Becoming a saint begins with apprenticing under the last martial arts champion.

After eating, clean up the dishes.

The sky had already darkened.

Lu Changqing walked into the main room and turned on the light switch.

The dim light from the DVD player dispelled the darkness in the room.

He walked to the bedside, lifted the mattress, took out a small bag from underneath, shook out the silver dollars, and counted them one by one.

"one two three...."

These days, before leaving every night, Cui Zhen would collect the homework that Lu Changqing had finished the previous day and send over the "course fees" for those young masters and ladies.

And then send over the new assignment.

As time went by, news of Lu Changqing's homework had already spread among the students in the glitz and glamour of the nightclub.

Not only are their problem-solving approaches vastly different, but they can also mimic notes.

He also knows foreign languages.

This led many students from foreign schools to start patronizing Lu Changqing's business.

This not only made the middleman Cui Zhen eat even more, but also surprised her, and made her like Lu Changqing even more and secretly fall in love with him.

He repeatedly hinted, or even explicitly stated, that Lu Changqing could enjoy the joy of flying into the sky.

But he pretended not to understand and refused them all.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Changqing had counted his assets.

"Fifteen large coins, plus some loose change."

"There are still two weeks until rent is due, so I can save up a bit more..."

"Although I can't save up, I can still maintain a balance between income and expenditure for martial arts training."

Thinking of this, Lu Changqing smiled.

"But simply doing homework for those rich kids is not a long-term solution."

"We still need to find a more reliable approach..."

At this thought, the image of his childhood friend, Wang Hao, appeared in Lu Changqing's mind.

I'll go find Xiao Hao tomorrow and ask him to help me see if there's any work I can do.

Otherwise, as one's martial arts skills improve, one's finances will certainly not be able to sustain the progress.

The most money-consuming saying in Hong Kong is, "First, smoking; second, gambling; third, martial arts training," which is quite reasonable.

As Lu Changqing was thinking this, he heard a knock on the door from the courtyard outside.

Cui Zhen's slightly hoarse yet flamboyant voice rang out.

"Evergreen!"

"Changqing, open the door!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Changqing's expression shifted slightly.

Choi Jin's voice today was different from her usual teasing and playful tone...

I'm in a real hurry!

He quickly got up from the bed and hurried to open the door.

The moonlight was bright and clear.

Lu Changqing opened the courtyard gate, and the smell of cheap perfume wafted out.

Outside the door stood Cui Zhen, her face smeared with rouge and heavy lipstick, her expression flustered.

"Changqing, Wang Laizi and his men robbed us of our money!"

Upon seeing Lu Changqing, she immediately spoke, her eyes revealing lingering fear: "That Wang Laizi, with two thugs, blocked my doorstep..."

"The nearly two silver dollars I should have earned yesterday are gone!"

"Changqing, I'm sorry... but those three were blocking my door, and I happened to have the money in my hand..."

As he finished speaking, his expression showed a hint of gritted teeth and self-reproach.

Upon hearing this, Lu Changqing's eyes instantly turned cold.

The image of Wang Laizi leaning against the edge of the fourth floor, gently tapping his head with his hand, flashed through my mind again...

The fight where the other side ambushed us wasn't over yet, and now they're doing it again!

He softened his tone slightly.

"It's alright, Sister Zhen, it's not your fault."

"Safety is the most important thing."

Looking at the improvement in his attributes and feeling the changes in his body, Lu Changqing already had an idea in mind...

The playboys and promiscuous girls in the nightclubs all come from wealthy families and are very generous.

It is an indispensable source of income.

As the saying goes, blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents!

Not to mention the past grievances between Wang Laizi and him!

When you lack ability or are physically weak, you can't solve problems.

Therefore, you must be patient.

This is what it means to have a knife stuck in your heart!

But now that we have the skills and have learned the techniques, if we continue to be patient, wouldn't all our martial arts training have been for nothing?

To endure any longer would be cowardice!

Anyone can step on your heart!

So, the other party is forcing him to take action.

Lu Changqing asked, "Does Sister Zhen know who the two people following him are?"

Choi Jin immediately replied, "I know!"

"He's not from the village, and he's not from a gang!"

"They seem to be... fishermen who live at the western dock..."

"What's certain is that these guys all want to join the Tiger Head Gang! I met the gang leader a few days ago and chatted with the three of them at a nightclub!"

Lu Changqing pressed further, "Wang Laizi, and the other two, do they know martial arts? Do they have guns?"

Cui Zhen was taken aback, then, with a forced disdain masking her fear, said, "They definitely don't have guns! If they had guns, why would they be living here?"

"Just a stocky, unattached scumbag!"

"I really want to throw them onto the docks and feed them to the fish!"

After asking a few more questions, Lu Changqing handed the completed homework to Cui Zhen.

"Sister Zhen, just do what you're always doing."

"Collect tomorrow's homework and money as they should."

After taking the book, Cui Zhen's eyes flashed with unease and resentment. "What if they come to ambush us again?"

"Those guys also stay out all night."

"Even if I told the landlady, they could still wait for me outside the village."

