This Martial Saint’s Health Bar is Too Thick!

Chapter 58: Chapter 58 Body Breaking (Part 1)

Under the night sky, the lights of Bamboo Residence were bright, with the pleasant sounds of string and woodwind instruments along with women’s singing voices drifting out.

In the Da Lan Dynasty, both casinos and brothels were legal, with brothels further classified into four ranks, managed specifically by the Inspection Bureau.

Fourth-rank brothels were the well-known dens of flesh, purely dealing in the flesh trade, high in turnover and varying in quality.

Third-rank brothels, known as the “lower places,” had fixed locations. Although they also dealt in the flesh trade, the quality was comparatively higher.

Second-rank brothels, called “tea houses,” were semi-professional, semi-flesh trade upper-middle-class establishments. Some middle-class individuals with a bit of spare change liked to call two or three good friends to “taste the tea” during their leisure time.

The highest first-rank brothels were known as “Qingyin Troupes,” the truly high-end venues where the women mostly sold their talents and not their bodies. If one were really hankering for someone’s flesh, then unless they could throw down a hefty amount of gold and silver to become a “top patron,” they might have a chance to indulge in the fragrant grace.

Places like Qingyin Troupes were the favorite entertainment venues for the high officials and nobles, and “Bamboo Residence” was the most famous and universally acknowledged highest quality Qingyin Troupe in Xing City.

The Bamboo Residence was run by the Tiger Saber Gang, and today Master Zhang of the Tiger Saber Gang was personally hosting an important guest here.

“Come, Deputy Chief Liu, I toast to you.”

Wearing glasses and exuding the air of a scholar, Zhang Mingze’s face was full of smiles as he raised his glass in a toast to a somewhat portly middle-aged man.

Five people sat in the elegant room: two men and three women.

Tiger Saber Gang’s Master Zhang Mingze and the Deputy Chief of the Internal Affairs Office’s Main Governance Hall Liu Cunde, were each accompanied by a beautiful woman wearing a tube top with skin like snow, serving them drinks. Additionally, there was an elegant woman playing the zither.

“Ah, Master Zhang, I really can’t drink anymore. I can’t hold my liquor, I just can’t.”

Liu Cunde, already with a bright red face from drinking, waved his hands continuously to decline the toasts from Zhang Mingze.

“Hahaha, Deputy Chief Liu, who doesn’t know you have a great capacity for alcohol? You’re being too modest.”

Zhang Mingze stealthily signaled the beautiful woman sitting next to Liu Cunde with his eyes.

The woman immediately took up her cup and nestled up to Liu Cunde’s chest, softly persuading him to drink.

Under the woman’s coaxing, Liu Cunde had no choice but to down another glass.

Then he said to Zhang Mingze, “Master Zhang, I truly can’t drink any more; if I take another glass, I’ll collapse right here.”

“Alright, then let’s stop here for today.”

Zhang Mingze smiled and put down his glass. “Shall I make arrangements for Deputy Chief Liu now?”

As he spoke, he looked suggestively at the woman nestled in Liu Cunde’s arms. The woman shyly lowered her head, seemingly hesitant to speak.

Liu Cunde glanced at the captivating woman in his arms and shook his head with regret:

“You know, I have a ‘tigress’ at home. It wouldn’t be good to stay out overnight. Another time.”

Saying this, he stood up: “Master Zhang, thank you for the hospitality this evening.”

Zhang Mingze also rose to his feet and personally escorted Liu Cunde to the door, then left the Bamboo Residence through a quiet back exit.

“Deputy Chief Liu, this is a small token from Gang Leader Yu. Regarding the matter you were entrusted with earlier, please give it your full attention.”

Before Liu Cunde departed, Zhang Mingze smiled and handed him a slightly heavy small carrying case.

Liu Cunde took the case without any change in expression, and after gauging its weight, his smile grew even brighter:

“Please thank Gang Leader Yu for me. I will do my best for his cause.”

