The Best Thing Would Be for You to Find Me a Junior Sister

It wasn't that Zhao Rui was afraid of those thugs. He just didn't want to stir up trouble. After all, the most famous line from his previous life was, "What're you looking at?"

Wasn't that the perfect excuse for two thugs to start a fight and act tough?

Following Brother Hong through the crowd, he passed through several long corridors and arrived in front of an old, antique-looking mansion.

Two muscular men in tight-fitting outfits, their faces covered in folds of flesh, stood in front of the mansion. When they saw the two of them approaching, they immediately reached out to block their way, eyeing them warily.

"Hongtai."

Brother Hong pulled out a phone, opened an app, and displayed a special QR code.

"Go on in!"

Brother Hong replied in his usual stern, unsmiling manner, then led Zhao Rui inside.

The mansion looked antique, but it wasn't made of wood. It had been built with modern materials such as poured concrete.

There were still guards posted at the entrance. After checking their information, one of them led the two of them into the inner courtyard.

Inside, the place was utterly different from the antique-looking exterior. It was a huge arena.

A massive ring stood in the center, surrounded by tiered seating at various heights. A sparse scattering of people were already seated.

Brother Hong glanced around, letting his eyes linger briefly on the southwest corner before leading Zhao Rui over.

"Master Kui!"

When Brother Hong reached a burly, rough-featured man, he dipped his head slightly and called out.

"Mm. You confident about the match?"

"Don't worry, Master Kui!"

A respectful smile appeared on Hong Fei's ugly, scarred face.

"That's good. You're still young, and you've got plenty of time left in the ring. Don't get impatient! I'm counting on you lot to make me money!"

Master Kui finished speaking, then laughed heartily and turned to glance at the others beside him.

They were all seated on sofas just like Master Kui, each with a cigar in his mouth and one leg crossed over the other. They were clearly all underworld bosses.

"It's all thanks to you giving us a way to make a living, Master Kui!"

Hong Fei flattered him, then added, "I've got a cousin here with me. I brought him to see the world."

Master Kui looked Zhao Rui up and down, then said expressionlessly, "A student, huh? What use is there in studying? Doesn't earn you a damn thing. Go on."

After that, Master Kui paid the two of them no more attention and turned to chat with the boss beside him.

"Damn it, if I'd listened to my dad back then and gone to school instead of wasting my time with that useless nonsense, who knows where I'd be begging now!"

"In this day and age, money is king."

Their brazen chatter rang in Zhao Rui's ears as he followed Hong Fei, the scar-faced man, to an empty seat beside the ring.

"Sit here. I'm going backstage to get ready. The matches start at nine. I'm up first, so I'll be done as soon as my bout's over!"

After giving Zhao Rui a few instructions, Hong Fei went backstage with two men who had come to meet him.

Zhao Rui looked around, taking in the arena's oppressive, dark atmosphere and watching the gangster-looking men—people he rarely saw in everyday life—coming and going.

The disorienting feeling of being in another time and place made the whole scene feel unreal.

He had been the one to ask to come watch Hong Fei fight.

They had gotten to know each other through fighting, and after half a month of working as Hong Fei's sparring partner, they had become fairly familiar. When Zhao Rui said he wanted to see a match, Hong Fei hadn't refused.

So the two of them had agreed to come watch him fight today.

Zhao Rui sat for about twenty minutes, and people gradually began to fill the seats around him.

There were well-dressed urban office workers, crude street thugs, and powerful figures surrounded by bodyguards.

The place was a real mixed bag, crawling with all kinds of shady characters.

After all, this was an arena, and the customers were king. The more people who came, the more people would bet on the matches.

A little while later, the lights in the arena suddenly spun into dazzling neon brilliance, and pounding music thundered through the venue.

Then several young women entered the ring, dressed in bikinis and high heels, their slender waists swaying as they struck coquettish poses along the elastic safety ropes around the ring.

Zhao Rui's gaze swept over the women. They really were pretty, with graceful figures.

A sudden uproar broke out below the ring.

Now it had the right feel!

What kind of place would this be without women?

A little while later, a bald man jumped into the ring, announced the rules for the matches, and shouted to get the crowd fired up.

Zhao Rui's seat was in the section reserved for the fighters. Before long, Brother Hong came over with members of his gang.

The two exchanged a glance without speaking. Hong Fei sat straight down, rubbing his hands over his body, his gaze deep and distant, as if nothing around him had anything to do with him.

"First match: Hong Fei of Hongtai versus Yu Hongle of Ninghai!"

At the host's announcement, Hong Fei rolled his neck, stood up, and leaped into the air. He soared several feet high, flipped, and landed in the ring.

