Chapter 68: Creating a Mess Without Cleaning It Up

She stole my first kiss just like that, completely unprovoked, setting off sparks like fire meeting dry tinder. However, that woman never played by the rules of the underworld; her signature style was to initiate the chaos and leave the aftermath entirely unmanaged. Right before I transformed into a wild beast, she threw me out of the room, and I had to smoke three cigarettes downstairs just to steady my racing mind.

By the time I returned to the apartment, Chen Jianjun was performing the unprecedented feat of not reading that already tattered book of his. Instead, he was fiddling with a brand-new mobile phone, acting like a child who had just received a precious new toy. Seeing me come back, he finally managed to put the phone down, looking at me with pure astonishment in his eyes as he asked, "Cousin, did you go out selling your body? Where on earth did you get this much money?"

"I met a feng shui master whom Zheng Tianwang deeply respects, and I saw right through his wicked scheme. To buy my silence, he handed over a bit of cash," I smiled and replied.

"Ah, I see. You used those old underworld tricks again, didn't you? Man, I have to hand it to you—educated folks really make money fast! But cousin, let me give you a word of advice: money shouldn't be squandered like this. This phone must cost two or three thousand! If you bought one for me, I wouldn't say a word. If Wu大海 can beat me up over it, I wouldn't complain either. But what on earth makes Wang Chuyi deserve this? What makes Wang He deserve it? What did those two even do? Sure, you hired them to handle some business, but you're paying them a salary, and their cut of future earnings is guaranteed! With this much money, even if your heart isn't aching, mine is!" Chen Jianjun protested.

"Precisely because we've only just met, I need to use tangible benefits to bind everyone together. Once we've spent more time together and formed a genuine bond, things will be much easier to manage. Everyone's having a tough time right now," I explained.

"I get the logic, but I'm just afraid you're going to spoil them! Today they'll dare to dream of a phone, and tomorrow they'll be dreaming of cars and houses!" Chen Jianjun retorted.

"All those things will come in time, don't you worry, cousin," I said.

Chen Jianjun suddenly fell silent. After about two minutes, just as I was getting ready to take a cold shower, he spoke up, "Cousin, ever since you arrived, I've felt like I'm living inside a dream every single day. Things I never even dared to dream about before, I actually dare to imagine now."

"Go ahead and unleash your imagination as much as you like. Apart from Xiaowen, everything else will come true," I smiled and told him.

"Damn it! You actually landed her?! You animal! I'm breaking ties with you once and for all!" Chen Jianjun wailed.

I shot him a meaningful smile and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. When I came out, I lay down on the bed while Chen Jianjun played a game of Battle City built into his phone. As for me, I picked up my Bible, imagining that the young woman downstairs was also holding a book and reading, making it feel almost as if the two of us were lying on the same bed.

The next day, their work continued. Whether it was tailing targets or putting on an act, results wouldn't materialize overnight. I got up early, found Wu大海, and began practicing stone-throwing. In ancient times, there was Little Li's flying dagger that never missed its mark; today, there was little Zhang's flying stone. Wu大海 first gave me a demonstration by hanging a small bottle on the wall, then instantly striking from five meters away. The stone shattered the bottle directly. When it was my turn to throw, my strategy was entirely based on fate; even if I managed a lucky hit by chance, I lacked the force to actually crack the bottle.

"It's not about using brute arm strength, nor is it about relying solely on your wrist. It's about mobilizing the muscles of your entire body and concentrating them into a single point," Wu大海 began teaching me the core mechanics of the movement. From his perspective, accuracy was simply a matter of practice and familiarity, while the most crucial element was the method of generating force.

I practiced diligently in this manner. By noon, half of my arm was too sore to even lift, but fortunately, half a day of drilling yielded some results: I could now hit the target once or twice out of ten attempts, and even when I missed, the deviation was no longer overly outrageous.

Wu大海 brought out a bottle of medicinal liniment with a strong herbal scent, rubbed it into my shoulders, and lifted my arm with one hand while pressing firmly on several acupuncture points with the other. A sudden wave of tingling numbness spread through my entire body. He smiled and said, "In ancient times, martial arts were actually a luxury reserved for the rich. Poor people didn't have the leisure to squander their physical stamina; their primary concern was putting food on the table for their families. Besides, the inevitable bruises and injuries during martial arts training were simply unacceptable to the poor. The most expensive martial art I ever witnessed was the Iron Sand Palm. Back in the 1980s, that specially formulated medicinal wash cost over three hundred yuan for a single batch, and each batch could only be used for ten days. Everyone assumes that the hands of an Iron Sand Palm practitioner must be covered in thick calluses, right? In reality, that's completely wrong. Hands soaked in that kind of medicine are actually much softer and smoother than an ordinary person's."

