Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

When Liu Ruyan and her companion returned to the headquarters of the Zhenyi Division, the sun was already setting.

At this hour, there was no one on the road anymore. The bluestone slabs, having been warmed by the setting sun all day, still felt warm to the touch.

Fang Yingxia followed beside her, chattering on and on, "I just don't understand why you went all the way home to get your things and even had someone check your room number."

"You went through all that trouble just to deliver this to Chen Mo?"

"If you're going to deliver it, then deliver it. Why did you have to pick this time? Can't you do it tomorrow?"

Liu Ruyan held a cardboard box wrapped in red cloth in her hand, ignoring her, her eyes constantly scanning the courtyards on both sides.

"East Third Hospital, East Third Hospital... this is it."

The courtyard gate was ajar, and Liu Ruyan pushed it open.

The sounds of water and laughter came from inside.

In the courtyard, four or five shirtless boys were gathered around the well, some splashing water on themselves, others rubbing their backs with towels, water splashing everywhere.

The setting sun shone on a row of gray-black ridge beams, making the water droplets sparkle.

Liu Ruyan stood frozen at the doorway.

Fang Yingxia peeked out from behind her, glanced at her, screamed, and covered her eyes, but her fingers were wide open.

The courtyard was in an uproar.

Holy crap!

"Someone has come in!"

"It's a woman!"

"Quick, quick, where's the towel?"

There was a flurry of excitement.

The wooden tub was kicked over, and someone else bumped into the door frame with a thud.

Several boys rushed into the house carrying clothes. One of them ran too fast, slipped, and fell to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, his buttocks swaying so hard they made people dizzy.

Liu Ruyan slammed the door shut and stepped back outside. Her face was expressionless, but the tips of her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

Fang Yingxia lowered her hands from her eyes and laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight: "Hahahaha, did you see that? The one who fell down has a mole on his butt!"

Liu Ruyan turned her head and glared at her.

Fang Yingxia laughed even louder.

From the other side of the courtyard gate, one could hear hurried voices and the rustling of clothes being put on, along with a few muffled curses.

Fang Yingxia leaned closer, tugged at her sleeve, and laughed until tears streamed down her face: "What do you mean by that? They have a public bathhouse, why do they insist on bathing in the courtyard? What's the point?"

After waiting a while, the courtyard gradually quieted down.

Liu Ruyan stepped forward and knocked on the door.

No one answered.

She knocked twice more.

Still, no one answered.

Fang Yingxia suggested from the side, "Go ahead and shout! Shout his name from outside."

. . . . . .

Inside room number seven.

"Hiss... Oh... Hiss... Be gentle!"

Li Jinrong lay on the bed, his shirt off, revealing his pale, fleshy body.

Shen Bao sat on the edge of the bed, sweating profusely as he rubbed medicine onto Li Jinrong's back. Every time he pressed down, Li Jinrong would let out a howl, like a pig being slaughtered.

"What are you yelling about?" Shen Bao complained as she continued working, "My hands are getting sore, aren't you satisfied?"

"Is that what you call applying medicine? That's just rubbing your skin off!" Li Jinrong turned and glared at him. "Do I even want this layer of skin on my back anymore?"

He Songling sat on the opposite bed, holding a handful of melon seeds, cracking them open while watching the commotion.

Chen Mo leaned against the headboard, his lips twitching slightly, but he managed to suppress a laugh.

This fat guy's martial arts skills are terrible; he's so bad, yet he dares to challenge someone to a one-on-one fight.

If it weren't for my strong constitution, which allowed me to fight Zhou Jiachang to a standstill, I would probably be humiliated today.

"Alright, alright," Shen Bao finally finished rubbing the last spot, carefully put away the medicine bottle, and shook his sore hands. "All done. Your injury will heal in a couple of days."

Li Jinrong slowly climbed up, propped himself up on the bed, looked down at the bruises on his chest and arms, grinned, but his cheeks were not very symmetrical.

"It was worth it. Did you see that bastard's face? He looked like his wife had been stolen."

He leaned against the headboard, which aggravated his injury. He grimaced, but couldn't hide the smugness on his face.

"?" Upon hearing this, Chen Mo's expression suddenly turned serious.

Guo Huai'an, a burly man in the upper bunk and a martial arts fanatic, couldn't help but ask, "Brother Li, who did you fight? Did you win?"

He didn't go to lunch and doesn't know what happened.

Upon hearing this, Li Jinrong became energized.

"That's for sure. Come, come, let me explain it to you properly."

He sat up straight, ignoring his injuries, and began to gesture to the group.

"That grandson of Zhou Jiachang came up with a Black Tiger Claw to the Heart right away, with a fierce and aggressive attitude, as if he wanted to cripple me with one punch."

As the fat man spoke, he demonstrated a move.

"When I first saw it, I thought, 'That's it? All show and no substance!' I didn't even bother to dodge. I just raised my hand to block, then casually reached inside and slapped him across the face!"

Shen Bao finished tidying up the medicine bottles, and upon hearing this, looked up at him, hesitating to speak.

Li Jinrong was completely unaware and got more and more excited as he spoke: "You didn't see it, but that slap I gave him was quick, accurate, and hard, right across his face."

"That sound, 'pop!' It was so crisp, like setting off a firecracker."

Guo Huai'an listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "And then he collapsed?"

"Fall down? How could it be so fast?" Li Jinrong waved his hand. "That bastard does have some skill. He hesitated for two seconds, then pounced again."

"This time he was really desperate, throwing punches and kicks wildly, like a tortoise's fist. I just stood there, not moving an inch, and when he got closer, I swung my fist back at him again."

As he spoke, he made a backhand slapping motion, which aggravated his injury, causing him to wince in pain.

"This time he spun around on the spot, saw stars, and couldn't even stand up straight."

"I thought to myself, 'Let bygones be bygones,' and was about to back down, but this bastard didn't appreciate it!"

"After wobbling and regaining its balance, it actually tried to pounce on me."

He Songling stopped eating his melon seeds and stared intently at him, wondering why the story didn't seem to go as it appeared.

Li Jinrong met his gaze without blushing or skipping a beat, and continued fabricating: "How could I tolerate him? I just leaned forward, twisted his arm, and pressed him down."

He made a twisting motion with his arm and declared confidently, "I pinned him to the ground, and he couldn't move."

"You didn't see that scene. That big guy was pinned down by me with one hand, his face pressed against the ground, like a dead dog! He was utterly helpless!!"

Guo Huai'an scratched his head, somewhat puzzled: "But I just heard someone say that Shen Bao helped you back..."

Li Jinrong waved his hand, "That's because I left right after I finished hitting him, too lazy to get entangled with that bastard any longer."

"Shen Bao insisted on helping me up. I'm actually perfectly fine, just that my clothes are dirty."

As he spoke, he patted his chest, only to find it bruised. He winced in pain, but quickly regained his composure.

Shen Bao opened his mouth, as if to say something, but was stopped by a look from Chen Mo.

"Chen Mo, Chen Mo from room number seven..."