Chapter 07: A Brief Respite from Life's Burdens

"Damn it, who do you think you are..." The one who was clearly intoxicated seemed completely unaware of the impending danger, continuing to curse and complain.

The young lady did not dare to reach out, so Yang Wei directly rolled up the money and inserted it into her low neckline, saying, "Don't be shy, this is how it is here. Be careful in the future. You may go now"

Upon entering room 218, Yang Wei's suspicions were largely confirmed. A bald, pot-bellied man was half-naked and reclining on the bed, seemingly a bit intoxicated. Two companions stood nearby, their thick eyebrows and large eyes marred by numerous blemishes, suggesting they were not of good character. The inebriated man slurred angrily, "Damn it, I had a fling but didn't finish, and now you want 300 yuan from me, whether it's diamond-studded or gold-plated... Damn it... I refuse to pay, let's see what you can do to me!"

Yang Wei counted out five red one-hundred-yuan bills from Wang Huzhi's hand and handed them to the slightly embarrassed young lady beside him, saying, "Here, take it!"

"Please explain what is going on here," Yang Wei said, folding his arms and looking at the three uninvited guests.

"Get lost!" Yang Wei truly had no way to deal with this unreasonable person. After kicking the door once more, he finally went out. "Train your subordinates well. Don't just stand there foolishly when something happens and let others scold you. Isn't it embarrassing to let this be known?"

As it approached midnight, Yang Wei, who had been active for over two hours, had already sweated two or three times, his body damp as if he had just been pulled out of water. Yang Wei stopped, exhaled a breath of stale air, and felt exceptionally refreshed. He directly filled two basins with water from the faucet, washed himself simply, dried off, and tidied his clothes. He began his second round of inspections. Generally, around midnight is the time for security personnel to change shifts at various locations, and particularly in saunas, midnight marks the peak business period. With Yang Wei's current position, he could simply inquire through the intercom, but he truly could not commend the discipline of his security team. He insisted on personally checking once a day to feel at ease.

The two of them got up, feeling defeated as soon as they made a move, and looked at Wang Huzai, who was glaring at them, frightened and hurriedly protecting their heads

Brother Yang, thank you! The young lady raised her head

I went out for a late-night snack and am on my way back to the library!" A timid security guard said to Yang Wei, who had a stern expression on his face.

Yang Wei is quite satisfied with his design. He has been to the gym before, but the seemingly intricate and glamorous fitness equipment there does not impress him at all, and he finds it hard to muster any enthusiasm. In his view, these pieces of equipment are more like toys for urban dwellers; if one truly wants to exercise, it is far more practical to engage in farm work. This is also true at Huayan Temple, where the foundation of martial arts begins with daily life activities such as fetching water, cooking, and chopping firewood. These chores not only build physical strength but also cultivate one's willpower. There is an old saying that all martial arts come from Shaolin, and indeed, the martial arts of Shaolin originate from life itself. The martial aspect is superficial, while the essence lies in the inner cultivation; the surface is merely a facade, and true skill is forged through the accumulation of daily practice. Yang Wei himself witnessed an old monk sweeping the floor at Shaolin Temple using an iron broom weighing seventy to eighty pounds when he was traveling with his master as a child. Most young people cannot even lift it, and it is said that this old monk has been doing it for forty years. Until he was eighty, he remained sharp of hearing and sight. Yang Wei estimates that in a real fight, three or five young men would not even be able to get close. His master, Kongxing, was the same; even the day before his passing, he was teaching Yang Wei to practice boxing with steady steps. For Yang Wei, martial arts are as ordinary as the daily necessities of life. He has practiced martial arts since childhood out of habit rather than purpose, and as for the pursuit of goals... Oh, by the way, at Yang Wei's level, he does not quite understand the concept of pursuit, and that is a topic for another day.

Brother, don't hit, don't hit, let's talk it out!" The two burly men held their heads and began to plead for mercy

Wang Huzai smiled awkwardly but did not refuse, and the two of them had become exceptionally skilled at conning people, having practiced together long before they arrived in Jinxiu. Typically, one would play the role of the black character and the other the red, and when they swindled money, they would split it equally.

"Brother, don't! Just kick me a couple more times to vent your anger!" Wang Huzai said with a grin, "Brother, I have elderly parents above me, young children below me, and a wife in the middle. Have some pity on me, let me watch the car lot; it would be better to let me be a gigolo instead!"

Brother, this is for you! Wang Huzi watched Yang Wei prepare to leave, knowing that everything was fine, and he took the remaining money from earlier and stuffed it into Yang Wei's pocket.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the sauna, Yang Wei felt angry. There was not a single security guard at the entrance. Upon entering, Yang Wei glared and asked the bar staff, "Where is the security? Why is there no one on duty?"

