Chapter 22: Underworld City

"Wu's Audio-Visual Store."

Located near Cuiyuan New Village, it was only two blocks away from Old Factory Street.

Fang Cheng got off the bus two stops early, exited the station, and walked a few more steps.

There, sandwiched between a row of eateries, he spotted an inconspicuous sign with white characters on a red background.

It was around 9:30 PM; the shop had not yet closed for the night.

Through the sliding glass door, he could see the owner chatting and laughing with two young men sporting dyed yellow hair.

Fang Cheng stepped into the shop and looked around.

On rows of audio-visual shelves, numerous discs with exquisite and dizzying cover art were neatly stacked.

The shop's decor was simple—or rather, it lacked any design whatsoever.

However, the content of the merchandise displayed was remarkably unique.

A glance across the room revealed nothing but action and violence films.

*Drunken Master*, *SPL*, *Eastern Condors*, *The Martial Arts Master*...

There were traditional kung fu films, modern police thrillers, old classics, and the latest releases.

In addition, there were various instructional videos on martial arts combat and documentary footage of competitions.

Clearly, the owner was an extremely hardcore "kung fu fanatic."

"Do you know, Brother Longwei? Before he became famous, he studied White Crane style..."

"The martial saint of a generation, Li Chenglong, was a direct disciple of a Wing Chun master..."

The owner was an older man, in his fifties, yet he spoke of various martial arts styles with the familiarity of an expert, talking incessantly with the two youths.

"Traditional martial arts aren't bad either. The key is finding the right path, and most importantly, having a sincere heart."

"I've looked at your faces and felt your bone structure. I won't call you martial arts prodigies, but you at least possess upper-middle talent."

"They say true skill is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. Look, I've hand-picked these ten discs for you. Once you master them, forget about just playing the lead in a kung fu movie—if you want to join the underworld, taking on ten men at once will be a piece of cake."

"Is it really that magical?"

The two scrawny, yellow-haired youths listened, completely dazed.

"No cheating, no deception. It is absolutely worth the price."

Seeing their skepticism, the owner became even more adamant, pointing toward Fang Cheng, who was standing nearby looking through discs with his head down.

"Look at this young man. He comes to my shop often to buy discs. He observes every day and studies diligently. After watching them, not only has he become more handsome, but his physique has become much more solid."

"Fine, it's only five hundred yuan. I'll take them!"

The two youths sized up the tall and handsome Fang Cheng.

They were quite decisive, pulling out money to buy a dozen premium discs.

Looking at the covers, they were all instructional documentaries on traditional martial arts, such as *Detailed Explanation of the Thirteen Forms of the Five Animal Frolics* and *One Hundred Questions on Wing Chun Essentials*.

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"I wish you great martial fortune, Brother! May you dominate the Dongdu underworld in the near future..."

As he watched his two big customers head out, the owner continued to spout auspicious blessings, his smile blooming like a chrysanthemum.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng stepped forward.

"Uncle Wu, I'm looking for some Karate discs. Do you have any recommendations?"

Hearing the inquiry, the smile vanished from the owner's face as he turned to look at Fang Cheng.

"I have some. Are you planning to rent or buy today?"

"Rent," Fang Cheng answered curtly.

The owner immediately shook his head and sighed. Limping slightly on his left leg, he walked toward the innermost shelf.

A moment later, he returned to the counter, pulled out two Karate instructional discs with somewhat dusty covers, and handed them to Fang Cheng.

"How much?"

"That will be ten yuan."

"Didn't you say it's five yuan per disc for a week, and you give a twenty percent discount for two?"

The owner's eyes widened at the remark, and he grumbled, "You're as shrewd as a monkey! If only you were more generous so I could make a bit more money off you!"

Fang Cheng smiled. After paying the deposit, he tucked the two discs into his satchel and walked out of the shop.

The owner of this audio-visual store was named Wu Datong. Although his mouth was a bit sharp, he was actually a decent person.

It was said that he had participated in combat competitions in his youth but was forced into retirement due to a serious injury. He had run this shop for over a decade.

The shop's name started with his surname and carried the implication of "making friends through martial arts."

Carrying his bag, Fang Cheng walked along the dimly lit streets.

As he progressed, the number of pedestrians did not decrease; instead, they seemed to be gathering in increasing numbers.