Finally, Cui Zhen's expression hardened. "We're not doing this business anymore!"

"If we can't make money, he shouldn't expect to get anything out of it either!"

Lu Changqing smiled gently, "It's alright, Sister Zhen, I'll talk to Wang Laizi."

A look of worry crossed Cui Zhen's face. "Will it work? That rascal of his..."

Lu Changqing: "Whether it works or not, we have to give it a try."

"Besides, he can rob you once today."

"Even if I stop doing my homework, can't he still extort money from you for working hours?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Zhen's expression changed instantly. After struggling for a moment, she gritted her teeth and said, "Fine!"

As she spoke, she took out a cigarette, put it in her mouth, struck a match, and lit the cigarette with a yellow flame.

"Inhale—exhale!"

As she exhaled a puff of smoke, Cui Zhen's panicked and bewildered expression gradually calmed down.

As the half-smoked cigarette turned to ash and was shaken off into the air, Cui Zhen's eyes turned fierce: "Changqing, when do you plan to talk to him?"

"Take me with you!"

"Tonight I'm going to ask the girls at the shop for two sharpened watermelon knives... If they don't let us live, I'll fucking fight them to the death!"

Even in relatively stable cities like Hong Kong, gangs and factions run rampant.

People at the bottom of society cannot survive without a bit of malice and viciousness.

Especially when being oppressed, not resisting or showing weakness will only lead to being oppressed even more miserably.

Lu Changqing saw a glimpse of the world's ways in Cui Zhen...

...

...

Pig Cage Alley.

The geographical location is remote.

The so-called nightlife of the new era has nothing to do with this place, which is full of old-fashioned charm.

The sky was dark, with only a crescent moon and a few stars dotting the sky.

Inside the walled city, all the shops on the first floor had already closed for the day.

In the less than five-story tenement building, only a few families, with dim yellow light bulbs on, begin to cook dinner in the stairwell.

Wang Laizi leaned against the edge of the stairwell, constantly stroking the silver dollar in his hand, his face full of smiles.

The two thugs beside him were in the same boat, filled with the excitement of robbing money for the first time.

"This makes money so fast!"

"Exactly! Before, I always had to go to the docks to carry things, working myself to the bone all day for just a pittance! Now, with a little effort, I can earn two silver dollars!"

Listening to the words of his two accomplices beside him, Wang Laizi scoffed, showing his disdain.

"Useless!"

Upon hearing this, the two accomplices put on fawning smiles and said obsequiously.

"Yes, yes, Brother Lai is right."

"Indeed, it was Brother Lai who came up with this idea! Otherwise, we never imagined we could make money so quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Laizi was very pleased. He couldn't contain his joy at being flattered and revealed a smug smile, showing his yellow teeth.

After a brief moment of smugness, he cleared his throat, composed himself, and looked at his students with exasperation:

"How much money can you make just by robbing those nightclub dancers?"

His gaze swept down from the fourth floor to the end of the second-floor corridor, to Lu Changqing's former room, and he said with a menacing tone:

"That kid must have squandered his dad's savings!"

"Hidden in the village, in a secluded courtyard with a guard, like a turtle hiding its head, not coming out."

"Otherwise, we would have fucking taken care of this kid and recruited him into the Tiger Head Gang long ago!"

The other two thugs were also somewhat indignant upon hearing this.

"Can he hide forever?"

"Like a coward hiding in the mud!"

Several people discussed the matter, including the robbery and murder.

Suddenly, one of the thugs pointed to the small gate on the west side of the center of the village, "Brother Lai, look!"

"Is that Lu Changqing?"

Wang Laizi was continuing his "love of teaching" education when he heard the soft call. He quickly leaned out halfway and looked down from the edge of the building.

Although it was dark, the light reflected from the bustling eastern part of the port city still allowed him to see clearly.

It's Lu Changqing!

"Damn! They're finally out!"

Seeing this, Wang Laizi couldn't help but grin maliciously: "You brat, you've wasted so much of my time!"

A thug nearby was incredibly excited, rubbing his hands together, and showing a hint of fear about the impending murder. "He even deliberately chose to go out in the middle of the night!"

"Isn't this a great opportunity for us!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Laizi couldn't help but scoff again, "I told you, we'd keep an eye on them day and night!"

"Is that right?"

The two thugs quickly agreed and began to flatter him.

Immediately, the three of them also quietly went downstairs and followed Lu Changqing from a distance.

...

"Old Liu."

In the dim light, in the cramped room, the curtain was lifted.

Liu Bai opened his eyes on the wooden bed he was lying on.

Looking at his former son of a high-ranking official, now a barber friend, Old Zeng asked, "What's wrong?"

Old Zeng: "The kid you taught has been caught up with."

Liu Bai's previously languid gaze sharpened. "What level of strength?"

Old Zeng turned his head and looked at a man waiting outside the door.

The man immediately spoke up: "Three thugs, they're pretty strong, but they don't have any skills."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bai's gaze became unfocused.

"I'm just teaching him skills, not acting as his bodyguard."