The waiter standing at the stairway approached and said, "Brother Yang, I know, I will take you there!"

Two security guards stood awkwardly nearby, the same two that Yang Wei had seen earlier. The young lady, now dressed, was hiding behind the guards, occasionally touching her face, likely having been struck on the face.

Thank you, two elder brothers! The young lady slightly raised her head, took the money from her collar, handed it over, and said: "This money... let it be a token of filial piety from the younger sister to the two elder brothers."

Yang Wei, who had been talking to himself and had reached the stairway, turned back and said to Wang Huzi: "Huzi, come with me! There is something going on at Gecheng!"

"I will settle the accounts with you later," Yang Wei said to Wang Huzai, who had walked up to him. "Close the door, so the guests don't see the joke."

Under Yang Wei's intense gaze, the two lackeys felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles. They fumbled nervously, gathering all the loose bills into a large pile and presenting it to Yang Wei. Yang Wei gestured with his chin, indicating that it should be handed over to Wang Huzai. Wang Huzai snatched it up, counted it roughly, and cursed, "Damn it, it's only a little over 1,000! You think you can act like a big shot here with just 1,000?" As he spoke, he kicked the person who delivered the money in frustration.

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Do not be afraid, just do what you need to do. This situation does not occur often, and if anything happens, just look for Huzi Yang Wei tried to speak in a calm tone to avoid frightening the young lady and managed to send her away

"Well done!" Yang Wei said, applying force with his left hand. Using the technique of 'Splitting Tendons' from his capture move, the first big man crouched down in pain. With his right hand, he intercepted the punch of another big man coming from Wang Huzai, perfectly catching it. Yang Wei seized the big man's fist and, with a swift pull, caused the second man to involuntarily fall on top of the first. Meanwhile, Wang Huzai, standing to the side, took advantage of the situation and stomped on the heads of both men.

"Here they come... Who the hell is causing trouble here? Let me see..." From a distance, Wang Huzhi could be heard panting as he ran back with two others.

"Big brother, take it easy. My brother is just helping the book people as a lackey!" A burly man spoke, his tone clearly softened.

"Huzi, this kid has a dirty mouth; give him a wake-up call!" Yang Wei said without changing his expression

"Get lost! Take that pig from the bed with you," Yang Wei said coldly. The two lackeys, as if granted a reprieve, hurriedly dressed the person on the bed who had already begun to snore. One carried the person while the other held the remaining clothes, and they quickly left.

Under normal circumstances, from 9:00 to 12:00 is primarily the time for guests at the singing city to enjoy themselves and for the performers to showcase their talents. During this period, Yang Wei, who is naturally restless, would continuously exercise in the security room until the shift change. For someone who has been both a monk and a soldier, this job is indeed too easy, leaving him with an abundance of energy with no outlet. Thus, the security room became a place for him to unleash his imagination and vent his energy. The walls were covered with layers of paper, which had to be replaced on average once a month due to the relentless pounding of his punches. The floor, originally smooth cement, began to develop pits and hollows from the unique stomping movements of the Luohan fist, and every day he would sweep out some cement debris. The hanging sandbag was initially filled with sawdust, but later Yang Wei found it insufficient and replaced it with a mixture of sawdust and sand. Eventually, he still felt it lacked intensity, so he switched to a bag filled entirely with fine sand, which became as hard as a stone. Originally, the security personnel would occasionally engage in playful sparring and warm-up exercises here, but one day, when a junior security guard tried to hit the sandbag, he ended up injuring his hand and yelping in pain, which deterred anyone else from attempting to practice their skills in this space. Thus, it truly became Yang Wei's dedicated training ground, where he could expend all his remaining energy using these tools.

Including the room fee, the cost for the ladies, the compensation for the brothers' emotional distress, and the image loss fee for our bathing center, let's settle for 2000 yuan said Wang Huzi, counting on his fingers and carefully calculating the expenses Yang Wei already knew that this guy used to collect usury, and his calculations would never result in a loss.

