Listening to the beautiful and dashing "Female Knight" before him utter such risqué words gave Zhao Rui a surreal sense of dislocation.
'This unique pleasure… hmm, not bad at all!'
'Who hasn't dreamed of the heroic passion of roaming the Jianghu on horseback?'
'Who hasn't fantasized about the tender affection of a female knight?'
"Miss, pardon my asking, but what kind of services do you provide?"
Having integrated the memories of his past life, Zhao Rui was naturally thick-skinned. If you were out to have fun, there was no reason to be reserved.
The "Female Knight" was visibly taken aback. She hadn't expected a boy who looked like a student to be so direct.
He showed no shyness or awkwardness, and a flicker of disgust flashed in her eyes.
It wasn't that what Zhao Rui said was particularly crude. She'd had plenty of men come up and ask how much it cost to sleep with a "female knight."
It was just that when she first saw Zhao Rui and Yang Fan, she could tell they were newbies to the nightlife scene, still possessing the innocent air of students.
She had a younger brother around their age.
So she had a subconscious soft spot for them.
"Please don't take offense, honored guest. The ladies here are all peerless beauties, far beyond a simple waitress like myself. You'll meet much better options shortly."
The Female Knight replied with a smile.
Hearing her reply, Zhao Rui just smiled faintly and said nothing more.
He'd just take her words with a grain of salt.
He had only asked out of curiosity, to test the waters and see how this place operated.
In some places, the staff also provided "services"; in others, the staff were just staff.
It was nothing to worry about, as long as you asked to make sure.
"Honored guests, this is our historical costume section. Inside, we can create a private historical drama for you, where you can play any character you wish."
'Role-playing?'
'They sure know how to have fun!'
"This is the combat area, where you can place bets... And this is the footbath and relaxation lounge..."
"If you become a distinguished VIP client, the second floor will offer you more refined services and an even more wonderful experience."
After a tour of the first floor, the Female Knight stopped in front of a wide staircase.
Zhao Rui and Yang Fan followed her gaze up the stairs. On either side, a beautiful young woman with a graceful figure stood every five steps.
They all smiled down at the floor below. Whenever a client set foot on the staircase, one of the young women would step forward to greet them and lead them upstairs.
"We'll just stick to the first floor. Thank you."
Zhao Rui thanked her. The two of them then followed the young woman to the front desk to pick up a Low Tier identity card for their expenses.
This card only granted access to the first floor; the second floor was off-limits.
Whether there was a third floor above the second was anyone's guess.
Judging by the high ceilings, the building likely had more than three floors.
"Let's just get a footbath."
Zhao Rui glanced at Yang Fan, who was itching to wander over to the spa area, and decisively shut down the idea.
It wasn't that he was practicing abstinence. Once a Martial Artist reached the Minor Circulation Realm, they no longer needed to abstain from sex.
As long as they didn't overindulge, it was fine.
He stopped Yang Fan because he was afraid the boy wouldn't be able to control himself.
He hadn't expected things to be this wild. Even with his worldly experience from a past life—and his extensive "education" from the masters of the Island Country—he felt a bit dazed.
Let alone Yang Fan, who was still a virgin.
"Brother Rui! I..."
Yang Fan raised his eyebrows, but Zhao Rui stopped him. He had no choice but to do as he was told, turning to the Female Knight. "Get us two of your prettier technicians!"
"Of course. Please wait a moment, honored guests."
With a bow, the Female Knight left them in the secluded private room that had been prepared in a corner of the first floor.
The foot massages here were completely legitimate, meant purely for the guests' relaxation and therapeutic needs.
"Brother Rui, live a little! We're out to have fun!"
"Fun, my ass. How old are you, anyway?"
Zhao Rui rolled his eyes at him. When it was just the two of them, Yang Fan acted all tough, like he wasn't afraid of anything. But the moment they were in an unfamiliar place, he was like a timid quail, pulling his neck in.
"Heh heh!"
Seeing that Zhao Rui really wasn't interested in that sort of thing, Yang Fan was a little disappointed but didn't press the issue.
Just as the two had taken off their shoes and were leaning back in the massage chairs waiting for the technicians, a deafening "BOOM!" suddenly echoed from a distance.
Yang Fan jumped, startled.
Zhao Rui shot up, and in a swift, barefoot motion, he pushed the door open and looked toward the source of the noise.
He saw that one of the inner doors they had just passed through had been smashed, leaving a gaping hole. Jagged splinters had flown everywhere, injuring many of the guests and staff near the entrance.
The floor was a scene of miserable wailing.
"What's going on?"
Many other customers emerged from their rooms to see what was happening, exchanging shocked and bewildered glances.
"Who dares cause trouble at my Carefree Pavilion?"
As Zhao Rui stared in astonishment, a figure leaped into the air from the top of the second-floor staircase and shot over with incredible speed.
"Not causing trouble, exactly. I just didn't like the look of this door. Who are you with the Carefree Pavilion? Were you one of the ones who got a beating last time?"
A coarse voice drifted in from beyond the shattered doorway. A moment later, a bald man in shorts and a tank top swaggered inside.
'Fire Cloud Evil God?'
Zhao Rui nearly choked. The man was dressed just like the Fire Cloud Evil God from Zhou Xingchi's movie, *Kung Fu Hustle*.
His face was different, and he lacked the iconic tufts of hair, but the overall vibe and getup were strikingly similar.
"You've gone too far!"
The man from the Carefree Pavilion, dressed in an elegant Tang suit, had a refined air. But now, his fair-skinned face was twitching, and his eyes looked ready to shoot fire.
