Smashing the Shui Miao Club

Fu Yanzhi had Zheng Long drive him and his younger brothers to the Xiaoxiao Club. When they arrived, Fu Yanzhi led Xingxing and Yueyue, while Bo Qing led Xiaoxiao and Huanhuan, and they walked into the club.

When Xiao Yuelan saw Fu Yanzhi arriving with Xingxing and Yueyue, she immediately went over and picked them up. She kissed their little cheeks and asked with a smile, "Did you miss your big sister, cuties?"

"I missed you, Sister. You're the best!" Xingxing said in his childish voice. Yueyue nodded along, his little head bobbing like a rattle drum.

Just then, Bo Qing came over with Xiaoxiao and Huanhuan, looking at Xingxing and Yueyue in Xiao Yuelan's arms.

Fu Yanzhi smiled and said to Xiao Yuelan, "Sister Xiao, these are my fourth brother, Feng Yunxiao, and my seventh brother, Li Huanhuan."

Xiao Yuelan's eyes curved as she smiled. She put Xingxing and Yueyue down, then reached out to pat Xiaoxiao and Huanhuan on the head. "You're good little darlings too."

With that, Xiao Yuelan took Fu Yanzhi and the others to the fighting arena's spectator seats. After settling his brothers in, Fu Yanzhi still couldn't put his mind at ease and gave them a few instructions before heading to the arena.

The spotlights over the fighting arena snapped on, washing the concrete floor white. The air was thick with the rough smell of sweat and old wound medicine.

Fu Yanzhi stood inside the ring, the sleeves of his black tracksuit casually rolled up to his forearms, revealing the clean lines of his wrist bones. He was the Xiaoxiao Club's only fighter tonight, while five or six burly men crowded outside the ropes on the Shui Miao Club's side.

"Has the Xiaoxiao Club run out of people? Sending a little brat who hasn't even grown all his hair to his death?" A mocking voice erupted from the front row of the stands.

Fu Yanzhi looked up. The owner of the Shui Miao Club was slouched in a custom leather seat, layers of fat jiggling as he laughed. Beneath his flat nose, thick lips curled into a mocking arc, and his mung-bean-sized eyes were full of contempt.

His underlings joined in the laughter, their grating comments stabbing into his ears like shards of broken glass.

Fu Yanzhi said nothing. He merely flexed his knuckles, and the joints gave a faint crack.

The instant the referee blew his whistle, a dark figure lunged at him with enough force to cut through the air. It was the Shui Miao Club's ace, a burly man known as "Black Dog."

His shoulders were nearly twice as broad as Fu Yanzhi's, and sinewy muscles bulged on his arms. His fist brought a dull rush of wind as he swung it.

But Fu Yanzhi was faster. As though he had anticipated Black Dog's move, Fu Yanzhi tapped the ground with his toes and slid half a meter to the left, narrowly avoiding the powerful straight punch.

Before Black Dog could withdraw his fist, Fu Yanzhi closed in and drove his left elbow precisely into the man's ribs. At the same time, he caught Black Dog's wrist with his right hand and gave it a gentle twist, using his opponent's own momentum.

With a soft crack, Black Dog grunted, his arm forced into an unnatural angle.

"Big Brother is awesome!" a familiar voice shouted from a corner of the stands. Out of the corner of his eye, Fu Yanzhi saw the four little ones standing on tiptoe and waving their fists. Huanhuan, the youngest, even had to jump up to shout encouragement.

His lips had just begun to curl when his feet suddenly shifted, dodging Black Dog's furious sweeping kick. He flipped over and landed at the edge of the ring, standing firm.

By the time the whistle sounded to end the first round, Black Dog's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and bruising was faintly visible over his ribs. Fu Yan, on the other hand, was only breathing a little harder; not even the hem of his clothes was disheveled.

The Shui Miao owner's face darkened completely. He waved a fat hand, and two underlings immediately ran over carrying a silver case and quickly injected a blue-glowing drug into Black Dog's carotid artery.

Fu Yanzhi's brows instantly knitted. He realized the drug was no ordinary substance.

The whistle for the second round had barely sounded when Black Dog charged like a tank out of control. This time, he was nearly twice as fast. His fist slammed into the ground where Fu Yanzhi had just been standing, shaking loose a shower of concrete chips.