As soon as he ascended the stairs, he heard the noisy sounds in the corridor, and several guests occasionally peeked out from their rooms to take a look. From the vague introduction provided by the waiter, Yang Wei estimated that it was yet another case of someone who had drunk too much, acted wildly, and then refused to take responsibility after pulling up their pants

"Don't flatter me, as per the usual practice, we split it in half when we meet, I don't want more than that!" Yang Wei took out the money, roughly divided it in half, and returned it to Wang Huzai

"Someone came and beat up the girl under my command. Brother Yang, Sister Wu is counting on you... Please come quickly!" It seemed that Wu Mami was afraid Yang Wei might not come, as she spoke with tears in her eyes: "The girl who just arrived at my house today was beaten up, and it was your security guards who did it... Oh! Oh! Oh! Even the security guards are fighting among themselves... Hurry up, someone might get killed."

"Damn it, every time something happens, I can't find you, not letting me have a moment of peace." Yang Wei closed the door and slapped Wang Huzai on the back of the head.

In the splendid Song City and bathing centers, in addition to their regular salaries, the security personnel are often financially incentivized by the ladies for their safety. Sometimes, guests also provide the security staff with a small tip for introducing the ladies, which is quite lucrative. Naturally, Yang Wei, as the team leader, also benefits from their generosity.

"Damn, here come two tough guys!" Before anyone could react, Yang Wei's right hand pressed down on the pulse point of Wang Huzhi's shoulder. The burly man trying to block Wang Huzhi felt his arm go numb and lost control of it. Another man, sensing that the situation was not in his favor, threw a straight punch right at him.

Oh dear, big brother, come quickly, something serious has happened here! The voice coming from the microphone, tinged with a hint of crying, immediately made Yang Wei recognize it as that most mischievous Wu Mami.

Just as the two were calculating how to split the money, Yang Wei's rarely ringing phone made a series of beeping sounds, which could easily be mistaken for an old-fashioned pager. Yang Wei took out his old Nokia 5110 and, seeing a somewhat familiar number, couldn't immediately recall who it was. With a sense of confusion, he answered, "Hello, who is this?"

They are all on the second floor, it seems someone is causing trouble! The young waiter at the bar, who was processing the bill, was startled and pointed to the second floor, saying it was Yang Wei.

What happened, please speak properly!

Brother, show some respect, this person is our boss, he has truly had too much to drink, we will take care of the payment

You two, get up!" Yang Wei reached out to stop the still reluctant Wang Huzai.

A session of the 54-style Luohan Fist filled the entire room with echoes of exertion. However, Yang Wei no longer confined himself to the traditional forms of Luohan Fist; occasionally, inspired by the moment, he would also demonstrate the grappling techniques, low kicks, and the 16 methods of capturing prisoners that he had learned in the military. The security guards outside, who were watching the cars, would occasionally join in with sounds of "Hi, hi..." followed by the rhythmic thuds of him striking the sandbag, and the loud bangs of hitting layers of paper. Generally, at this time, the increasingly annoyed security guards would wisely step outside, for in their eyes, listening to Yang Wei practice boxing was less appealing than watching the guests at the sauna engage with the ladies of the night.

Oh, brother, please don't hit me. I just stepped out, and before I even got through the main door, something happened... Oh dear..." Wang Huzhi looked aggrieved, completely unlike the fierce and menacing figure he had been when kicking someone just moments ago

"Take it, take it. Earning money by occasionally visiting is not easy, and you don't even deserve to show filial piety! And don't go out saying that Jinxiu City is bullying the young lady!" Wang Huzi's raspy voice startled the young lady, causing her to retract the money again. He shook his head and said, "Look clearly, this is Captain Yang; all the young ladies in Jinxiu City call him 'Big Brother'"

Damn it, I've heard of people dining and dashing, but I've never heard of anyone firing a cannon without paying!" Wang Huzi had a smug look on his face.

Alright, alright, don't rush me, I'll be there soon!" Yang Wei hung up the phone, feeling confused about the chaotic situation. Who called whom is still unclear. It's truly frustrating that there are always troublesome matters, and today seems particularly overwhelming.

"You can choose between two options," Yang Wei said, staring at the two henchmen who had just been glaring menacingly. "One is that I drag the three of you away, and the other is that you pay up and leave on your own!"

Ah! Alright! Wang Huzhi rolled up his sleeves and was about to step forward to confront the person. Two observing companions immediately blocked Wang Huzhi's path, with one companion directly reaching out to support Wang Huzhi's shoulder, startling him.

"Tiger, calculate how much they owe!" Yang Wei replied coldly without paying any attention.

"Why are you two here? Where are the others? What about your team leader, Wang Huzi?" Yang Wei asked angrily. In the sauna, what is most abundant is these trivial matters; if there aren't a few embarrassing incidents every day, it just doesn't feel right.

I tell you, next time something happens and you are not around, come with me to the parking lot. I see if this place has made you forget everything. Yang Wei kicked him twice on the backside before letting him go

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