No Ifs

Bu Liuxing's fitness coach has a very delicate-looking name, which is completely out of place with his muscular physique and the style of his Fist of the North Star paintings.

The coach's surname is Zhou, and his name is Zhou Wenlan.

Jiang Xueming and Bu Liuxing went on a long journey.

Bu Mei and Jiang Bailu also went to Chiba Prefecture for tourism.

Zhou Wenlan also had some free time, so he met up with two other coaches at an internet cafe in the mall to play King of Glory.

Around the end of the year, the pace of life begins to slow down.

No need to prepare for competitions, no need to build muscle, no need to endure a bland diet, and no need to watch classmates wearing painful masks while training their legs and back.

Li Zongzhu tossed his phone onto the sofa.

"Hey! What the hell is going on! Daji's skills are all wrong! Saving her ultimate for the New Year? Don't you even know how to play a game?!"

A teammate's yelling came through the phone, "Speak Mandarin! You communicated with me entirely in Cantonese, and I didn't give you a single positive response! Are you even human?! You can't treat Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan servers like this! Are you out of your mind?!"

At the same time, Wenlan's phone emitted a defeat notification sound. He suppressed a laugh and patted Zong Zhu on the shoulder, "That passerby was right Zong Zhu, you switch to dialect whenever you play games, and neither of us can really understand you."

Li Zongzhu switched back to the broad spectrum. "Of course! I usually have to smile and work, and now that I finally have a vacation to relax, how can I release my emotions without using some dialect? I'm not some Manchu from the capital city—when I play games, I'll just do whatever makes me happy."

"If I talked to you in Sichuan dialect the whole time, your blood pressure would definitely spike." Coach Liu Baoquan shrugged nonchalantly and switched back to Mandarin: "How weird! It feels really weird!"

They lost the game, but the three brothers remained in high spirits.

This is the commercial center of Hong Kong's Southern District. It's 4:33 PM now.

It's peak season for gyms and archery ranges, with many fit young men and women flocking to the venues.

In the dance studio next door, the energetic ladies were dancing Loking one minute and Latin the next.

The three old friends sat in the VIP salon, leisurely playing games and admiring handsome men and beautiful women all afternoon.

Many young women came to ask for Brother Wenlan's contact information.

--Because Brother Wenlan has such a great physique.

Quite a few young men have come to ask for Mr. Zong Zhu's contact information.

--Because Mr. Zong Zhu wore the gold belt in a parade.

Only the cleaning lady and Bao Quan talked about their 36-year-old daughter's remarriage and blind dates.

In short, it is very sad.

People are inherently enlightened and happy; it is only through comparison that delusion and suffering arise.

Old Liu thought about it for a long, long time. Finally, he saw that his two brothers' expressions were all wrong, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. But when he touched his belly fat and inadvertently bumped into the Marlboro in his pocket, everything suddenly seemed so reasonable.

Young boys and girls don't like flirting with greasy middle-aged men.

This kind of greasy feeling will only make your uncles and elders think that you are very rich and suitable for taking care of orphans and widows.

"Hiss!" At this thought, Lao Liu couldn't hold back any longer; a strong sense of crisis overwhelmed him.

--We're all around thirty-five years old, there's no reason why the age difference should be so big, right?

Immediately afterwards, Lao Liu went to pat Wenlan and handed her a glass of lemonade.

"Brother Wenlan, can you tell me how to look younger? I want to look more energetic!"

Wenlan didn't understand at all. "You want to get plastic surgery?"

Old Liu shook his head vigorously. "No, I don't understand. The three of us have roughly the same income, right?"

Wenlan: "What's your skill level?"

Old Liu: "The monthly salary is around 55,000, which is the same level as the director."

Wenlan: "With a little effort, I can probably do it too, but I have to maintain a very good training state. If I don't achieve results or win any trophies in a year or two, I'll be out of a job."

Zong Zhu: "Me too. Combat sports are a young person's game, and I also sell some training equipment and protective gear on the side. If I'm lucky, I can make about this much."

"Yes, since everyone's income is about the same," Old Liu couldn't accept it. "Our quality of life is about the same too! I also climb hills and run tracks to exercise, so how come our overall demeanor is so different?"

Wenlan, being more calm and composed, gave a safe answer, "Is it possible that it's because you're married?"

"Hey!" Zong Zhu didn't give Lao Liu any face. "What do you mean, 'married'! Don't put all the blame on women. Wenlan, you know the human body best. Maintaining Lao Liu's sub-healthy physique isn't easy, is it?"

