"Brother, can I ask you something?"
Liu San'er was suddenly stopped by someone. He was just about to lose his temper, but when he turned and saw someone wearing an Azure Ghoul Mask standing there, he was startled.
"Who are you?"
Liu San'er took a step back.
Under the dim yellow light, the other person's shadow stretched long. Beneath the Azure Ghoul Mask was a pair of cold, indifferent eyes that looked rather eerie.
"Do you know how to get to Qingyuan Fist Fortress?"
The masked person was none other than Li Fei in disguise.
He had heard there was a place in Qingyuan District devoted to underground boxing, called Qingyuan Fist Fortress, so he had been asking people for directions.
At the words "Qingyuan Fist Fortress," Liu San'er's eyes lit up. He sized Li Fei up. "You want to fight?"
"Yes."
Li Fei deliberately lowered his voice.
He did not want to reveal his original identity, so he had disguised everything from his hairstyle and mask to his voice.
Having just been attacked, Li Fei was being even more cautious.
His disguise counted as one layer of protection.
The Overseeing Bureau's Chief Inspector had already made his position clear about the attack that had just occurred. That was the second layer of protection.
Li Fei had learned that Qingyuan Fist Fortress was not backed by the Tiger Sabre Gang. It was the only underground enterprise in all of Xingcheng outside the gang's control, and its extraordinary status was the third layer of protection.
Finally, the Myriad Blood Bead and the unlocked Blood Soul Skill, Blood Rage, gave Li Fei the confidence to come here.
"If you want to fight, then you've come to the right person!"
Liu San'er immediately perked up. "Brother, I'm the fighter manager for Qingyuan Fist Fortress. You know what a fighter manager is, right? I'm specifically responsible for arranging matches for fighters."
"Oh?"
"Brother, if you want to fight at Qingyuan Fist Fortress, you've come to the right person! Come on, come on, I'll take you to the fortress."
Liu San'er enthusiastically reached out to pull Li Fei along, but Li Fei easily dodged him.
He did not mind, merely smiling and gesturing for Li Fei to follow.
Li Fei slipped one hand into his pocket, constantly gripping a packet of lime powder, and followed the other man through the streets and alleys of Qingyuan District.
A little over ten minutes later, Liu San'er brought Li Fei to a place surrounded by wooden walls.
"This is Qingyuan Fist Fortress."
Liu San'er pointed at the entrance ahead.
Li Fei looked at the wooden gate. Above it, the signboard bore the four large characters "Qingyuan Fist Fortress."
Inside the fortress stood huge white tents, brightly lit and roaring with voices. It was far livelier than outside.
"Let's go, brother."
Liu San'er led Li Fei toward the fortress gate. Someone was standing guard there. He took out a piece of paper and showed it to the guard, then pointed at Li Fei and said a few words. The guard let the two of them in.
"Anyone from outside the fortress who wants to watch a match has to buy a ticket. The ticket prices differ depending on the level of the boxing stage. The cheapest is one dime, and the most expensive costs one yuan."
Liu San'er proudly waved the paper in his hand at Li Fei. "But I'm a fighter manager. I don't need to buy tickets when I bring a fighter in."
After showing off, he saw that Li Fei was ignoring him. Not feeling embarrassed in the slightest, he continued introducing the place:
"The boxing stages at Qingyuan Fist Fortress are divided into the four levels of Heaven Earth Black Yellow. The highest is the Heaven Grade Boxing Ring, and the lowest is the Yellow Rank Boxing Stage. The higher the level, the better the fighters, the more spectators there are, and naturally, the more the fighters earn. But since you're a new fighter, you can only start at the lowest, the Yellow Rank Boxing Stage."
"You're a manager. How do you plan to split the money you earn with me? How much can I make per match?"
Li Fei asked directly.
For the moment, he still needed someone to help him fit into this place, so he planned to hear Liu San'er's terms. If they were not too excessive, he could agree for now.
