Cosmic Demon

Chapter 19: Righteous Fist Club, Gladiator

The thick iron door clanged and the long metal grille for ventilation was pushed open.

"Ayuan, you came early today."

Seeing that it was not a unfamiliar face, the vigilance in those eyes disappeared.

Along with the sound of the bolt being pulled, a burly man appeared behind the door.

A bald guy with a tattoo on his neck, wearing a short-sleeved denim jacket and studded leather pants.

The overall image fits the stereotype of a gangster very well, unless you hear his gentle voice.

What a bear-like macho man!
Qin Shi was startled and thought to himself, Brother, you are so big and strong, just like a brown bear spirit.

As a result, he opened his mouth like Hakimi and acted cute, which was too much of a contrast.

Li Yuan smiled and said:
"Brother Yu said that he would hold a big show tonight, and asked Ah Cheng and I to be careful and not be late."

The bald guy scratched his head, showing a completely harmless attitude that was totally inconsistent with his appearance, and said naively:

"Yes. Brother Yu has been preparing for a long time. He has specially invited lighting technicians, hosts, and sign girls from the urban area. Then Ayuan, you should go in quickly. If Brother Yu doesn't see you, he will start scolding you again."

With his muscular body like a rugby goalkeeper, he stepped aside and Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng entered one after another.

"Hey, Ayuan, why are you taking others through the back door?"

Noticing a strange handsome young man, the bald guy hurriedly stopped him and shook his head in embarrassment:

"He's not from the Midnight Palace, right? That's against the rules."

Li Yuan turned around:
"He is my classmate. Midnight Palace has been hiring a lot recently. Brother Ze treated us to a drink last time and asked me and Ah Cheng to ask our friends if there are any trustworthy brothers who can be recommended to work here.

Ah Shi learned boxing with me, and he is also very smart. Brother Ze will definitely like him!"

The reasons Li Yuan gave were very sufficient. The bald man looked at Qin Shi again. He looked weak and delicate, like a good boy.

If he wears a pair of glasses, he will look like a good student from a wealthy family in the urban area.

"Is that so? Okay then, remember to get him a set of work clothes, otherwise it will be too conspicuous."

"Brother Yuan, don't worry about what he does! I'll treat you to a meal some other day, Sister Hua!"

Xie Yucheng clasped his hands together and smiled as he thanked the bald man for letting him pass.

"Why call me Sister Renhua?"

Walking through the narrow corridor that could only accommodate two people side by side, and turning into the dressing room for Midnight Palace employees, Qin Shi asked in a low voice.

"Bald Brother's real name is Niu Aihua. He likes to grow some flowers and plants, feed cats and so on. The elderly who have been with Brother Ze for a long time make fun of him for being like a woman and call him Sister Hua.

He himself did not object to this nickname, and it became his custom over time.”

Xie Yucheng changed into a white shirt, black vest, trousers and leather shoes, and tied a red bow tie.

In an instant, he went from being a senior high school student at Zidi No. 9 Middle School to a nightclub waiter.

"You are taller, so wear this. Ah Shi, don't think this is a bad thing. We can just serve fruit plates and drinks, and earn a hundred bucks a night. If we are lucky enough to meet generous customers, we can give them hundreds of dollars in tips."

Li Yuan took out a set of work clothes from a locked metal cabinet and held it in his hand without handing it over directly:
"Brother Ze is a nice guy. Let's get to know him. When you have time in the future, you can come here to work.

Of course, if you don’t like this environment, that’s fine…”

Qin Shi raised his hand to take the work clothes and put them on quickly:

"I was worried about having no work! In order to attend Lao Liang's cram school, I quit my part-time job at the gym, and only had a day job at the Youth Palace left.

Being a waiter is better than being a receptionist, and you can move around. I won’t say polite words, on payday, I’ll treat Brother Yuan and Brother Cheng to a meal at the Li Ji food stall at the back door of No. 9 Middle School! Their stir-fried dishes are delicious!”

Xie Yucheng suppressed his laughter:
"What are you talking about? The boss of that store is Brother Yuan's father."

Qin Shi was stunned for a moment:
"what?"

Seeing that Qin Shi did not show any disdain or alienation, Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, and his approval in his heart increased. He smiled and said:

“After my parents were laid off, they changed jobs in several small factories, but they didn’t stay there for long because their bosses left.

