Becoming a Martial Saint starts with Jian Ti Quan (a type of Chinese martial art).

Li Tong stood in front of the newly opened restaurant at the west end of the street, his hands in his pockets, a harmless smile on his face.

Behind him stood two men, one bald and the other with a thick beard, both burly and with menacing faces.

The two men were wearing gray cloth short jackets with the sleeves rolled up to their elbows, revealing their thick and muscular forearms. They looked like tough guys who had been practicing martial arts for many years.

"Li Tong, is that kid you're talking about really that lucrative?"

The bald man lowered his voice, his eyes scanning the street.

"A hundred or so silver dollars, plus two bolts of silk, no less."

Li Tong's lips curled up, his tone tinged with smugness.

"A gatekeeper's son, having received such a large windfall, shouldn't he give some back?"

"Hehe, that's true."

The bearded man licked his lips.

"However, if it works out tonight, besides fifty silver dollars, you'll also have to let your new girlfriend stay with us for the night!"

Li Tong straightened his collar, his smile widening.

"No problem, but I have to go first..."

"You go first, you go first..."

The bald man and the bearded man exchanged a glance and then grinned at the same time.

At this time,

Cui Cui turned out from the street corner, wearing a girls' school uniform, her hair tied into a long, black braid.

"Cui Cui, over here."

Li Tong smiled and waved to her, his tone as gentle as honey.

Cui Cui walked over quickly, glancing at the two fierce-looking men behind Li Tong, her expression somewhat tense.

The way these two people looked at her was as if they were appraising a piece of merchandise; their blatant possessiveness made her very uncomfortable.

"Brother Tong, who are these two...?"

"Oh, my friend, he just happened to be eating here, what a coincidence!"

Li Tong made up an excuse on the spot and put his arm around Cuicui's shoulder.

"Where's Fang Shuwen? When will he arrive?"

He said he'd come after school, so it should be soon.

Cui Cui lowered her head, her voice weak, wanting to go home.

Li Tong felt her shoulders tremble slightly, patted her back, and spoke in an even gentler tone:

"Don't be nervous, it's just a meal and a chance to make friends. Make sure you talk to your neighbor properly and don't mess things up."

"It's settled, he agreed."

Cui Cui raised her head and forced a smile.

Li Tong nodded in satisfaction.

The group then entered the shop.

......

The sky quickly darkened completely.

One by one, the shops along the street lit up their lamps, and a dim yellow glow shone through the windows.

One group of customers left the restaurant, and another group arrived.

The waiter refilled their tea table three times, and by the fourth time, the smile on his face had already faded.

However, due to their intimidating demeanor, they refrained from urging anyone to hurry up.

The teacup in front of Cui Cui had long since gone cold. She picked it up, took a sip, and then put it down.

"Brother Tong... how about we stop waiting?"

"It's already nine o'clock. If I don't go back soon, my mom will start to worry!"

Her voice was very low, with a hint of pleading.

Upon hearing this,

The smile on Li Tong's face had long since vanished, replaced by an impatient gloom.

He slammed his teacup down on the table with a loud "clatter".

"Wait a little longer."

Two words, firm and unyielding, leaving no room for negotiation.

Cui Cui shrank back, not daring to utter another sound.

Li Tong's gloomy face felt somewhat unfamiliar to her.

At the same time, she inexplicably remembered that Fang Shuwen had told her the day before yesterday that Li Tong had problems and that she should stop contacting him.

Could Fang Shuwen be telling the truth?

The bald man and the bearded man sat at the next table, with a small pile of sunflower seed shells in front of them.

The bald man yawned, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Li Tong and Cuicui twice, a smile that was hard to decipher playing on his lips.

Whether that person comes or not, I'm sure I won't lose out tonight.

After thinking for a moment, he went up to Li Tong and the other person.

"Li Tong, are you telling me whether your friend is coming or not? Our legs are numb from sitting so long."

"that is."

The bearded man echoed, tapping his hand on the table.

As they spoke, their gazes were fixed coldly on Li Tong.

Li Tong's expression turned even uglier.

He glanced at the clock on the wall; the hour hand had already pointed to nine o'clock.

It's been a full three hours since school ended.

If Fang Shuwen wanted to come, he would have come long ago.

The other party is definitely not coming.

Fine, we'll just have to sacrifice Cuicui.

Since they're not virgins, we can sell fewer and still make a profit.

Li Tong stood up.

"Let's not wait any longer, let's go."

Cui Cui quickly stood up, picked up her schoolbag, and headed out.

.......

"Cui Cui".

Outside the shop, in a dimly lit alley.

Li Tong called out to her, his gloomy expression lessening and replaced by a gentle smile.

At this moment, the two bald men blocked her way.

"Don't rush off, little sister."

The bald man grinned, revealing two rows of yellow teeth, and patted Cui Cui on the shoulder.

"You and your brother asked us for help, you can't expect us to make a wasted trip, can you?"

Cui Cui shrank back as he patted her shoulder, taking half a step back, her back bumping into the bearded man's chest.

"that is."

The bearded man lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over Cui Cui's body, and clicked his tongue twice.

"We've been waiting for three hours without even a sip of water. Little sister, how about we find another place, you keep us company for a couple of drinks, and then we can go back?"

Cui Cui's face turned pale instantly.

She instantly realized what these two were up to!

She turned her head sharply and looked at Li Tong.

"Brother Tong!"

Her voice was already trembling with tears.

Li Tong stood beside the table, his hands in his pockets, watching her.

He didn't move.

The gentleness on her face gradually faded, revealing the cold indifference beneath.

There was no emotion in those eyes.

It doesn't look like you're looking at a person.

Cui Cui's heart sank, and she had a bad feeling.

"Brother Tong...you...say something..."

Her voice was trembling, and her eyes were already red.

Li Tong finally spoke.

"Cui Cui, my two brothers have been waiting all night. It would be really inappropriate for you not to have a drink with them."

His tone was flat, as if he were stating something obvious.

Cui Cui's tears welled up instantly.

She shoved the bald man aside and rushed toward the alley entrance.

The bald man grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Why are you running?"

His strength was astonishing; he pulled Cui Cui so hard that she spun around halfway.

"Let me go!"

Cui Cui struggled, her voice becoming shrill and distorted.

But there was no one around in this alley.

Even if there were people around, no one would dare to meddle in such a situation.

"Li Tong! Help me!"

Li Tong stood there, looking at her expressionlessly, as if watching a farce that had nothing to do with him.

The bald man grabbed Cui Cui's arm and covered her mouth with his other hand.

"Stop yelling, it's no use."

"You don't know, do you? Your boyfriend has more than one girlfriend. His other girlfriends were all sold off to Sheng Hai a long time ago!"

In an instant, Cui Cui's eyes widened in disbelief.

Fang Shuwen was right, Li Tong really is not a good person!

At that moment, Cui Cui felt immense regret for not listening to Xiao Fang.

But in an instant, he felt resentment again.

Xiao Fang clearly knows that Li Tong is not a good person, so why didn't he come tonight?

If he comes, these people might not touch her!