Seeing the World

Seeing the World

Zhao Rui took the coach's advice with a grain of salt. This martial arts school was mainly in it for profit, unlike Li Da Naodai's Jiming Pharmacy.

After all, no matter how shabby Jiming Pharmacy was, it was still a family business passed down through masters and disciples. Its interests were not entangled in such a vulgar, mercenary way.

A little after eight that evening, Hong Fei, the scarred young man, finished sparring with Zhao Rui and left the martial arts school.

Zhao Rui stayed a little longer. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, he got up and left.

As a part-time sparring partner, he was paid by the day. He'd made several hundred yuan today, and had also picked up two pretty decent techniques. All in all, he'd come away with quite a haul.

The Taiyi Light Splitting Sword was a high-level technique, clearly superior to the Taihang Thirteen Palms he'd learned. It was every bit as good as the Emei Sect's Wing Chun Inquiry.

The other martial art was the Wrathful Fiend Skill, which Hong Fei, the scarred young man, had mastered. It was a technique focused on killing in battle.

Neither technique was very far along yet. It would take at least four or five days to master them completely.

It was summer vacation, and he had plenty of time. Zhao Rui wasn't in a hurry.

Working as a sparring partner at the martial arts school had its benefits, but progress was slow. Zhao Rui had already begun thinking of another way to find sparring partners.

Since techniques weren't good or bad in terms of what he could learn, why not pick up some simple, common techniques?

He could also test whether progress could be increased by switching to a different person who practiced the same technique.

For instance, if he picked up a martial art from Zhang San and reached ten percent progress, could he continue building progress the next day by meeting Zhang San's senior brother, who knew the same martial art?

That was something he still needed to investigate.

The vacation was long. No rush.

After leaving the martial arts school, Zhao Rui went home and changed into something handsome. Then he rode his bicycle to Yang Fan's place.

Yang Fan lived in an upscale neighborhood, where homes cost twenty to thirty thousand yuan per square meter.

He even lived in a three-story villa, so his family was quite well-off.

When Zhao Rui reached the neighborhood, he called Yang Fan. Before long, a black BMW motorcycle rolled out, its headlights shining.

Zhao Rui locked his bicycle beside the property booth and climbed onto the back of the motorcycle.

"With that slicked-back hair, you really are a lot more handsome!"

Seeing Yang Fan's hair, combed back with mousse until it gleamed, Zhao Rui couldn't help laughing.

"Damn right. We've gotta show the ladies at least a little respect!"

Yang Fan chuckled, twisted the throttle, and sped off into the distance.

Half an hour later, the two of them got off the motorcycle in front of a huge building twenty stories tall.

They both looked up at the giant sign hanging over the entrance: "Carefree Pavilion!"

The sign gleamed gold, and neon lights blazed all around it. Rotating lights cast a hazy, dreamlike glow, while a three-dimensional display screen refracted a kaleidoscope of colors and played clips of the venue's many entertainments.

Pai gow, foot massages, baths, beautiful women, handsome men, and competitive events. Dazzling lights, thumping music, and restless hearts.

In that moment, it all came to life before them.

"What a presence!"

"Let's go!"

"Let's go!"

They exchanged a glance and strode inside.

As soon as they stepped onto the stairs, they saw two enormous, golden-bronze doors. Two gigantic lion heads were carved into them, each with a gleaming brass ring in its mouth.

Two tall men in suits stood respectfully on either side of the entrance.

As guests approached, they gently pushed with both hands, slowly opening the thousand-catty doors.

That effortless display of strength was beyond the reach of ordinary martial artists.

Yang Fan's face twitched at the sight, and his steps wavered.

Fortunately, they weren't the only ones going up the stairs. Yang Fan deliberately fell a couple of steps behind, watched how the others behaved, and copied them as he went.

Zhao Rui's eyes were sharp. He saw Yang Fan's nerves at once, jabbed him with an elbow, and muttered, "You said you'd been here before!"

"I was bluffing. What about it?"

Yang Fan was thick-skinned enough not to care.