Wenlan remained silent and nodded quietly.

In fact, it is very difficult for a person to maintain sub-health for a long time.

It takes a complete breakdown of the body to achieve this through diet, sleep, and exercise, and to maintain this for an extended period of time.

To put it simply, Bao Quan's profession is that of a shooting instructor in the police department.

His level of exercise is definitely not small; the fact that he can build up a "spare tire" around his belly is probably just as Li Zongzhu described.

Eating excessive amounts of sweets with his wife and suffering from very poor sleep quality caused this middle-aged man to age rapidly.

Wenlan whispered, "Don't get married, you'll become unhappy."

Zong Zhu whispered, "That's right, no amount of money can buy two extra hours of sleep every day. That time belongs to your wife, and your diet is also decided by your wife."

"Well"

Liu Baoquan simply sighed and talked to Wenlan about things he hoped for.

"Wenlan, can you tell me about your job? Like those young men, or the young women, for example?"

Wenlan said disdainfully, "What are you thinking about?"

Bao Quan muttered, "I just want to see the energy you guys have when you're lifting weights. The gym must be a wonderful place, right?"

After thinking for a long time, Wenlan decided to shatter this illusion and dispel this superstition.

"It's all about the smell of sweat and feet—I have to close down for cleaning every month. I converted my garage into a private gym, otherwise I'd go crazy. Besides teaching my students, I love going to Mrs. Bu Mei's house. It's quiet there, and working out with A Xing and Xue Ming there is what makes me happiest."

Bao Quan was stunned. "Huh? That's outrageous?"

Wenlan explained, "Otherwise what? What kind of smell do you think a gym could have? It's an atmosphere that makes people anxious and uneasy—when our bodies are exercising intensely, sweat carries a lot of urea, and when we feel the pain of muscle tearing, we also release a lot of pheromones."

Bao Quan still harbored a sliver of hope. "That young girl."

"Please, please spare me! Women smell stronger, sweat more, and are more unpleasant—women's testosterone levels are only one-twentieth of men's, their body fat percentage is naturally higher, and their training methods are different. Their endurance and pain tolerance are 1.5 times that of men in the same weight class, and some exceptionally gifted ones can reach three times. They also need to train for longer periods. And..." Wenlan thought for a moment and finally finished speaking, "Look at Bailu, her testosterone levels have recently gone up, and she started strength training, resulting in a hormonal imbalance. In just a few days, leg hair has grown out."

Liu Baoquan exclaimed in surprise, "Leg hair?!?"

Wenlan explained, "Of course some do. Do you think all women are born with bare legs?"

Liu Baoquan: "My wife doesn't have one!"

"Then your wife really loves you. She takes care of her skin and hair every day, or maybe she's delicate and frail, and hasn't done any heavy work, so her testosterone levels are kept very low." Wenlan wanted to explain these things clearly and dispel Bao Quan's superstitions, "Think carefully. We are both top-notch in our respective fields, among the top 100 in the world, otherwise we wouldn't be earning this salary. Don't live in the world of TikTok. The pretty girls and boys there are all carefully groomed and styled—I've seen most female trainees who go to powerlifting, and with long-term training, their hormone levels rise, and growing beards and armpit hair is nothing. There are also those who have problems with steroid drugs, developing polycystic ovary syndrome, which is terrifying."

Liu Baoquan exclaimed in surprise, "Is this the price women pay for gaining power? I find it hard to accept something like growing leg hair."

"How strange! He's so strange!" Li Zongzhu, leaning on Wenlan's arm, pointed at the greasy man and said, "Does he have some kind of misconception that a woman's smooth, white legs and Xiangxiang scent are a given?"

Wenlan thought for a moment, and finally said, "Maybe it's just because Lao Liu rarely interacts with other girls? That's a good thing."

"If you say that, I'll be even more anxious!" Liu Baoquan immediately stood up. "Wenlan! I need you to train me! I can't be this sloppy! My wife takes so much care in dressing herself up, and every day, even if she doesn't wear makeup, she's at least Xiangxiang and soft. And now my bra size is almost as big as hers! This won't do!"

Li Zongzhu: "You see, it's better to explain some things clearly."

Wenlan remained silent, observing the distribution of excess fat on Lao Liu's body.

Old Liu persisted, asking, "Do women really grow leg hair?"

Li Zongzhu chuckled, "No way! Women don't even poop, nor do they need to eat!"

