Volume 1, Chapter 20: Giving the Top Salesman a Thrashing

Night fell, and the city lights began to twinkle.

The two first went to the market to buy some ingredients for dishes Bai Lu was good at cooking, then drove back to her residential complex. Since Bai Lu was currently renting and had no designated parking space, they parked outside. After getting out of the car, they carried the groceries toward her building.

"I’m telling you in advance, my cooking skills really aren't that great!" Bai Lu said.

"Haha, it’s fine. The main thing is that eating out isn't always healthy," Zhou Yang replied.

Zhou Yang knew that Bai Lu was being so close to him primarily because she was tormented by insomnia and wanted him to help her with treatment as soon as possible.

Bai Lu’s complex was a new development with lush landscaping. Just as they entered, Zhou Yang sensed a few figures stealthily following them. He hadn't noticed at first, but as they got closer, he realized something was wrong.

"Senior, why don't you take the groceries and head up first?" Zhou Yang said, handing the bags to her.

"Why aren't you coming with me?" Bai Lu asked, looking surprised.

"I need to make a phone call," he replied.

"Alright, come up once you're done. It's room 301," she said.

Seeing Bai Lu enter the building, Zhou Yang stood his ground and called out to the shadows near a hedge, "What do you guys want?"

"What do we want? We're here to take you out!" Three men emerged from the greenery and surrounded him.

"I don't even know you," Zhou Yang said, his guard up.

"Doesn't matter, we know you!" The leader waved his hand. "Get him!"

The three men charged at Zhou Yang aggressively. Not daring to be careless, Zhou Yang threw punches to defend himself, and the two sides immediately tangled in a brawl. Utilizing the dim light of the complex, Zhou Yang pinpointed their pressure points and joints. With a series of quick, precise strikes, he repelled all of them.

One man had his arm rendered useless after a strike to a pressure point in his armpit. Another suffered a dislocated joint in his leg. The third took a punch to the jaw and stumbled back, dazed and bleeding from the mouth.

"I have no grievances with you. Why target me?" Zhou Yang demanded.

Seeing they were no match for him, the three men turned to run. Zhou Yang lunged forward and grabbed the one whose arm was paralyzed. "If you run, your arm will be crippled for good!"

"What?" The man had thought it was just a minor injury and hadn't expected it to be so serious. "What did you do to me?"

"I struck your pressure point, blocking your blood flow. If it isn't released, your arm will suffer tissue necrosis from lack of circulation," Zhou Yang said. "Still want to run?"

"No, no! I won't run!" The man said, panic-stricken. "Please, fix it for me."

"Tell me, why are you targeting me?"

"Ugh, it was Liu Yan. He went to Brother Pao, and Pao ordered us to teach you a lesson," the man confessed.

"Liu Yan." Zhou Yang’s eyes turned cold.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Liu Yan. "Hey, 'Master,' where are you?"

"Zhou Yang? Is something the matter?" Liu Yan asked.

"I want to see you!" Zhou Yang said with a mocking tone.

"Why do you want to see me in the middle of the night?"

"You have three good friends here with me. Come over; there are four of us, just enough for a game of mahjong!" Zhou Yang replied. He then handed the phone to the man beside him. "Tell him to come."

"Brother, we’re not up to the task. We can't handle this; you’ll have to come yourself," the man said into the phone.

Zhou Yang took the phone back. "If you don't show up, I’m calling the police to take your three friends away. Do you think they’ll keep your name out of it?"

"Zhou Yang, don't do anything rash. I'm coming to you now!" Liu Yan hung up in a hurry.

Since he was nearby, he arrived by car shortly after. Seeing the scene, Liu Yan gritted his teeth. "Zhou Yang, you’re something else! Taking on three at once!"

"You hired people to beat me up. How do you explain this?" Zhou Yang said. "If I report this to the company, how do you think our colleagues and department heads will see you?"

"What do you want?" Liu Yan asked.

"What do I want? Heh," Zhou Yang replied. "An eye for an eye, naturally."

As he spoke, he suddenly stepped forward and kicked Liu Yan in the abdomen. Caught off guard, Liu Yan was sent kneeling to the ground.

"You dared to hit me; I’m returning the favor twofold."

With that, Zhou Yang slapped Liu Yan across the face. The blow was so powerful that Liu Yan’s cheek swelled instantly, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"You wanted to be my 'master,' didn't you? Fine, I’ll let you be!"

*Slap!* He struck the other side of Liu Yan’s face.

Liu Yan had no way to fight back, and being at Zhou Yang's mercy, he didn't dare to resist. After a few more slaps, his face looked like a swollen pig's head.

"Have mercy!" Liu Yan begged. "I won't do it again!"

Just then, a window on the third floor opened. "Zhou Yang, stop!" Bai Lu called out. She had seen everything from above.

Afraid of scaring her, Zhou Yang told Liu Yan, "If you ever try to play dirty with me again, the consequences will be even worse. Get lost!"

Liu Yan scrambled away in a panic.

When Zhou Yang went upstairs, Bai Lu said with a worried expression, "I saw you fighting them from the window and wanted to call the police, but I didn't expect you to be so capable, taking all three of them down alone."

Zhou Yang sighed. "They used brute force; I used technique."

Bai Lu nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude. She realized that when he told her to go upstairs earlier, it was out of a desire not to drag her into the trouble. She now saw him as a man with a true sense of responsibility.

"Zhou Yang, you're hurt too!" She pointed to his left shoulder. His shirt was torn, and there was a red, swollen patch on his skin.

"Just took a few punches, nothing serious," he said.

"Let me put some medicine on it for you."

Bai Lu found some Yunnan Baiyao, sprayed it on his shoulder, and began to gently dab the area. As they stood so close, Zhou Yang was intoxicated by her light, fresh scent. "Senior, the way you look when you're focused... you're so beautiful."

Bai Lu, with her refined features and elegant air, looked even more like a goddess under the room's lighting.

"Still making jokes at a time like this?" She glared at him and said, "That Liu Yan is bad news. You must not provoke him again!"

"If he doesn't provoke me, I won't bother him. But if he tries to pull something again, I’ll make him pay dearly," Zhou Yang said.

"Sigh." Bai Lu sighed and went to the kitchen to cook. She had changed into yoga pants, and with her apron on, her curvaceous figure was fully accentuated.

Zhou Yang didn't stay idle; he grabbed a pen and paper to write down a prescription.

Before long, a few dishes were on the table, and they began to eat. After the meal, Zhou Yang began his examination.

"After checking your pulse last time, I have the prescription mostly figured out," Zhou Yang said. "Now, I need to see how much stagnation there is in your meridians."

"How do you check for that?" Bai Lu asked.

"Senior, you need to take off your clothes," Zhou Yang replied.