Later, I thought, I can't let a living person die from holding his urine, so I got a tricycle and started selling lunch boxes from dawn to dusk.

After saving money for several years, he finally bought a storefront and started doing neighborhood business.

Next time we go to eat together, tell him that he is my classmate and ask him to give me more rice. "...

……

"The exciting show will make your blood boil!"

"Fight Club, soft opening in a week!"

"Fist to the flesh, return to the wild nature..."

Several flashy posters were posted in the aisle, with huge artistic fonts surrounding sexy girls holding signs, which made passers-by take a second look.

"This is tonight's show. Brother Ze has recruited a lot of boxers and plans to organize underground boxing matches to attract more bosses to come and play."

Li Yuan and Qin Shi stood in the corner, like minions waiting to be summoned.

The interior decoration of the Midnight Palace is very luxurious. The hall is huge and the ceiling height is seven or eight meters.

The upper and lower floors are divided by a winding staircase, with individual private rooms provided.

It doesn't look like a place that should be in an old factory street.

This thought popped into Qin Shi’s head.

"Boxing match? Is there a prize?"

he asked casually.

"Of course! It's about 200,000... It's not easy to earn this kind of money. It's not a formal competition, and there are no restrictions. It's easy to get injured or disabled."

Li Yuan was still terrified, as if he had witnessed some bloody scene with his own eyes:
"Brother Ze is a black boxer, and no one cares if someone gets killed in the ring.

Everyone must abide by the rules, and not report the case to cause trouble. At most, we will be given some compensation and resettlement allowance."

Qin Shi's eyelids twitched slightly:

"So cruel? Can you kill someone with your bare hands?"

Li Yuan nodded:
"Ashi, you don't know that a long time ago, Beiguan Street was a mess. There were people collecting protection fees, working as grooms and brothels to take girls to the streets, and taking people to black-hearted factories to sell their bodies. There were too many bad things.

So gradually some gangs were formed and some rules were set. Every year when the harvest season comes, those powerful bosses sit together to divide up the territory and make money in harmony.

Brother Yuan, your boss wouldn’t be a member of Hongxing, right?

The more Qin Shi listened, the more it sounded like the Young and Dangerous movies he had seen in his previous life.

He looked around calmly and saw several burly figures in black suits guarding the stairs leading to the second floor.

They all have the same tattoo on the back of their hands, a pitch-black fist with five fingers clenched!
"These are the big boss's bodyguards. The big boss set up a 'Righteous Boxing Club' a few years ago and hired many boxers. It is said that Brother Ze also fought in the ring before and was highly appreciated by the big boss, so he was given the largest place in Beiguan Street, Midnight Palace."

Li Yuan is well-informed, which shows that he has been here for a long time.

"The Righteous Fist Society..."

Qin Shi took note of it silently, and then asked:
"Why do you keep a boxer? To train a bodyguard?"

Li Yuan hesitated slightly, looked around, and lowered his voice quietly:

"They are training 'fighters', the kind who specialize in fighting in the ring. There are many territories and gangs in Jiuchang Street, and the bosses can't do business because of the fighting. In the end, they just resort to boxing to solve the problem.

I heard from Sister Hua that the reason why Brother Ze became famous was because the big boss had a conflict with some dragon that crossed the river, and Brother Ze volunteered to draw a life-or-death lottery, and won the fight, helping the big boss win both face and money."

Qin Shi suddenly realized and finally understood why Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng worked hard to learn boxing and signed up for cram school to develop their vitality.

Unlike other students, he planned to go down to the mines to earn money.

The appearance of Ze Ge from the Yiquan Society made them see another way out.

"Alas, there is no future in being a gangster, Brother Yuan. With your brains and personality, you can only be a 'plane' at best, and you still need a chance to recognize the boss as your godfather."

Qin Shi thought silently and was not optimistic about Li Yuan and Xie Yucheng's choices.

But from their perspective, this is indeed the only chance for young people who were born in Jiuchang Street and cannot get into a good university to stand out.

"Fortunately, I have other options and can run in a broader direction."

Qin Shi was glad that if he had not been admitted to the New No. 1 Middle School in Tai'an Metropolitan Area, he would not have unlocked the monument and followed Lao Liang to learn the old martial arts.

Perhaps, we are also unable to escape the cruel fate of swaying like weeds!
(End of this chapter)