officers arrived and quickly secured the scene, arresting the unconscious gang members.
Among them, one officer stood out.
Jefferson Morales.
He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the fallen men before landing on Gu Xing.
"…You again," Jefferson said.
Gu Xing gave a small nod.
"Looks like it."
Jefferson looked around at the wreckage—the broken glass, the injured men, the burn marks from the fireball.
His expression grew serious.
"These guys…" he muttered, "they've been causing trouble for a while now. But something about them doesn't add up."
Gu Xing raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Jefferson lowered his voice slightly.
"They're organized. Too organized for street thugs. And lately… there've been strange reports. Things that don't make sense."
His eyes flicked briefly toward Fire Scar being loaded into a police vehicle.
"I have a feeling it's about to get more chaotic from here on out. Be sure to stay out of trouble kid."
Gu Xing remained silent, listening.
'Trouble always seems to find me.' He thought
Jefferson straightened up.
"Anyway, we'll take it from here," he said. "Stay safe."
As the police began leaving with the captured gang members, Gu Xing watched quietly.
Mysterious background…
His gaze lingered for a moment.
Then a thought surfaced in his mind.
Jefferson Morales.
The one handling the Axe Gang cases.
Gu Xing narrowed his eyes slightly.
So he's the one responsible for dealing with them…
Turning back, he looked at his gym.
The glass windows were shattered, and scorch marks lined the entrance. Thankfully, the inside hadn't suffered much damage.
"My expenses just keep increasing… when are you coming back, Stark?" he muttered, fake crying.
Shaking his head, he pulled out his phone again.
Time to call someone to fix the windows tomorrow.
---
10:30 AM, the next day.
"What happened here, Coach?" Colleen Wing's voice carried a hint of surprise as she stepped into the hall.
Her eyes immediately caught the newly installed windows—and the faint scorch marks that still stained parts of the wall, which Gu Xing was currently scrubbing away.
Gu Xing hadn't slept the entire night.
With the windows shattered, the gym had been too vulnerable. Anyone could've easily broken in, so he stayed and kept watch until morning.
Of course, for him, going three days without sleep wasn't really a problem.
Without turning around, he continued scrubbing.
"Some guys caused trouble when I was about to close the gym," he said calmly.
Colleen frowned slightly.
"You should've called me. Who were they?" she asked.
She grabbed a towel nearby and walked over, helping him clean the scorch marks.
"They call themselves the Axe Gang," Gu Xing replied. "Second time they've tried something like this… but this time, they came prepared."
Colleen paused.
"Second time?" she asked, concern slipping into her voice. "Are you okay, Coach?"
Gu Xing let out a light chuckle.
"Haha, no worries," he said. "They didn't pose any threat."
Before Colleen could respond, footsteps were heard approaching them.
Gu Xing turned around and saw a man.
He looked homeless—messy blond hair, unkempt beard, and worn-out clothes. His jacket was faded, and his overall appearance made him look like someone who had been living on the streets for a while.
"Uh… is this Gu's Martial Hall?" he asked, holding what seemed to be a flyer.
"Yes," Gu Xing replied, acting as if he didn't recognize him. "Do you need anything?"
Suddenly, Colleen spoke.
"You're the guy from yesterday at the park!"
Gu Xing looked at her.
"You guys know each other?"
Colleen shook her head.
"No," she said. "Yesterday at the park, he was barefoot, asking random people questions and talking about strange things. I thought he was just some crazy guy."
The man hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"My name is Danny… Danny Rand," he said.
He tightened his grip on the flyer.
"I was wondering and saw this flyer," he continued. "I… don't really have anywhere to stay right now."
Colleen raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.
"You're asking to stay here?" she said.
Danny nodded.
"Just temporarily," he added. "I won't be a problem."
Gu Xing looked at him quietly.
Danny Rand… the Iron Fist.
Outwardly, his expression didn't change.
After a brief pause, he spoke.
"…Fine," Gu Xing said calmly. "You can stay here temporarily."
Colleen turned to him, surprised.
"Coach, are you serious?"
Gu Xing shrugged lightly.
"We have space," he said. "And he doesn't look like trouble."
Danny let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
Gu Xing nodded toward the side of the hall.
"You can stay on the first floor for now. Don't touch anything without permission."
"I understand," Danny replied quickly.
Colleen glanced between the two of them, still unsure about the situation.
But Gu Xing had already made his decision.
Gu Xing agreed for two reasons.
First, connections.
Danny Rand would soon return to the spotlight as a billionaire. That kind of influence could be useful.
Second—
A sparring partner.
Finally, someone he could truly exchange punches with.
Gu Xing looked at him.
"Danny, what can you do?" he asked.
"I know kung fu," Danny replied.
"You do?" Colleen said, clearly surprised.
Gu Xing nodded.
"That's great. If you want, I can hire you as an instructor."
Danny blinked, caught off guard.
"But first," Gu Xing continued, "you'll need to spar with Colleen."
"Me?" Colleen asked, pointing at herself.
"Her?" Danny said at the same time.
Gu Xing nodded.
"Yeah. She might not look like it, but she's one of the best martial artists in the world right now."
Colleen frowned and crossed her arms.
"Hey… what's that supposed to mean?"
---
It had been two days since Danny became an instructor.
He seemed to be getting his life together—at least, he looked better now.
He and Colleen were getting along pretty well.
These past few days, Colleen had been helping Danny deal with his inheritance.
When she first heard about it, she was shocked—she didn't believe him at all.
But Gu Xing did.
He simply said, "He's the missing heir of Rand Enterprises."
They asked how he knew, but he didn't answer. Keeping his mysterious persona.
'I can't exactly say I watched a series about you', he thought.
Now, Gu Xing stood there, looking at the glowing fist in front of him.
His expression didn't change. Calm as ever.
But the same couldn't be said for Colleen.
"Your hands… they're…?" she said, eyes wide.
Danny raised his glowing fist, his expression serious.
"I want you two to know," he said, "I'm the Iron Fist… the protector of K'un-Lun."
(A/N: In the next chapter we will see the two spar, I'll also speed things up and focus more on cultivation things!)