The Mysterious Massage Master, the Absolute Domination of Joint Locks, and a Late-Night Pig-Slaughter Scene

The Lu family dining room was brightly lit.

Lu Ren practically shuffled to his chair like a zombie. The muscle at the back of his thigh felt like a rusty steel cable. Every time he bent his knee to sit down, it triggered a red alert deep in his system.

[System Alert: Your stamina bar has permanently hit zero. Current status: Half-crippled.]

"What happened?" Mother Lu came out of the kitchen carrying braised pork and looked at her son's strange posture. "Did you get into a fight at school?"

"No, Mom." Lu Ren picked up his chopsticks, his hand trembling too. "This is... a medal of honor. I paid the price with my body to conquer that high-difficulty dungeon called the 'Volleyball Club.'"

"Speak normally." Lu Jianguo peered over the top of his newspaper.

"I overdid it during training and got a leg cramp," Lu Ren admitted honestly.

Mother Lu actually smiled as she put some meat in his bowl. "That's good, that's good. Before, all you knew how to do after school was hole up in your room playing games. Now you're finally willing to get some exercise. I heard that Mashiba girl was the one who invited you? That's more like it. A boy needs to have some manly spirit."

Lu Ren shoveled in a mouthful of rice, thinking, You have no idea what kind of monsters are in there. That wasn't manly spirit. That was the murderous aura of an Asura Field.

"But," Lu Jianguo said, lowering his newspaper and adjusting his glasses as he glanced over Lu Ren's stiff legs, "after such strenuous exercise, if you don't deal with it in time, the lactic acid buildup tomorrow morning will teach you what 'worse than death' means. It'll be so agonizing, it'll feel like a hundred ants are tap-dancing inside your muscle fibers."

Lu Ren shuddered. The braised pork on his chopsticks nearly fell.

"Dad, dear old Dad." Lu Ren put down his bowl and gave him a sincere look. "Since you know so much, you must have a solution, right? Were you some kind of hidden pro when you were young?"

"Ahem." Lu Jianguo coughed tactically, his gaze wavering for a moment. "I don't know how to do it myself, but I know the theory. Stretching and massage can help get rid of the lactic acid."

"That's great!" Lu Ren's eyes lit up. "Come on, Father, the time has come to show off your fatherly love! I can't afford a stamina recovery potion, so I'm counting on your 'Great Rejuvenation Technique.'"

Lu Jianguo waved both hands, looking disgusted. "Get out of here. These old arms and legs of mine can't possibly massage you. Besides, I can't control how hard I press. I might cripple you."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Lu Ren despaired. "Am I just supposed to wait to die and turn into a stiff corpse tomorrow morning?"

Lu Jianguo smiled mysteriously and lowered his voice. "I can't do it, but I know someone who can. And they're a professional."

"Who?" Lu Ren asked warily. "It wouldn't happen to be the old man next door, would it? His specialty is setting dogs' bones."

"Relax, they're absolutely reliable." Lu Jianguo pointed upstairs. "Go take a hot shower first and open up your pores. Let your muscles relax. Then go back to your room and lie down on the bed. I've already booked this master for you. They'll be here soon."

Lu Ren was skeptical.

But he was in such terrible shape that he'd be willing to give it a try even if it were a veterinarian, let alone a master.

"Fine." Lu Ren struggled to his feet and shuffled toward the bathroom like a penguin. "For tomorrow's dungeon, I'm all in."

Twenty minutes later.

Lu Ren finished his shower, wrapped himself in a towel, and limped back to his bedroom.

The hot water had eased some of the pain, but the deep, aching soreness still clung to his bones. He flopped onto the bed, buried his face in the pillow, and sprawled out like a starfish, waiting for the mysterious master to arrive.

Why did this plot feel a little like a "special services NPC" in an online game?

I hope it's a gentle healer. Please don't let it be some kind of heavy-hitting damage dealer...

"Click."

The door handle turned.

Lu Ren didn't look back. "Come in, Master. The main problem is my hamstrings and calves. Please go easy on me. My character's low-level, and my defense is zero."

The footsteps were light, as if they belonged to an agile character.

Then the mattress sank slightly.

A familiar scent of citrus-scented shower gel drifted into his nostrils.

Lu Ren's eyes snapped open. That scent... Something was wrong! Why did it smell exactly like Mashiba?

He struggled to prop up his upper body and turned to look.

"!!!"

Kiyosawa Mashiba sat cross-legged beside his bed, wearing a loose pink set of loungewear, her ponytail casually tied behind her head. She held a bottle of medicated oil for sprains and bruises, wearing the kind of smile that looked "kind" in the most ominous way.

"Good evening, Lu Ren."

Lu Ren nearly rolled off the bed in fright, but the sudden movement pulled at his injured thigh, making him grimace in pain. "Tss—why is it you?! Where's my 'professional master'? Where's my hidden NPC who can bring the dead back to life?"

"Closer than you think." Mashiba gave the bottle of medicated oil a shake. The sloshing liquid sounded strangely ominous. "Uncle Lu texted me just now and said you were in urgent need of 'special care.' As it happens, I'm here."

Lu Ren's eyes widened. "You know how to massage? How come I didn't know you'd unlocked that skill tree?"

He and Mashiba had grown up together, practically sharing a pair of pants. He knew all her talents inside and out. Aside from being the fastest pudding-eater on the server, when had this girl ever studied medicine?