Fu Yanzhi instinctively raised an arm to block. The moment his forearm collided with the other man's fist, searing pain spread up his arm to his shoulder. He staggered back two steps, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"Scared now?" the Shui Miao owner laughed again. "Give up early and you'll take less of a beating! Otherwise, that little life of yours might not leave the ring."

Fu Yanzhi wiped the blood from his mouth, his gaze turning utterly cold. He had held back before to spare them a little face, and besides, they simply weren't worthy of him using his full strength. But now that they had resorted to a dirty trick, he had no more reservations. All of you, die.

Fu Yanzhi planted his feet shoulder-width apart and formed a strange hand sign before his chest. The aura that had been spread around him abruptly drew inward, and he became like a cheetah poised to strike.

Black Dog charged again, his fist aimed straight at Fu Yanzhi's face. Fu Yanzhi neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, he stepped sharply forward and caught Black Dog's wrist with his left hand. His right hand slid down the man's arm until his fingertips reached an acupoint at Black Dog's elbow, where he pressed lightly.

"Aah!" Black Dog screamed, his entire arm instantly losing its strength.

Fu Yanzhi seized the chance to spin around and drive his knee hard into Black Dog's lower abdomen. At the same time, he released the acupoint, clenched his right hand into a fist, and gathered all his strength before swinging fiercely at Black Dog's chin!

"Bang!" With a muffled thud, Black Dog's massive body fell stiffly to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, completely unconscious.

The entire arena fell silent for three seconds, then erupted in earth-shaking cheers. Xingxing and Huanhuan even rushed straight to the edge of the arena, clung to the ropes, and shouted at Fu Yan, "Big Brother! You're amazing! Big Brother is the best!"

Fu Yanzhi raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his temple and looked at Wang Haisheng, the Shui Miao owner, whose face had gone deathly pale. "If you dare play dirty again," he said fiercely, "it won't be his hand I cripple next time. It'll be your Shui Miao Club's signboard."

When they returned to the Xiaoxiao Club, Xiao Yuelan was sitting behind a rosewood desk, wiping a knife. After hearing what Fu Yanzhi had to say, she paused, the blade reflecting her cooling gaze. "If Wang Haisheng dares harbor crooked intentions, he can forget about keeping the Shui Miao Club in one piece. I'll castrate him."

Before Xiao Yuelan could make a move, Wang Haisheng came looking for them first. Carrying a thick envelope and wearing a broad smile, he blocked the entrance to the Xiaoxiao Club. "Little Brother Fu, you have no future following Xiao Yuelan. Come work for me. I'll pay you ten times what she does, and give you the best resources too."

Fu Yanzhi looked up at his words, his gaze devoid of warmth. "I'm not at Xiaoxiao for the money. Besides, that little bit of yours isn't even enough to pay for one of my meals. Are you trying to fob off a beggar?"

Fu Yanzhi slapped the envelope straight to the ground with a smack. The smile vanished from Wang Haisheng's face, and the malice in his triangular eyes was like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "Don't refuse a face-saving offer. Offend me, and you won't have any good fruit to eat."

Fu Yanzhi's voice was as cold as ice. "You dare threaten me?"

Before Wang Haisheng could say anything, Fu Yanzhi reached out and broke his arm with a crack. Wang Haisheng let out a scream.

Fu Yanzhi said coldly, "If you dare threaten me again, it won't be your arm that breaks. It'll be your head."

Wang Haisheng clutched his broken arm, cold sweat pouring down his face from the pain, but he still snarled through gritted teeth, "You... you dare lay a hand on me? I won't let you off!"

His underlings behind him were itching to move at the sight, but none of them dared step forward rashly.

Just then, Xiao Yuelan walked out of the club, toying with the sharp knife in her hand. Her gaze was icy. "Wang Haisheng, you're making trouble at the entrance to my Xiaoxiao Club. Do you think I don't exist? Believe it or not, I'll castrate you right now."

At the sight of Xiao Yuelan, Wang Haisheng's bluster immediately weakened, but he still talked tough. "Xiao Yuelan, you're protecting this brat. It won't end well for you."