Wenlan concluded, "Bailu really has grown leg hair, and she was shocked herself. She and Meijie regularly get their hair removed, and I recommended a beauty salon to them—you're so weird! Why are you so focused on your leg hair every day?"

Old Liu immediately asked curiously, "Did you remove Mei Jie's leg hair too?"

"I didn't do it!" Wenlan was almost frantic. "I recommended the beauty salon, and even if I did, what's the big deal? Does laser hair removal cost a piece of flesh? Am I going to jail for sexual harassment? How can you be so disgusting?"

Old Liu became even more curious. "What's your daily work like? So many young girls come to you, don't you ever try anything with them?"

"I think you're really obsessed! They're the ones who touched me inappropriately!" Wenlan pushed Bao Quan out, explaining, "If I were an unprofessional fitness instructor, doing this for women, I shouldn't be here; I should be in jail. Or I should go to Japan and find a special job—my body fat percentage is only 12% even off-season, that's Cristiano Ronaldo's supermodel physique. How dare you question my professionalism? Haven't you experienced Jiang Xueming's abilities? His body is a sharp sword I forged myself."

Li Zongzhu chimed in, "I also have female students, all very lively and cheerful. If they're interested in me, they usually throw straight punches. I think your physical health has dragged down your spirit, making you all gloomy! Think about it, Lao Liu! If Wenlan and I were women, we'd probably go to the beauty salon together for hair removal, always hugging and cuddling to show off our figures and skills to our students. Wouldn't we be at a huge disadvantage? That's not how you fight! Stop daydreaming, abandon your fantasies, and live your life properly."

Old Liu pondered carefully, "That's right. But I have a question."

The three brothers stopped and waited for Liu Baoquan to finish his question.

"I recently went to the prison with the inspector to check on the guards and taught them how to use riot shotguns, how to hold the gun properly, and how to fire quickly. Later, I also practiced military boxing with the inmates. They were all very happy. When I hugged them, they secretly touched my butt. Why is that?"

Zhou Wenlan: "This is my blind spot in knowledge."

Li Zongzhu: "This is my area of blind spot."

Zhou Wenlan took a big sip of lemonade.

He felt a sluggish, clogged feeling in the straw, as if lemon seeds were blocking it but not completely, so he pushed harder.

"Ouch!" He immediately grabbed a tissue and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, feeling a sharp pain on the tip of his tongue.

Li Zongzhu craned his neck to peer inside. "What is that? Ice?"

Liu Baoquan looked at the bloodstains on the tissue with concern. "Are you alright?"

Zhou Wenlan felt as if her tongue had been cut hard by a foreign object, and blood gushed from the tip of her tongue. The wound was small, and the bleeding stopped in just a few seconds.

"That's strange."

There was no crushed ice, or more precisely, no hard objects, in the lemonade plastic cup.

--It's just the liquid filtered out from lemon water.

"Let me have a sip?" Li Zongzhu casually grabbed the straw and took a sip, immediately getting cut.

Zong Zhu's expression twisted as he felt an intense, stabbing pain on the tip of his tongue.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! I've seen a ghost!"

His bloodied tongue was hanging out, and he quickly asked the receptionist at the internet cafe for an ice pack to apply.

Liu Baoquan stormed to the service counter and slammed the lemonade onto it. "What's going on here? There's something in this water! Two of my friends drank it and their tongues are rotting!"

The receptionist looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, like she was there for a winter break job.

Looking at the burly and tall Zhou Wenlan, and then at Liu Baoquan, whose face was full of scars and who was wearing an instructor's uniform.

She kept nodding and apologizing, as if she was terrified. Tears were about to fall from her eyes. She checked the glass of lemon water from front to back, emptied it and refilled it. She drank a lot of water, but still couldn't find out what was wrong.

Old Liu flew into a rage. "How could there be no problem?! Once is a coincidence, but twice is also a coincidence? When you're down on your luck, drinking cold water will cause you to choke? We bleed when we drink cold water! Little sister!"

The receptionist kept crying, "I really don't know... what... what happened? I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry!"

"Hey! Stop bullying the little girl!" Li Zongzhu couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in to persuade her, "It's not a big problem. The tongue heals very quickly; it's just a small wound."

"I'm just concerned about her!" Liu Baoquan pressed aggressively, as if his professional instincts were kicking in. He was a shooting instructor, and firearms were things that could take lives at any moment; he was extremely sensitive to blood. "Little girl, how did you make this lemonade? Make it again! I need to find out the truth! Otherwise, if other customers drink this stuff, they might beat you up!"

