Chương 65: Stand Firm, My Baby

The old man walked up to Fang Cheng, snatched the flyer from his hand, and lectured him like a seasoned veteran.

"Reading these is useless. What you need to do now is work hard to earn money, then go enjoy yourself at Spring Moon Pavilion. Even if you do not like the girls there and want to go to Summer Sun Pavilion to play with the men, you still need money." He crumpled the flyer into a ball and threw it on the ground. Then he turned to the supervisor and said, "You can rest assured about the people I bring. Every one of them will train hard and get on the job as soon as possible, fulfilling their big-ass dreams...

I mean, their dream of the vast universe and the stars!"

"Haha, Old Huang is right. These flyers are useless. But my boss insists I hand them out, so I just go through the motions." The supervisor laughed, then slipped a silver ingot into the old man's pocket. He added, "I have not met my recruitment quota for this month yet, Old Huang. You and the guys at the city gate need to work harder. Bring in a few more idiots like this one. Once I hit my quota, the bonuses will be yours!" Hey. You sold me out for money, and now you are calling me an idiot to my face?

Do I not exist? Listening to the conversation between the old man and the supervisor, Fang Cheng could not help twitching. He wanted to punch them both. Whew... Take a deep breath. Pretend he did not exist. Then pull out his little notebook and record these crimes under Hu Tong's name. Neither the supervisor nor the old man noticed Fang Cheng's strange behavior. Even if they had, they would not have cared. To them, Fang Cheng was already under their control. They continued chatting.

The old man said, "I would love to help you meet your quota, but business has been slow lately. I heard White Flower City is booming, and a lot of outsiders are flocking there. Shuili City is getting left behind..." The supervisor agreed.

"I know, right? I heard even people from Xijiang Prefecture are heading to White Flower City. Sigh. How did a backwater border town suddenly become so lively?" Fang Cheng leaned in and said, "Because White Flower City has a new City God, wise and great. Under his wise and great governance, White Flower City is thriving, and the people are living in peace and prosperity..." The old man raised an eyebrow and looked at Fang Cheng.

"That is not what I heard. I heard the White Flower City City God is just like the one in Dongyang City, a bastard who does nothing good and only causes trouble. He made a name for himself in Xijiang Prefecture and earned the nickname 'West River Black Judge.' How could he govern a city?"

"Hey, Old Huang, watch your words. If some cultivator in the city hears you badmouthing the Dongyang City lord, you will get beaten again." The supervisor warned. Fang Cheng joined in, "Right. Watch your words. The White Flower City City God is a truly good person, unlike the wicked Hu Tong." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Exactly." The supervisor, caught up in the conversation and not noticing it was Fang Cheng speaking, agreed.

"I bet the new City God of White Flower City is not as bad as the rumors say. My boss also said he is launching a propaganda war with Dongyang City. Never underestimate the power of public opinion. A man can be made a tiger by rumors. If the propaganda war succeeds, White Flower City will suffer, and our business will improve." Fang Cheng perked up. So there was another mastermind behind this. He quickly asked, "Who is your boss?"

"Can't say, can't say." The supervisor hushed him, looking around nervously. Seeing no one else nearby, he relaxed. Then he turned to look at Fang Cheng. Wait. Who are you? Oh, right. That idiot we just bought. Wait. When did you come over here? Who gave you permission to join the conversation?

"Men! Take him inside and give him a good workout!" Two burly men rushed over at the supervisor's command, grabbed Fang Cheng by the arms, and dragged him into the courtyard. The old man waved goodbye with a grin and shouted encouragement, "Work hard! Give it your all! Keep fighting!" Fang Cheng calmly pulled out his little notebook and recorded the burly men's rude behavior under Hu Tong's name. Well, it was not really Hu Tong's doing, but whoever it was, they were all birds of a feather.

It all counted against Hu Tong. Inside the courtyard, Fang Cheng was thrown to the ground. He looked around and saw dozens of men, all wearing shorts and bare-chested. They ranged in age from eighteen to seventy-eight, with varying body types. Some were fat, others as skinny as monkeys. They were all holding horse stances. When they saw the newcomer, their eyes locked onto him. After sizing up Fang Cheng's small frame, their expressions varied: contempt, disdain, but mostly pity.

"Focus! Hold your stances steady! Anyone looking around again will not sleep tonight!" A tall, broad-shouldered man walked out of the building, hands clasped behind his back, snorting coldly. The men quickly snapped back to attention, focusing on their horse stances. Fang Cheng got up from the ground, brushed off his clothes, walked among the men, crouched down, and assumed the horse stance. Seeing how obedient Fang Cheng was, the tall man nodded approvingly. He walked over and said, "My surname is Zhao.

I will be your instructor. Call me Instructor Zhao. From now on, you have no name. You are only number 20865, or 865 for short. Understood?"

"Understood." Fang Cheng nodded.

"Good. Now I will teach you the basic stance. Come, warm up with me. Get your blood flowing." Instructor Zhao walked to an open space against the wall, stood still, stretched his arms, rolled his neck, and struck a bodybuilder pose, turning and putting his hands on his hips. He motioned for Fang Cheng to follow. Fang Cheng did as he was told, copying Zhao's movements. He stretched his arms, rolled his neck, and struck a ridiculous pose. He felt like an idiot. Damn it. He would be sure to write this down later.

"Good. 865, repeat this motion twenty times." Instructor Zhao said. Fang Cheng did it twenty times. His powerful cultivator's physique made his movements perfectly precise. Instructor Zhao looked on approvingly.

"Excellent. Now you should feel some heat building up in your body. Do you feel it?" There was no heat at all. This level of exercise was nothing to Fang Cheng, like a sneeze or a scratch. But he could not say that. He could only answer vaguely.

"It seems... maybe... it should... be a little warm... I think."

"Good. Now close your eyes and try to focus that heat in your lower body. Let it all flow to that thing. Yes, you heard me right. That thing between your legs. Let it feel the heat. Let it grow, my baby!" Fang Cheng: "..." Seeing no reaction, Instructor Zhao continued.

"You need to have a fire in your heart. Anger! Do you understand? Think of the injustices you have suffered. Think of your miserable life. Let your anger and resentment make it wild! Let the sky no longer block its eyes. Let the earth tremble before it. Come on, my baby. Rise up on the clouds and mist. Swing that thing. Pierce the sky. Fuck the earth. My fate is in my own hands, not the heavens!" Fang Cheng: "..."