"Does everyone practice martial arts in your hometown?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's a martial arts township. But it doesn't count for much nowadays. This skill has no practical battlefield," Wu大海 smiled bitterly.

"If the opportunity arises, introduce a few trusted friends over here. Talent like that shouldn't be buried. Brother Dahai, to be honest, you've already found your way out. Last night, the way you conceded to Uncle Yong was obvious to everyone. The other old gentlemen's eyes lit up when they looked at you. For them, money isn't an issue; paying money to secure a bodyguard who provides absolute peace of mind is an undeniably smart business transaction," I noted.

"We'll see if the opportunity arises. This bowl of rice isn't something just anyone can stomach. Years ago, plenty of guys from our hometown went out to work as bodyguards or got mixed up in the underworld, and very few of them ended up with a good outcome. If I bring them out here, I have to be responsible for them," Wu大海 replied.

I took a sip of water and asked, "If one of those old gentlemen right now offered you a price you couldn't refuse to help them out, would you take it?"

Wu大海 paused for a moment. He could naturally detect the probing tone hidden in my words.

He put down the medicine bottle, lit a cigarette, and said, "A-Cheng, you aren't the only person in this world who knows the saying, 'A warrior dies for one who truly appreciates him.' What kind of man do you take your brother for? I couldn't even earn enough money to save my own child's life, and I was a spineless wretch who could endure watching my own woman go out and sell her body. Before I met you, I had already reached a point where I wanted to die, you believe that? It wasn't because I was crushed by life; it was because I couldn't see any hope. I didn't know how to change myself, nor did I know how to sell my own skills. I used to believe in the saying that gold will eventually shine, but after waiting bitterly for over a dozen years, I ended up with nothing. I don't know how to speak in fancy platitudes, but before your sister-in-law passed away, she left me with these words: 'If you die for this younger brother of yours, I won't blame you.'"

"Death is out of the question. Live well. If others do not fail me, I shall not fail others," I declared.

I stood up, put on my jacket, and said, "Let's go out to eat, and by the way, we'll track down Guo Changxing and settle the tab."

After finishing our meal, we went to the video game arcade managed by Guo Changxing. The arcade wasn't particularly large—there was one large machine in the center, flanked by two rows of smaller arcade cabinets—yet it was packed almost to capacity. Guo Changxing was extremely enthusiastic when he saw me approach, but Dahua standing behind him stared at me with eyes full of bitter hatred. He had sheared off his long hair into a crew cut, making the scar on his forehead strikingly prominent. I had to admit, the guy actually looked somewhat handsome in a roguish, rebellious sort of way. After I handed the money Wu大海 owed over to Guo Changxing, Guo Changxing actually responded with unexpected politeness, saying, "Honestly, with just a single word from you, this debt didn't even need to be repaid."

"A debt of honor is only natural; I won't leave any financial loose ends with anyone," I replied.

"I could tell right from the start that you're a man of principle. Dahua, come over and shake hands with brother A-Cheng. We became friends through our fistfight; we're all just out here trying to make a living, no need to hold grudges," Guo Changxing called out to Dahua.

"I am irreconcilably at odds with this bastard, sooner or later I'm going to kill him!" Dahua snarled with bloodshot eyes.

"Can we step aside and talk for a moment?" I asked Guo Changxing.

Guo Changxing sighed and said, "This brother of mine is good at everything except controlling his temper. Ah, well, we'll take it slow."

"I asked if there's a private place where we can talk alone?" I repeated.

Guo Changxing led us to a separate room at the back of the arcade, where three or four of his subordinates were drinking tea. Dahua followed right behind us. I stood up, walked directly toward him, pulled the kitchen knife I always kept tucked into my waistband, handed it to him, and said, "No need to wait for sooner or later—you can kill me right now. But before you do, let me give you a piece of advice: you'd better make it a fatal blow on the very first strike, because you won't get a second chance. And even if you succeed and kill me, there are people out there who will hack you to pieces and feed you to the dogs."