Following Lao Liu's instructions, the receptionist emptied the entire filter, turned the large kettle upside down to drain, and brewed a new pot of clear, transparent lemon water.

This time, she carefully changed to a different wooden cup.

--Fill the wooden cup and serve it to Liu Baoquan.

The younger sister said hesitantly, "It should... it should be fine, right?"

Liu Baoquan looked suspicious and took a sip.

--The cool, refreshing liquid flowed across my tongue, carrying a hint of lemon fragrance.

"Yes, it must have been the kettle that cracked earlier, and some fine glass shards fell out, cutting my friends' tongues. But they're gone now."

The cashier opened the counter, took out a wad of cash, and bent down to hand it over.

"I'm sorry, please take this money first, consider it my compensation. I'll explain this to the manager later."

Zhou Wenlan waved his hand. "It's nothing! I bleed more from my capillaries every day during training than this."

"Me too," Li Zongzhu said nonchalantly. "There's no boxing match without bloodshed."

Liu Baoquan left without saying a word, following the two brothers.

Until the VIP salon was completely empty.

The cashier took off her hat net and apron.

--Her cheeks changed from a round oval face to angular ones, her nose became sharper, her forehead and brow bones protruded, and her eye sockets became deep-set.

She transformed from a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl into the appearance of a boy.

His body and bones also deformed and twisted, changing from a height of 1.56 meters back to 1.81 meters.

He looked to be around eighteen years old, very young, without a beard or Adam's apple.

My hair got shorter, becoming a neat buzz cut.

His eyes were sharp and piercing.

He started talking to himself--

"--They mentioned Jiang Bailu, right?"

"Yes--"

"--Use my soul power to track them down and find Jiang Bailu."

"No problem--"

"--The Vita Imprint we implanted in her has been cured by the Universal Elixir. The seed of power is about to sprout and blossom; she will definitely be an exceptional person."

"That's right--"

"--The Madness Butterfly likes her very much; I can hear its voice."

"Bring her here--"

"We need to make her willingly and voluntarily come to us."

"How do I do it--"

"--Don't rush things, we're not like the Skull and Skull and Bones Society."

"What's different?"

"--The Skull and Bones Society uses various blood-giving rituals to control the power of the Madness Butterfly, and uses the blood of vile calamities to enslave the goddess of life, White Lady. We are different. We face the Vita Imprint, the crimson sores, and the agonizing torment of White Lady's devouring power. We face this madness with courage."

A powerful aura emanated from this young man.

A humanoid phantom made of shattered mirrors emerged from the body, and with a wave of its hand, a butterfly flapping its wings separated from the mirror.

This butterfly is also made up of broken pieces of glass.

It flew out of the internet cafe and caught up with the three coaches.

It flew through the bustling crowd and darted into Liu Baoquan's mouth.

"--Pfft!"

Old Liu was completely unaware, with a skewer of shredded chicken from the hot pot still in his mouth, feeling nothing amiss from the fiery spiciness. The pungent Sichuan peppercorns masked all the smell of blood.

Zhou Wenlan earnestly instructed, "Remember this! This is the last meal! From now on, you must eat healthily!"

After the three brothers finished dinner, they each went home.

Zhou Wenlan felt inexplicably tired, as if there was a crying baby inside her body demanding energy. She had planned to exercise for a while in the garage at night, but ended up going to bed around nine o'clock.

Li Zongzhu returned to the martial arts school, greeted the shop assistant at the traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy, and then climbed up to the second-floor bookshelves to clean. He was getting sleepier and sleepier, and felt that he hadn't eaten enough for dinner—so he asked the shop assistant for two steamed buns to fill his stomach.

He had just finished eating when the symptoms of carbohydrate dizziness immediately kicked in, and he collapsed onto the yoga mat in the martial arts gym and fell asleep.

Liu Baoquan dragged his weary body home.

He felt like there was a dragon living inside his stomach, and he could never get enough to eat.

When his wife opened the door, she saw that Old Liu was covered in cold sweat and his eyes were bulging with hunger.

"Honey, cook me a bowl of noodles. I'm so hungry. I'm so hungry."

Old Liu's wife, Wenwen, found her husband's behavior strange.

"Didn't you say you were eating out? I didn't save any food for you."