"Besides, how can you practice martial arts without actually fighting?"

"He went out by himself late at night, I guess he had something on his mind... If he's in trouble, he'll just get punched and kicked... Let him be."

Old Zeng: "Then I won't have anyone watching me."

Liu Bai frowned and looked over: "Why aren't you watching? Just help me see how well this kid is doing."

As he spoke, he said to the man outside the door, "Look carefully, come back and tell me, and then I'll give you a couple of pointers."

Upon hearing this, the man's face lit up with delight. "Thank you so much, Lord Liu!"

After saying that, he looked at Old Zeng with longing eyes.

Old Zeng chuckled softly and raised his chin.

The burly man left with a broad smile.

...

To the west, there is the Cungang Wharf, one of the three major wharves in the port city.

It is also the land on which poor fishermen and many ordinary people depend for their livelihood.

It was completely quiet at that moment.

A number of fishing boats were moored on the shore.

On the river, a gentle evening breeze causes the tranquil moonlight reflected in the water to ripple.

In the old-style tenement buildings and alleys near the dock.

Wang Laizi and his two companions lowered their voices and looked at Lu Changqing, who was approaching the shore, with great confusion.

"Brother Lai, what do you think Lu Changqing is doing at the docks so late at night?"

"I heard there are some strange fish roaming the river lately! Could Lu Changqing be possessed by an evil spirit?"

The two thugs were always just hooligans, chatting about cats and dogs, bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

They robbed Cui Zhen, a woman, and after getting the money, they excitedly boasted about it.

But now, when it comes to actually preparing to kill someone, they are afraid.

"Bullshit!" Wang Laizi cursed immediately. "Now is the perfect opportunity!"

Looking at Lu Changqing's retreating figure on the shore and the deserted surroundings, he revealed anticipation and excitement at joining the Tiger Head Gang.

"Whatever he's up to!"

"You two hold him down, I'll give him a whack with a hammer! Then I'll just throw him into the sea, and that'll do!"

Wang Laizi turned to look at the two men, his eyes flashing fiercely: "Don't embarrass me!"

"Kill this brat, and our future will be bright!"

Upon hearing this, the two thugs hurriedly agreed, and a murderous glint gradually rose in their eyes.

After looking around again and finding no one else nearby, Wang Laizi, accompanied by two thugs, immediately approached Lu Changqing.

The footsteps were quite noticeable in the quiet night.

Seeing Lu Changqing turn his head, Wang Laizi took a small iron hammer from his waist, a sneer on his face, "Hmph hmph hmph..."

"After shrinking the time by so many days, it turns out you wanted a water burial."

"That's good, saves us the trouble of carrying you..."

As Wang Laizi spoke, he noticed that Lu Changqing showed no fear or surprise, and even looked him up and down.

Upon seeing that there were three of them, a hint of relief appeared on his lips.

Wang Laizi was slightly taken aback upon seeing this, feeling a thousand questions in his heart, but he also knew that too much talk would only lead to a short-lived dream!

"Laugh at your mother!"

"Get them!"

As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it, and two thugs beside him shouted strange noises and pounced on Lu Changqing.

To Wang Laizi's utter surprise, the outcome was completely unexpected.

Despite his frail health, Lu Changqing was not captured in one fell swoop!

Instead, he remained still, and just as the two men lunged at him, he subtly shifted his feet and sidestepped, dodging their attack!

One of them even tripped over Lu Changqing's outstretched leg!

The man staggered as he tried to get up, only to be met with a powerful side kick from Lu Changqing, which struck him squarely in the temple!

One kick was enough to knock him unconscious!

Another thug missed his target, the force dissipated, and he staggered several steps. Turning around, he saw Lu Changqing finish his kick and look at him.

At this moment, it was also filled with ferocity, its eyes turned red, and it roared again, turning back to pounce.

But the result remained the same; its reckless actions failed to touch Lu Changqing at all.

Instead, Lu Changqing kicked him in the knee, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground, clutching his leg and groaning in pain.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Changqing raised his foot and stomped hard on the throat of the wailing thug!

"Click—!"

The sound of bones breaking was very clear at night.

The thug's eyes widened suddenly, his struggling movements froze, his whole body trembled twice, he spat out blood and foam, his head lolled to the side, and he died.

Lu Changqing's eyes hardened.

This was something he had already thought through before leaving home!

Troublesome, either don't solve it...

Either... be decisive and leave no trace!

He turned to look at Wang Laizi, who was holding a small iron hammer and had a dazed expression.

"Your turn."

Wang Laizi shuddered and woke up when he saw Lu Changqing's fierce eyes and the two corpses lying at his feet.

He, who had been so aggressive, now looked like a drowned rat and couldn't even jump around.

Panic and fear were evident on his face, difficult to conceal.

He forced himself to speak, raising the iron hammer in his hand towards Lu Changqing.

"You, you really think I'm afraid of you?"

"Fuck your mother! I'll beat you to death!"

But when he saw Lu Changqing take the initiative and rush towards him.

Wang Laizi threw down the iron hammer in his hand and turned to run!