From Igniting Talents to Becoming a Demon God Section 16

"Really?"

Lin Ze frowned at him, a little surprised.

Li Heng, Xiao Yang, and the others beside him looked even more astonished and peppered him with questions.

"Damn, Chao, where did you scrape together the tuition? Don't tell me you took out a loan?"

"Brother Lu Chao, martial arts expenses are no small thing." Song Yuhan's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she said, puzzled, "Our jewelry store has two security guards whose vitality is around 15 points. For the salary and subsidies the boss promised them, they're constantly ordered around. Even when they're scolded, they don't dare talk back."

"And from what they said, they need ten or twenty thousand in food and nutrition every month just to keep developing their vitality. Without enough talent and financial support, breaking through to Combat Grade is basically impossible..."

As she spoke, she shook her head, feeling this choice was far too risky. It would very likely cost more than it brought in, wasting money for nothing.

Lin Ze and the others agreed as well, chiming in one after another. None of them thought Lu Chao had that kind of talent.

"I'm just giving it a try so I won't regret it in the future."

Lu Chao shook his head lightly. He had not expected such a strong reaction from them, and he completely pushed down the idea of explaining the matter.

The four of them wore different expressions when they heard that, but all of them shook their heads inwardly, not feeling optimistic.

For bottom-rung people like them with no background, how could they dare hope to change their fate through martial arts?

Talent and money were both indispensable, and the 20-point vitality threshold was even harder to cross. If he failed, all the investment in the early stage would go down the drain. It was not worth it at all.

With their own thoughts in mind, everyone eventually dropped the topic.

They chatted for a while, until it was almost nine-thirty.

Rustle!

Dead leaves on the street were crushed under the wheels as a black [Ruiguang] sedan slowly drove over and stopped by the roadside outside the bar.

A crew-cut man in a leather jacket got out from the passenger seat, walked to the back, and opened the car door.

Lu Chao and the others turned to look, and finally saw the person they had come to visit.

"Big Brother Junhao!"

"Brother Hao!"

Warm greetings rang out one after another. Even Lin Ze's expression shifted slightly. He lowered his hands and hurried forward respectfully.

"You guys have been waiting a long time, haven't you?"

A deep, powerful voice sounded, and Lu Chao felt the light before his eyes dim slightly.

Chen Junhao was extremely sturdy. He stood a full 1.85 meters tall, his black short-sleeved shirt stretched tight over his body.

His slicked-back hair was combed quite neatly, and he looked to be in his early thirties.

His features were hard and rugged. There was a long, narrow scar at the corner of his left eye, but it did not make him look ferocious. Instead, it added a touch of toughness.

"Not long at all. We're the ones imposing on you, Brother Hao."

Lin Ze replied with a smile, and the others quickly echoed him.

Chen Junhao swept his gaze over everyone, smiled, and shook his head. Then, to their surprise, he walked straight up to Zhao Yuanqing.

"You brat... I heard you got into it with the Rock Gang again two days ago?"

He took out a cigarette case and lit a cigarette, his words carrying a deeper meaning. Behind him, a burly man from the Hongyi Society also looked over.

Lu Chao froze slightly and immediately noticed Zhao Yuanqing's face flushing red as he tried to explain.

"They were too arrogant, and..."

"So you beat them up."

Chen Junhao cut him off with a half-smile.

"I..."

"Enough." Chen Junhao waved a hand lightly and exhaled smoke. "I've already given the word. They'll stay away from the repair shop from now on."

"But... you, kid, have a quick temper. Sometimes you need to learn when to back down a little."

His voice paused slightly. Rarely did he speak with such earnestness, and those extra words made Zhao Yuanqing lower his head in shame, knowing he had troubled him again.

Lu Chao, meanwhile, looked surprised. He had not expected his close friend to have been hiding something like this these past few days. No wonder he had pushed back their meeting earlier.

But before he could think too much about it or ask further—

"Xiao Chao?"

Chen Junhao looked toward him, sizing him up for a moment before a trace of surprise appeared on his face.

"Not bad. You've got good spirit. Looks like you've started practicing martial arts."

Unlike Lin Ze and the others, he did not try to dissuade him. Instead, he nodded approvingly, a hint of relief appearing on his face.

Then he took a drag from his cigarette, as if thinking something over.

After exhaling the smoke, he looked at Lu Chao and said as though casually, "The bar's short on manpower lately. We're just about to hire a few night-shift security guards."

"What do you think? Interested?"

Night-shift security at a bar.

The hours were from eight in the evening to two in the morning, with four adjustable days off each month, and a salary of four thousand yuan.

After asking a little about it, Lu Chao made his decision.

For someone like him, who urgently needed money, this job was a timely rain, coming at just the right moment.

"Thank you, Brother Hao."

Lu Chao was sincerely grateful. He knew this was the other man's kindness.

Just like back then, when his original self had just left the orphanage with nowhere to go, and had received that same care with the rental room on Factory Street.

"You brat. After taking up martial arts, you've even gotten pretty polite."

Flicking ash from his cigarette, Chen Junhao, dressed in a black shirt, shook his head with a smile.

Then he stepped forward and patted Lu Chao on the shoulder. The force was neither light nor heavy, yet it quietly vibrated into his body.

"Mm, not bad. Your foundation's pretty solid. You haven't gone down some wild path."

Chen Junhao nodded with a smile and withdrew his hand.

Lu Chao's shoulder trembled slightly, and he was a little surprised by the method the other man had just used.

Only now did it occur to him that Chen Junhao had spent years in the Hongyi Society, fighting his way up from a small-time thug to the position of Red Pole. His vitality was definitely not low.

"Here's the deal. Come report in tomorrow night."

"Zhou Qiang, Ah Chao's in your hands. Teach him more from now on."

Chen Junhao gestured to the burly Hongyi Society man behind him and gave a couple of instructions. Then he turned to Lin Ze and the other three, asking about their recent situations.

Like an elder brother, he showed concern and offered suggestions.

It was only when he suddenly received a phone call at the very end that he hurriedly left.

"Brother Hao has helped us so much. We have to find a way to repay him in the future."

Zhao Yuanqing said in a low voice, extremely grateful.

Everyone watched the black sedan drive away, then all nodded solemnly, keeping it in their hearts.

Taking advantage of this gap, Lu Chao lowered his head and glanced at his wristwatch, where the contact number he had just recorded was stored.

It was the number of the Hongyi Society man from earlier, Zhou Qiang. Not only was he Brother Hao's trusted subordinate, he was also the bar's security manager.

"Are you really going?"

Zhao Yuanqing gently nudged Lu Chao's arm. Seeing his determination, he was a little worried. "When the time comes, you'll have to work two jobs, and you still have martial arts training during the day."

"Pushing yourself this hard, can you hold up?"

"I'll hold up even if I can't." Without hesitation, Lu Chao gave a firm answer.

The actual situation was not as difficult as Zhao Yuanqing imagined.

The Cleaning Squad's dispatch times were relatively random and not fixed. Combined with the bar's four days of adjustable rest, he could completely avoid scheduling conflicts.

As for the fatigue brought by high-intensity work and martial arts training...

With the support of the [Primary Resilience] specialty, that was not a problem. He only needed to sleep five or six hours to recover his energy.

"Damn."

Somewhat impressed, Zhao Yuanqing gave him a thumbs-up and said no more.

Afterward, Lu Chao sought advice from Xiao Yang, a waiter at the bar, asking him about the duties involved in night-shift security.

For a time, light breezes blew in waves, stirring the withered leaves on the ground.

It was rare for the six of them to gather, and in the end, they had lunch together before parting one after another.