Liu San'er put away his smile, met Li Fei's eyes, and said seriously, "Brother, if you can win the match later, I won't take a single cent. It's all yours!"
Li Fei gave a derisive laugh. "Wouldn't that leave you at a disadvantage?"
Liu San'er shook his head. "Brother, I'll tell you the truth. The fortress needs capable new fighters to compete. If I introduce you, the fortress will give me a bonus. And if you really make a name for yourself, I'll benefit greatly as your manager too. A truly capable fighter manager doesn't suck a fighter dry. Instead, he helps the fighter earn more. When both sides cooperate, both benefit—that's what a real win looks like."
Li Fei looked at this slovenly, obviously unserious man in surprise. He had not expected him to say something like that.
"So you're saying you're a capable fighter manager?"
At those words, Liu San'er spoke with shining eyes. "I, Liu San'er, will definitely become the greatest fighter manager in Qingyuan Fist Fortress!"
"Pfft—"
A sudden snicker came from the side.
A man in a floral shirt and vivid lipstick, dressed in a flamboyantly gaudy fashion, walked over while covering his mouth and laughing.
Behind him followed a burly man over 1.9 meters tall, his entire body dark-skinned and built like an iron tower.
"Oh, I was wondering who had such a big mouth, claiming he'd become the greatest fighter manager in Qingyuan Fist Fortress. So it was you, you little runt. Aren't you afraid you'll throw your back out talking so big?"
The man in the floral shirt laughed.
Looking at this "effeminate" man, Li Fei felt intensely uncomfortable.
By comparison, the slovenly Liu San'er suddenly seemed much more pleasing to the eye.
"Sister Hua, I was only joking."
Mocked to his face, Liu San'er not only failed to get angry, but piled on a smile and bent at the waist as he explained.
The man called Sister Hua looked at Li Fei.
"You brought in another newcomer?"
"Yes, Sister Hua."
Liu San'er answered.
Sister Hua looked Li Fei up and down, then made an orchid finger.
"You've made him look pretty mysterious. We just don't know whether he's any good. As it happens, Big Sis brought a newcomer tonight too. Why don't we have the two of them fight a Breaking Debut Battle?"
Sister Hua pointed at the burly man standing behind him like an iron tower.
At Qingyuan Fist Fortress, new fighters who had never fought onstage were called "chicks," and their first match was known as a Breaking Debut Battle.
Hearing this, Liu San'er's face stiffened. He gave an awkward laugh. "Sister Hua, don't mess with me. Every newcomer you bring is a tough fighter. How would I dare have mine fight yours? Let's forget it."
Sister Hua's gaze turned cold as he looked at Liu San'er. "What, you're not going to show me respect?"
"How would I dare?"
Liu San'er bent at the waist, doing his best to keep smiling. "Sister Hua, please let me off."
Sister Hua gave a derisive laugh. "Tsk, useless."
He did not truly want his own fighter to face Li Fei. He merely wanted some entertainment. He simply enjoyed watching others bow and scrape before him.
Liu San'er only smiled, not daring to argue.
Sister Hua glanced at Li Fei. "With a manager like this, I say you're probably a use—"
"How much will you pay if I fight your man and win?"
Before Sister Hua could finish, Li Fei coldly cut him off.
Liu San'er's expression changed. He hurried to Li Fei's side and said in a low voice:
"Brother, this person isn't someone to provoke in the fortress. The fighters he brings are all very strong. We're here to make money. There's no need for this."
Li Fei looked at him. "Is this how you make money—on your knees?"
In his previous life, during those two years of being suppressed, making money had been little different from kneeling for it.
But in this life, he did not want to bow his head so easily again.
Liu San'er's face stiffened. He forced out a smile uglier than a cry and said awkwardly, "Making money isn't something to be ashamed of..."
"It is shameful."
Li Fei shook his head and stepped forward. "I came here to make money on my feet."