Zhao Rui was speechless. He'd been counting on Yang Fan having been here before so they could look around and broaden their horizons together.

Now they were both rookies, and the whole experience had changed in an instant.

This was where the underworld and the legitimate world converged. The danger here was on a completely different level from the entertainment venues of his previous life.

Fights were commonplace, and vendettas and murder were nothing new. The venue's security was undoubtedly top-notch, but there were so many people here who knew martial arts.

Once a person's fighting ability went up, so did their temper.

The greater the power, the greater the "responsibility," right?

Without a regular to show them around, they'd inevitably have to stay on their toes.

"Keep it low-key. Low-key!"

Zhao Rui shushed him, put on the air of someone who knew the place, tugged Yang Fan along, and headed for the door beside him.

The two suited doormen at the entrance glanced at them expressionlessly and casually pushed the doors open.

Zhao Rui and Yang Fan raised their eyebrows. Turns out these guys didn't care about nobodies like them. They could barely be bothered to look.

The two of them hurried inside.

They passed through a corridor awash in dazzling lights and lavish gold. Ahead stood another pair of doors, slightly smaller than the first.

The doors stood open. Four young women in tight, lightweight Cheongsams stood at the entrance. The slits ran all the way up to their waists, revealing glimpses of their smooth, pale legs.

Yang Fan's eyes instantly went round at the blatant temptation.

He lightly nudged Zhao Rui with his elbow and whispered, "Holy crap, even the greeters are gorgeous!"

"Stay calm!"

Unlike Yang Fan, a genuine first-timer, Zhao Rui was a seasoned old hand. He'd seen women before, and this level of temptation was nothing to him.

"Welcome to Carefree Pavilion. We hope you enjoy your visit!"

When the two of them approached, the four young women bowed in unison. As they bent forward, a flash of white showed at their collars, stirring the imagination.

Yang Fan felt an itch at the tip of his nose and hastily rubbed it, afraid he might get a nosebleed.

It wasn't as if he'd never watched porn, but watching it and experiencing the real thing were worlds apart.

Once the two stepped through the inner doors, they saw a golden hall like a Western palace, easily the size of two soccer fields.

The hall was not level with the entrance. It lay below ground, connected to the doors by a flight of stairs, a good five or six meters down.

That only made the hall seem even more vast and towering.

From the top of the stairs, they looked down over the hall, which was divided into numerous sections, each offering different activities. Even from this distance, they could make out gambling, erotic dancing, bars, and all sorts of other entertainment.

"Gentlemen, how may I help you?"

Just as the two of them were marveling at the lavish grandeur of the hall, a clear, sweet voice rang out beside them.

Zhao Rui turned his head and saw a young woman, over 1.7 meters tall, dressed like a heroine from an ancient martial arts story. She stood there, gazing at them with a bright, youthful smile.

This...

Her pale green outfit looked especially fresh and lovely in the midst of this glittering entertainment venue.

Over her green, high-waisted ruqun, she wore a light, gauzy robe with wide sleeves. Subtle patterns of emerald peacock feathers covered the fabric.

The brilliant lights made it shimmer with verdant color. Twelve silver hairpins in a scrolling vine design, each inlaid with kingfisher feathers, hung from her high-set hair. A teardrop crystal dangled from each pin, swaying gracefully.

For a moment, Zhao Rui was dazed. With this martial arts style, if they hadn't been in an entertainment venue, he would have thought he'd traveled back to ancient times.

Yang Fan was even more stunned, staring blankly at her delicate features.

It wasn't that he'd never seen women. It was just that the contrast was so striking, making the heroine standing before them seem all the more beautiful.

"We're here to unwind. Could you show us around?"

Zhao Rui collected himself, gave her a slight nod, and spoke.

"Of course! Please follow me."

The heroine turned slightly and held out a hand as fair as white jade, inviting them to follow.

Zhao Rui tugged Yang Fan along and started walking.

"This is our gambling area. Guests can try every kind of gambling game available on the market..."

"All our ladies are carefully selected and thoroughly trained. You can rest assured that our service will be excellent."