Xiao Yuelan sneered. "Protecting him? He's one of my Xiaoxiao Club's people. Lay a hand on him, and you're laying a hand on the Xiaoxiao Club. If you know what's good for you, take your people and get lost, and I can pretend this never happened. Otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

Wang Haisheng hesitated, but in the end he didn't dare confront Xiao Yuelan directly. He shot Fu Yanzhi a vicious look and slunk away with his men.

Watching Wang Haisheng's retreating figure, Xiao Yuelan said to Fu Yanzhi, "Little Brother Xiaozhi, Wang Haisheng won't let this go. You need to be careful from now on."

Fu Yanzhi nodded. "Don't worry, Sister Xiao. I'll be careful."

Fu Yanzhi then took his brothers home. By the time they arrived, it was already afternoon, and Fu Yanzhi saw that Wen Shiming was still there, working hard at his English.

Fu Yanzhi walked over to Wen Shiming and patted him on the shoulder. "Stop studying. Balance work and rest; take a break."

Seeing that his eldest brother was back, Wen Shiming smiled and said, "I'm not tired, Big Brother. How did it go today? Did you finish the match quickly?"

Fu Yanzhi smiled. "Of course. Beating them didn't take any effort. But that guy at the fighting arena used a dirty trick today, so I crippled him. Later, Wang Haisheng from the Shui Miao Club tried to poach me, and I crippled him too."

Wen Shiming put down his book, a flicker of worry passing through his eyes. "Big Brother, you've really offended Wang Haisheng. He definitely won't let it go so easily. You need to be careful."

Fu Yanzhi smiled unconcernedly. "It's fine. Why would I be afraid of him? If he dares play any more tricks, I'll make him eat more than he can carry."

Just then, Xingxing and Huanhuan ran over and pulled on Fu Yanzhi's hand. "Third Brother, you have no idea how cool Big Brother was in the fighting arena today. He knocked the guy down in just a few moves." As they spoke, Huanhuan and Xingxing gestured to demonstrate.

Fu Yanzhi smiled and patted their heads. "All right, you two little darlings, Big Brother's going to cook. Is there anything you want to eat? Each of you can order one dish."

Fu Yanzhi had just changed into his house clothes, and his hands were still tying his apron strings when Xingxing came up first, shaking his arm and shouting, "Big Brother! I want cola chicken wings! The last time you made them, I sucked even the bones clean!"

"All you ever think about is meat!" Wen Shiming looked up from his English textbook and said with a smile, "Brother, I'd like tomato and egg soup. It's super tasty with rice."

Xiaoxiao immediately raised his hand too, afraid Fu Yanzhi wouldn't see him. "I want stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers, Big Brother. The peppers have to be crisp, just like the ones you made last time!"

Yueyue tugged at Fu Yanzhi's clothes, his childish voice full of anticipation. "Big Brother, I want a fried egg, with a runny yolk—the kind that flows out!"

Huanhuan thought for a long time, then blinked and followed the others' lead. "I want meat, Big Brother, that red meat!"

Fu Yanzhi looked at Huanhuan and smiled. "You mean red-braised pork, right? All right, Big Brother will make it for you."

Bo Qing, who hadn't spoken the whole time, gave a soft cough and said, "Don't just think about eating. Give Big Brother a little less work. I'll have some stir-fried greens."

Fu Yan listened to his brothers all talking at once, a smile rippling in his eyes. He reached out and rubbed Huanhuan's head. "All right, I've got it all. Cola chicken wings, stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, shredded pork with green peppers, plus a fried egg with a runny yolk, red-braised pork, and stir-fried greens. Just wait; dinner will be ready soon."

With that, Fu Yanzhi turned and went into the kitchen. Before long, the rhythmic chopping of vegetables mingled with the hum of the range hood, and the aroma gradually wafted out of the kitchen. The six younger brothers couldn't sit still in the living room, poking their heads around the kitchen doorway from time to time.

By the time Fu Yanzhi brought the six dishes to the table, chopsticks were reaching out almost instantly. Third Brother spooned a large helping of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs over his rice, his cheeks bulging with food. "Big Brother! It's even better than last time!"

Xiaoxiao bit into a cola chicken wing, too busy to wipe the sauce from the corner of his mouth. "These chicken wings have soaked up so much flavor. Big Brother, did you secretly add something again?"