"It's not just the door. I don't like the look of you, either! Fight me, and then I'll leave."
The "Fire Cloud Evil God" narrowed his eyes. The moment he finished speaking, he stomped the ground and shot toward the man in the Tang suit like a bolt of lightning.
"As if I'm afraid of you!"
The two immediately clashed in the middle of the hall. Their movements were like lightning, radiating Powerful Qi. Both were grandmasters capable of projecting their True Qi externally.
Their potent Inner Strength erupted with every exchange of blows, wrecking the surrounding gambling tables and chairs.
Even the concrete walls crumbled like tofu under their strikes, turning to dust.
It was rare for an ordinary person to ever see such masters, yet here were two of them at once.
The entire hall descended into chaos. Everyone scrambled to get as far away as possible, wishing they had extra legs.
As the two fought, a group of uniformed staff rushed in from outside the hall. They quickly began herding guests to the sides, away from the dangerous fight.
The scene was utter chaos.
Some of the quicker, bolder guests had already slipped out through the broken doorway while the two were still talking.
Most, however, had missed their best chance to escape, as the "Fire Cloud Evil God" was blocking the entrance.
Now, all they could do was stay as far away from the clash as possible.
Zhao Rui and Yang Fan were already on the periphery, so they were largely unaffected.
Within moments, the area around Zhao Rui and the other foot-massage customers, who had been watching the spectacle, was crowded with guests from other sections.
"That son of a bitch is a lunatic. I ran into him the last time I was here. I don't know what's wrong with the Carefree Pavilion, but if this keeps up, no one's going to come here anymore."
A portly regular complained with clear dissatisfaction.
"What's the story? C'mon, buddy, fill us in!"
"I don't know the specifics. I just heard the old guy has a few screws loose and comes here specifically to stir up trouble."
"And the Carefree Pavilion just lets him? They aren't exactly pushovers!"
"Let him? They'd have to be able to beat him first. I heard last time, the Pavilion's third-in-command got his ass handed to him..."
As they were talking, a furious and frustrated curse erupted from the fight.
"You bastard! I'm going to fucking kill you!"
Zhao Rui looked over at the sound of the shout. The man in the Tang suit was a mess, his clothes disheveled, with a clear footprint on his chest.
He had clearly gotten the worst of the exchange, all his earlier imposing momentum gone.
"You're the bastard! Your whole family is full of bastards!"
The "Fire Cloud Evil God" sneered. With a slight sway of his body, he easily deflected the Tang-suited man's attacks.
"Your Mantis Kung Fu is still a bit raw. That move was too slow!"
The Fire Cloud Evil God taunted him as he parried, twisting the knife. It was the ultimate humiliation.
"Second Brother, stand down! You're no match for him."
Just as the man in the Tang suit, his judgment clouded by rage, was struggling to press his attack, a metal flower stem shot through the air. With a SWOOSH and a low hum, it flew like a sword straight for the "Fire Cloud Evil God's" chest.
The "Fire Cloud Evil God's" eyes narrowed, a rare look of seriousness on his face. His right hand flashed through the air, precisely snatching the metal stem from its path.
"Finally, someone decent shows up!"
The "Fire Cloud Evil God's" gaze fell sharply on the newcomer, and his aura abruptly deepened, becoming as vast and profound as the ocean.
All traces of his previous slovenly demeanor vanished.
"I am Li Maosheng of the Kongtong Sect. My friends do me the honor of calling me Li Da. I am not sure how we have offended our honored guest, but allow me to apologize first..."
The newcomer was also dressed in a Tang suit, but his hair was graying at the temples. He had high cheekbones, and his eyes were hooded, seeming almost closed. When he spoke, he would occasionally glance up, and his eyes would flash with a cold light.
"Kongtong? Bullshit Kongtong. Never heard of it! I just don't like the look of you people. You, fight me. Last time wasn't satisfying enough. Come on, you fight me!"
Hearing this, the elder, Li Da, felt his brows shoot up in anger as a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Whatever they're paying you, the Carefree Pavilion will double it! We would rather make you a friend."
Li Maosheng said calmly.
"I have no friends. All my friends are dead. Do you want to die?"
The "Fire Cloud Evil God" let out a dry chuckle. His yellow teeth were particularly striking, with bits of some green leaf stuck between them.
"It seems you have no intention of talking this out, then?"
"What's there to talk about? We fight, then we talk."
With that, the "Fire Cloud Evil God" charged at the Carefree Pavilion's leader, Li Maosheng.
Li Maosheng shot a look at his Second Brother, then retreated rapidly, leaping to the top of the second-floor staircase.
At the same time, two security guards who had been maintaining order and protecting the clients suddenly pulled two pistols from their clothes. They fired twice—BANG! BANG!—at the "Fire Cloud Evil God" in mid-air.
In a flash, the "Fire Cloud Evil God's" body twisted in mid-air like a flipping hawk, and he actually managed to dodge the bullets.
"You treacherous dogs! Using Hidden Weapons!"
The "Fire Cloud Evil God" was clearly enraged. In a flurry of kicks, he sent pieces of shattered wood and concrete flying toward the two men.
The two seemed to have been prepared; as soon as they fired, they turned and melted back into the crowd.
Instead, it was the surrounding guests who suffered, with many being injured by the flying debris.
Just as the "Fire Cloud Evil God" was about to vent his rage on the bystanders, several more gunmen emerged from the crowd, raised their pistols, and opened fire on him.