On the other side, a lean man also climbed into the ring, moving at an unhurried pace.

Zhao Rui had never seen an underground boxing match before, but he had attended martial arts competitions in the past.

The atmosphere was different, but the proceedings were much the same, so he didn't pay it much attention.

It wasn't until the match began and the two men started fighting that Zhao Rui understood what underground boxing was.

There were no rules in this ring. Life and death were left to fate; the match continued until one side surrendered or lost the ability to fight.

As the two traded blows, their strength exploded. Every punch and kick, infused with Internal Energy, rained down on the other without restraint.

Both men relied on solid, forceful hand-to-hand techniques. Before long, they were covered in blood and looked battered.

Zhao Rui's previously calm expression turned grave in an instant.

This man was no worse than Hong Fei. They were evenly matched.

There were too many uncertainties to say who would win.

Just then, the fight suddenly took a turn. Hong Fei, who had been trading blows with his opponent, suddenly flipped like a hawk. He pulled and pushed at the man's wrist, dipped down, stepped in, and drove his elbow forward.

In an instant, he sent his opponent flying.

Before the man could hit the ground, Hong Fei had already rushed after him and landed a heavy blow to his temple!

The man took another heavy hit while still airborne. By the time he hit the ground, he was barely breathing and no longer able to fight back.

"Hongtai wins!"

After counting out the seconds, the referee raised Hong Fei's hand and announced the victory.

The entire venue erupted into a cacophony of cheers, curses, and every kind of noise in between.

A short distance away, a voice Zhao Rui had heard before spoke with a hint of amusement. "That kid Hong Fei's got guts and a good head on his shoulders. I like him. Go tell him to add twenty thousand to his appearance fee from now on."

"Master Kui thinks highly of him—that's his good fortune. The kid's brave and knows how to fight. He really is pretty good."

The voices beside him gradually faded into the distance. Zhao Rui couldn't help looking up at the lean man in the ring, whose face was unrecognizable and whose breathing was weaker than his pulse. He felt a pang of sympathy.

"Congratulations, Brother Hong!"

When Hong Fei came over surrounded by people, Zhao Rui stood up and offered his congratulations.

"Mm!"

A faint smile appeared on Hong Fei's swollen face. He wiped the blood welling from the corner of his mouth and said, "Let me rest for a bit. I'll see you again after."

With that, he staggered toward the backstage lounge.

Seeing him like this, Zhao Rui realized that even though he had won the fight, he was hardly in good shape.

After Hong Fei left, Zhao Rui didn't dare wander off. He stayed in his seat and waited quietly.

Nearly an hour later, Hong Fei finally returned, his brow furrowed after having his wounds treated.

"Are you all right?"

Zhao Rui stood to meet him and asked.

"I'm fine. Two broken ribs and a little internal injury. A bit of rest and I'll be good as new."

Hong Fei said it casually.

"Come on. I'll get you out of here."

After saying that, Hong Fei took the lead and guided Zhao Rui out of the mansion.

As they walked out the main gate, Zhao Rui felt as if the world had suddenly opened up before him. Even the pitch-black night seemed bright now.

The two said little to each other. Only after they had left the market where the street vendors gathered did Hong Fei speak. "Go home. Don't come back here again. This place isn't right for you."

Zhao Rui smiled faintly. "Got it. Thanks for bringing me here today."

"No problem. If someday... Never mind. Once summer vacation's over, you'll be heading back to school. Good luck, student!"

After saying that, Hong Fei turned around and waved without looking back, heading down another fork in the road.

Zhao Rui watched his slightly unsteady figure disappear. His back was straight, but there was still a trace of loneliness about him.

After watching Hong Fei leave, Zhao Rui turned and entered a narrow alley. He wound through it with several sharp turns before emerging from that shadowy area into the brightly lit, bustling city.

You couldn't broaden your horizons without experiencing things firsthand.

In the shadowy corners of the world, human lives were cheap as grass. Under the weight of money and power, ordinary people were all ants.

In this life, he had already been given a second chance, and he possessed a cheat that defied the heavens. Why not roam freely and enjoy this wonderful Martial Arts World to the fullest?

Darkness or light, wherever I stood, I would bask in its splendor!

Zhao Rui paused for a moment, then quickly left the area.

Time rushed by like flowing water, never stopping to wait for anyone!

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhao Rui was still working as a sparring partner at the martial arts hall.

Only, with the hall's summer vacation underway, a lot more students had shown up, and Zhao Rui's "business" had improved considerably.

Naturally, he was earning more money, too.

In just over a month, he had made more than five thousand yuan.

Almost as much as his old man earned in a month.

This was pure private spending money!