“Good, then I won’t see you off any farther.”

“Stay behind, Master.”

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Liu Cunde, carrying the heavy case, staggered toward the alleyway ahead.

His driver had long been waiting there for him.

Only after Liu Cunde got into the car and left did Zhang Mingze’s smile fade.

“Master, the arrangements with Director Wang have already been taken care of.”

Just then, a subordinate hurried over to report to him.

Zhang Mingze nodded.

A deputy head of the Internal Affairs Office and a First-Level Director from the Governance Hall Office, once these two were dealt with, what they intended to do was essentially set in stone.

…

In the car, Liu Cunde, who had been showing signs of drunkenness and seemed to be overpowered by the alcohol, suddenly had a clear look in his eyes.

He sat in the back seat, placed the briefcase that Zhang Mingze had given him on his lap, slightly opened it to take a peek, and unsurprisingly, inside were neatly stacked deep blue banknotes, all in one yuan denominations.

Liu Cunde only glanced briefly before quickly estimating that the case must contain ten thousand yuan, more than his annual salary.

In fact, the largest denomination of banknotes issued by the Da Lan Dynasty was thirty yuan, but Zhang Mingze always gave gifts in one yuan denominations because it was more impactful and made the gift seem heftier.

Liu Cunde certainly understood Zhang Mingze’s little ploys, yet he found them quite to his liking because he loved seeing money piled up, the more the better.

“Little Sun.”

Liu Cunde reclosed the briefcase and suddenly inquired of his driver,

“How much money do you think a person needs to earn before it’s enough?”

The driver, Little Sun, was taken aback, laughed, and said,

“For me, sir, if I could have ten thousand yuan, I’d probably never have to worry about food and drink for the rest of my life.”

“Ten thousand yuan?”

Liu Cunde scoffed,

“Your vision is too short-sighted.”

“I certainly can’t compare to you, sir.”

Driver Little Sun said with an awkward smile.

Liu Cunde shook his head, having indeed drunk a lot and considering the other to be someone he absolutely trusted, he suddenly spoke his thoughts:

“Don’t you find it funny that a local gang could control the election of the Inspection Bureau Inspector General?”

Driver Little Sun didn’t dare to respond to this topic, and he knew Liu Cunde didn’t need him to answer.

Sure enough, Liu Cunde continued to say on his own accord,

“But such matters aren’t strange in Xing City and even more so in other places. Some of the local noble families can directly control the promotions of officials. There, the word of family heads carries more weight than that of a Chief’s. How absurd, hahaha!”

He laughed while shaking his head:

“The Da Lan Dynasty has been established for more than five hundred years, with problems too ingrained to reverse. Heh, it’s bound to collapse sooner or later!”

Driver Little Sun, hearing such rebellious words, was taken aback and subconsciously looked back at Liu Cunde.

After the words were spoken, Liu Cunde realized he had lost his composure, and instantly sobered up quite a bit.

But not wanting to lose face in front of his driver, he forced composure and spoke with heartfelt seriousness,

“Little Sun, while times are still decent, you work hard to earn money.”

“You’re still young. Ten thousand is too little.”

“Make it a hundred thousand. If you earn a hundred thousand, you and your family won’t have to worry about food and drink for the rest of your lives.”

A moment later, the car was filled with the sound of Driver Little Sun’s response:

“I’ll have to rely on you then, sir. Otherwise, I’ll never make a hundred thousand in my lifetime.”

“Rest assured, as long as you stick with me, I promise you’ll earn more than a hundred thousand before I retire!”

Liu Cunde’s proud voice floated out of the car window and into the night.

Under the same night sky, Li Fei was in his room practicing the health-preserving stance taught to him by Hao Yi.

He could feel the Steel Armor Implant within his body becoming increasingly restless, and this state was lasting much longer than before.

“Breakthrough will happen tonight!”

Li Fei had an epiphany.