Second Brother took small bites of green pepper and nodded in agreement. "Perfectly crisp and tender. Big Brother, your control of the heat is spot on."

The other three little ones were busy eating, frantically stuffing food into their mouths. They offered no comments.

Fu Yan sat nearby, watching his brothers wolf down their food. He had barely touched the rice in his own bowl before he picked up a piece of pork rib for Xingxing. "Eat slowly. No one's going to snatch it from you."

Xingxing gave a muffled reply and picked up another chopstickful of shredded pork with green peppers. The heat made him suck in breath, but he smiled until his eyes narrowed.

Amid the aroma of food filling the room, the boys' chattering laughter was everywhere, bringing more warmth than any delicacy from the mountains or the sea.

After dinner, it was the four little ones' turn to wash the dishes. Bo Qing supervised from the side, afraid they would end up soaking themselves as they washed. That was what had happened last time: the four of them had started a water fight halfway through.

Fu Yanzhi sat on the sofa, playing on his phone. Just then, Third Brother crept over and asked, "Big Brother, um, can I go out tomorrow?"

Seeing Third Brother like this, Fu Yanzhi wanted to tease him. He shook his head and said, "No, Third Brother. Didn't you say you were going to study English hard? Don't you want to score ninety points anymore?"

Wen Shiming stammered, "Big Brother, I can go out to study tomorrow. Really, Big Brother, believe me."

"Oh? Really? Then tell me what you're going out to do tomorrow, and I'll think about it," Fu Yanzhi said, pretending to consider it.

Wen Shiming hesitated, then said, "Big Brother, my deskmate and I agreed to go to the library tomorrow so he can teach me English. That's why I want to go."

Seeing Wen Shiming's nervous yet expectant expression, Fu Yanzhi couldn't help laughing. "All right, Big Brother won't tease you anymore. You can go out tomorrow. Have fun with your little deskmate."

Wen Shiming's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Big Brother. Liu Xu and I aren't going out to play."

Fu Yanzhi smiled, took out his phone, and transferred twenty thousand yuan to Wen Shiming. "When you're out, don't be reluctant to spend money. Buy him plenty of things."

Looking at the money on his phone, Wen Shiming threw himself into Fu Yanzhi's arms. "Big Brother is the best! I love Big Brother the most!"

Just then, Bo Qing came out of the kitchen. Hearing their conversation, he said, "Third Brother, be careful when you go out. If anything happens, call us. Big Brother and I will come over quickly."

Wen Shiming scratched his head and smiled. "Don't worry, Second Brother. Nothing will happen."

Fu Yanzhi waved a hand. "All right, it's fine. Nothing will happen to Third Brother. I added location tracking to all your electronic devices long ago. You can't get lost."

With that, Fu Yanzhi looked toward the four little ones washing dishes in the kitchen and raised his voice. "You boys, once you've finished the dishes, wash up and go to bed early so you'll have plenty of energy tomorrow."

The four little ones answered in unison from the kitchen, "We know, Big Brother!"

Now that Big Brother had agreed to let him go out, Wen Shiming happily returned to his room to prepare what he would need at the library tomorrow.

After packing his things, Wen Shiming excitedly opened his phone and sent his deskmate a message.

Wen Shiming: "We can go to the library together tomorrow! My big brother agreed to let me go out and play. You can come out, right?"

After sending the message, Wen Shiming lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. His heart was full of anticipation for tomorrow's library date with his deskmate.

Meanwhile, after reading the message, Liu Xu's lips curved up slightly, and he quickly replied, "Sure! Let's meet at the library tomorrow morning. I'll bring some extra study materials tomorrow to help you. See you then."

Wen Shiming replied with a smile, "See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

At that moment, Wang Haisheng of the Shui Miao Club was lying in a hospital, his face so dark it could drip water. Unwilling to accept being humiliated by Fu Yanzhi like this, he gritted his teeth and dialed a mysterious number. "Hello, I need you to do something for me. Teach a person named Fu Yanzhi a lesson. Use whatever methods you like; money isn't a problem."

A low laugh came from the other end of the line. "Fu Yanzhi? Hahaha, all right, Boss Wang, don't worry. I guarantee I'll make that brat eat more than he can carry."

After hanging up, Wang Haisheng's face twisted into a sinister smile, as though he could already see Fu Yanzhi in a sorry state.