Ever since Gaokao ended, Zhao Rui had been working at Wende Martial Arts Hall. He spent most of his free time honing his Internal Energy and techniques, and rarely stopped by Jiming Pharmacy.

As time went by, Li Da Naodai grew annoyed and often grumbled about it in front of the senior disciples.

So that morning, Senior Disciple Brother passed along a message from their master: Zhao Rui was to be tested on what he had studied that evening.

His master wanted to see if he had slacked off after graduating.

Zhao Rui was immediately at a loss. He had two sparring sessions that evening, so there went a few hundred yuan.

But how could he disobey his master's orders? He immediately asked the coach at Wende Martial Arts Hall for time off and hurried to Jiming Pharmacy.

Pushing open the familiar wooden door, he heard shouts coming from inside the courtyard.

Under the dusky night sky, two massive floodlights bathed the courtyard in brightness.

A dozen or so children, not yet grown, threw punches and kicks in perfect unison, each strike whipping up a sharp gust of wind.

When Zhao Rui arrived, the second senior brother, supervising the training from the stone steps at the front, smiled and called out, "Look, the college student's here!"

"Second Senior Brother, you're teasing me again!"

Zhao Rui walked over.

"Senior Brother, you're here! You did so well on your exams. Master's been praising you all this time!"

"Yeah, Master's been even stricter with us lately. Sigh!"

"Senior Brother, when are you going to college? Is college any good?"

Hearing their conversation, the junior disciples stopped what they were doing and turned toward Zhao Rui, chattering and firing questions at him.

"I'll go see Master first, then come back and talk to you all!"

Zhao Rui ruffled the little ones' hair. After exchanging a few words with the second senior brother, he headed down the long corridor beneath the eaves and into the inner courtyard.

Pushing open the old, antique wooden lattice door, Zhao Rui immediately spotted his master, Li Cunxin, reclining lazily in a chair with his eyes closed, fanning himself.

"Master!"

Zhao Rui walked over and called out.

Li Cunxin slowly opened his right eye to a narrow slit, gave Zhao Rui a sidelong glance, then drawled, "Whose kid is this? Did you come to the wrong place?"

Zhao Rui was instantly speechless. The man was already so old, yet he still sulked like a child all the time.

"Master, I haven't been slacking off. I've been practicing every day!"

"Oh? Can't the pharmacy accommodate you anymore? No room here for you to practice?"

Li Cunxin stopped pretending to sleep, opened both eyes, and glared at Zhao Rui.

"Come on, Master. I just got a job, and I'm earning money day and night! Unless you're going to pay my college tuition?"

Zhao Rui relaxed his straight brows, a smug smile in his eyes.

"Hey, you brat, is it easy for me to support this whole family? I don't have money for you. Let your parents earn it for you!"

At the mention of money, Li Cunxin perked up immediately. Dropping all pretense, he sat upright and studied Zhao Rui. Frowning, he said, "Your energy's gathered inward, and your breathing's long and steady. Have you made great progress with your Internal Energy?"

"Master, I told you—I've been studying hard and practicing every day!"

"What a shame!" Li Da Naodai scratched his head and looked at Zhao Rui as if he'd failed to live up to his expectations. "If you'd broken through a month earlier, you'd definitely have had a shot at the top fifty. Then I wouldn't have lost..."

"Lost what?"

Zhao Rui froze, and his eyes immediately narrowed.

"Nothing, nothing. Go take care of your business! And don't forget to tell me when you're holding a wedding banquet."

"Got it, Master!"

Zhao Rui chuckled and headed to the hall in the back courtyard to pay his respects to his master's wife.

Li Cunxin and his wife were the only ones who usually lived at the pharmacy. During the day and early evening, they had disciples to keep them company, but at night, the old couple were left alone in their empty home.

Back when Zhao Rui had just started middle school, he sometimes practiced late and would stay overnight at the pharmacy.

His master's wife would even prepare medicinal water for him to soak his feet, treating him just like one of her own grandchildren.

So to Zhao Rui, coming and going from the inner courtyard was just like going home.

After chatting with his master's wife for a while, Zhao Rui finally strolled out of the inner courtyard.

"Make time to teach your junior disciples how to study, too. If a few more of our pharmacy's students get into top universities, it'll make recruiting easier for me, won't it?"

Li Cunxin said with "earnest gravity."

"Got it, Master. Once I start making money, I definitely won't let you work so hard!"

"Listening to you, the New Year's already passed! You kids—just not making me angry would be enough. I'll have to go find another disciple tomorrow..."

"Go ahead, go ahead. The best thing would be for you to find me a junior sister. I don't even have a girlfriend yet!"

"Get out, get out, get out!"

Zhao Rui chuckled and sprinted away from the hall at the front of the back courtyard.