The reason for this anomaly was the presence of a highly popular open-air night market nearby—the Beijiao Night Market.

It had been raining for the past few days, leaving many local residents and college students feeling cooped up.

Now that the weather had cleared, they were all choosing to go out for a stroll to relax.

A rhythmic, energetic burst of music drifted from not far away.

Fang Cheng looked up.

Under the cover of night, a chaotic array of colorful neon signs stood tall.

On both sides of the street ahead, stalls selling various goods were set up, and a mouth-watering aroma wafted through the air.

The streets, which were desolate during the day, surged with life after dark as the influx of people brought a chaotic, vibrant energy from all walks of life.

Although Jiangbei's economy was at the bottom of the rankings, its nightlife was among the most abundant in the city's fifteen districts.

If one had to choose a place that best represented the "common folk" of Dongdu, it would undoubtedly be here.

Many tourists from outside Dongdu even made special trips to this place to experience the raw, grounded atmosphere of the local streets.

Seeing the bright lights and the bustling crowds ahead, Fang Cheng felt a stir in his heart.

Remembering that Zhou Xiumei also had a stall here, he quickened his pace and turned into the night market.

"Clearance sale! Everything must go! Don't miss out, rare opportunity..."

"Cheap prices! Brand name sneakers for cheap! Over 300 yuan for just over 100..."

"Bobo Chicken! Ah, Bobo Chicken! One yuan per skewer..."

The cries of vendors rose and fell, filling his ears.

The iron woks in the food stalls roared and hissed, sending waves of oil smoke mixed with the scent of scallions and garlic toward him.

Though the temperature dropped to around zero at night in winter, the area was a scene of feverish activity.

As Fang Cheng wandered through the crowd, his eyes scanned the area until he caught sight of a familiar silhouette.

Among the street vendors, a woman wearing a white down jacket with a scarf wrapped around her mouth stood out.

Amidst the biting wind, her hair fell to her shoulders as she sat primly on a step with her knees pressed together. A red cloth was spread out before her.

On it were various small, exquisite, and cartoonish handicrafts.

The craftsmanship must have been quite good, as a group of older men and young guys kept coming over to ask for prices.

Watching her busy figure, her face flushed slightly pink as she reached up to wipe a bead of sweat from her forehead, Fang Cheng smiled faintly.

It seemed Xiumei's business was doing well today.

Just as he was about to walk over to greet her and offer some help, he saw several hooligans approaching her stall with smirks on their faces.

"Ah-Dai wasn't lying after all. Fair skin, big eyes—she really is a beauty!"

"Sister, why work so hard at a stall to support your family? Wouldn't it be better to follow Brother Fei and live the high life?"

"Ooh, she's shy. Pure girls like this are rare nowadays. I like it..."

The group behaved flippantly, their words foul; they were clearly local thugs.

Seeing this, several other customers picking out goods quickly moved away to avoid getting caught up in the trouble.

Zhou Xiumei frowned and lowered her head, responding in a muffled voice

"I am not doing business with you. Please leave..."

However, her pitiable appearance only made the thugs' eyes widen with greed.

One of them, referred to as "Brother Fei," reached out, intending to pull away the scarf covering her mouth to see her true face.

Startled, Zhou Xiumei scrambled to dodge.

But her thick down jacket sleeve was still caught by the man, making it difficult to break free.

Her lovely face contorted in distress as she swung her arm forcefully, her voice tinged with slight anger

"Let go! Let go of me! I'll call the police!"

"Heh, the cops won't do much around here..."

Just as the thugs were laughing and teasing the harmless, rabbit-like young woman, a hand suddenly reached out and gripped Brother Fei's wrist with sudden force.

"You... ah!"

Brother Fei froze. Just as he was about to bark an insult, a piercing, bone-deep pain shot through his wrist.

Immediately after, he erupted into a series of frantic screams

"Let go! Let go! Let go!"

The crowd looked over in surprise to see a handsome young man standing right in front of Brother Fei.

His seemingly slender, long fingers were like iron pincers, clamping tightly around the man's wrist.

"Brother Cheng—"

Zhou Xiumei let out a cry of pleasant surprise.

Her eyes sparkled with joy, but they quickly clouded with worry.

(End of Chapter)