Old Liu squeezed his way through the door, and once in the entryway, he struggled to pull off his shoes, immediately saying, "I'm so hungry, my hands are shaking. Boiled noodles will do, anything edible will do."

Sister Wenwen is a good woman; she didn't ask any questions and went to the kitchen to make noodles for her husband.

But when Sister Wenwen brought the soup noodles back, she saw a very strange scene.

Old Liu sat blankly at the dining table, holding a pile of eggshells in his hands, with a few bits of yolk still on his lips. When he saw his wife arrive, he immediately wiped his mouth clean.

"I ate a few eggs, but I'm still so hungry."

Sister Wenwen started to get nervous, wondering if her husband had contracted some kind of illness.

"My name is Bai Che. What's wrong? Are you sick?"

"It's nothing, I'm just so, so hungry. I don't know why. It feels like all my energy has been drained." Old Liu didn't bother to talk, brought over the soup noodles, and finished them off in just a few bites. "Is there any more?"

Sister Wenwen immediately stood up. "Not enough to eat? Then I'll make more."

"Thank you so much. You've worked so hard." Old Liu suddenly started crying for no apparent reason; his emotions changed very quickly.

This terrified Sister Wenwen. This military police instructor had never cried in front of her before! He only cried once, at his wedding.

"What's wrong with you?! Why are you crying?"

Old Liu sobbed, "I don't know. I feel so sad. I think about how you put so much effort into dressing up every day, and I feel so sorry for you. You do all the housework too. You have to be all dirty, yet you still have to look beautiful. I just feel so sad."

"Hey! That's it?!" Sister Wenwen pulled out a handkerchief and threw it at Lao Liu's face. "Wait! I'll make noodles! If it's not enough, I'll order takeout. You actually feel sorry for me! Heh!"

When Sister Wenwen comes back--

Old Liu was already sitting on the ground, hugging a chair and asleep.

The next morning, exactly twelve hours later.

Zhou Wenlan woke up on the cold floor.

He felt dizzy and his mind was filled with a million bees.

The intense hunger and fatigue made it impossible for him to keep his eyes open.

He managed to grab the refrigerator door, took out the prepared food, and stuffed it into his mouth.

These fitness foods don't fill your stomach at all; it's as if your body is instinctively rejecting them.

"What's wrong with me?"

Wenlan reached for the olive oil bottle and poured it over the chicken breast and broccoli. The taste of the oil in her mouth was surprisingly sweet, as if her taste buds had been activated and her body had been fully awakened.

A pair of slender hands came into view.

Its joints are not as thick as before; it definitely cannot grip a 180-kilogram barbell.

Who the hell has that hand?!

Zhou Wenlan was terrified at that moment.

He could feel the warmth of the hair on the back of his collar and spine.

Glancing at the floor--

I fell asleep in bed last night, but when I woke up I was lying on the floor. What happened?

At this very moment, the floor is covered with a layer of torn human skin!

Fine dandruff and sebum, along with countless hairs, resembled a gruesome and horrific plastic surgery scene, emitting a foul stench.

Zhou Wenlan took a step forward and saw his bare right leg. It still had obvious muscle lines, but all the leg hair was gone!

He felt a vague unease, and through the long hair that obscured his vision, he could see a part of an unfamiliar nose.

He could vaguely imagine what inexplicable things had happened to him.

Walking up to the bathroom mirror, he saw that his sports vest and shorts had become loose.

The face in the mirror was so unfamiliar.

Zhou Wenlan was certain that this was someone she had never met before in her life.

She's a woman--

He could tell at a glance.

She is a very healthy woman with very strong shoulder and neck muscles and core muscles, which she has developed through hard work.

The leg lines are those of a bodybuilder just starting out; they're not like a frog's legs, but rather resemble Chun-Li from Street Fighter.

With long hair covering his chest and well-defined abs and V-line, he is a top-notch fitness enthusiast.

Brushing aside her hair, one is greeted by striking, sharp eyebrows and deep-set eyes.

With a high bridge, slender nostrils, and a small, clean nose tip, her features are very refined, yet slightly harsh and aloof.

The lips look best when you wake up in the morning; they are a vibrant, healthy red color, full of vitality.

At last--

Zhou Wenlan pulled down his pants and glanced down.

He tugged hard at his pants waistband and used the elastic to whip his lower abdomen.

"Snap--"

The pain brought him to his senses, making him realize that it was real.

--he.

--It became her.

Next came the soft yet resonant C programming language.

"Hold!"