章節 261: Yuwu Expansion (3)

After finishing their short talk with Jenkins, Yasushi's group made their way back outside. The supervisor who had scolded them earlier spotted them but quickly turned and hurried off. It seemed he wanted to avoid them, likely because three among their group were directly connected to the people responsible for these projects.

"Who would've guessed Guo Tianyu would show up here?" Yasushi said, looking at the half-built structure ahead of them, which was intended to become a 10-story office building. "He managed to turn things around after our graduation, but it's been two years now. I wonder how he's doing."

"He's probably fine," Xinyi replied. "We saw him get his act together back then. He's got someone waiting for him back in Hawaii and started taking life seriously. No more spoiled kid behavior. Still, I do wonder about him."

"Anyway," Xinyi added, glancing around, "let's walk around and see if there's anything we can do to help."

They left the area right away and walked around the site. They weren't sure what kind of help was needed, but Xinyi and Jingliu both figured they'd probably have to assist with administrative tasks. However, knowing the site supervisor's difficult reputation, they doubted they'd get much done.

They reached a group of workers on a break and approached them. Xinyi scanned the group, then broke into a smile. "How are — hmm? Oh, Mr. Liuyi, you're working here too?" she asked, her tone light.

The man turned and lit up when he recognized her. "Little Xinyi! I didn't think I'd run into you this year. How's it going? How's college? Are you just visiting? Got a boyfriend yet? My son's still single, you know. He could use a wife! Haha!"

Xinyi exhaled in a way that seemed equal parts amused and exasperated. "You're asking way too many questions, Mr. Liuyi," she replied. "But yeah, I'm in town for summer vacation. I'll be overseeing the construction work around here, and I'm just checking in with some friends."

Mr. Liuyi wiped away a fake tear from his eye, his mouth curving upward as he declared, "They grow up so fast." He broke into laughter and grabbed Xinyi, ruffling her hair while she rolled her eyes in protest. "Well, I appreciate it. I'll let the others know so they don't act like jerks. Good luck!"

Xinyi pulled back, sticking her tongue out at him in a playful response before they walked away. She seemed a little more upbeat after the brief exchange.

"He's like an uncle to a lot of the kids in Yuwu," Xinyi said as they moved to another part of the site. "He's been here for years, watching us grow up and treating us like we mattered. Most of us respect him for that."

"People like that aren't common anymore. Keeping someone like him around should be a priority," Nandini replied, earning nods of agreement from the others.

For a moment, a look crossed Nandini's face, prompting Yasushi to glance at her more intently, but whatever it was disappeared just as quickly. Over the next hour, they kept busy, helping out with smaller tasks. Jingliu and Xinyi focused on organizing things while the rest handled heavier labor.

+-+

"Haaaa!" Xinyi shouted, throwing her fist into the punching bag. It swung back hard, the chains holding it rattling loudly as the force carried through.

The gym had been a fixture in this town for over a century and a half. Xinyi found herself here whenever she needed to let off steam, away from the watchful eyes in her family's space. It wasn't just a place to work out — it was a haven where she could focus without distractions.

Her reputation here preceded her. Those who had dared to look down on her during her rebellious days had learned the hard way not to underestimate her. Over time, though, her visits became less about proving a point and more about self-improvement. The gym transformed into a sanctuary, a place where her personal growth began to take root.

"Don't break those, Xinyi! We just got them after the last renovation, and the new stuff's coming in soon. Try to go easy on them, huh?" an older man called from across the room, his voice tinged with laughter.

Xinyi exhaled hard and waved her hand, a dry laugh breaking through. "I won't, alright? Relax, no one's dragging me into that mess!" she hollered back, her voice firm.

Nearby, Jingliu and the others threw their fists into their respective punching bags, each strike echoing with purpose. Yasushi, however, stayed to the side, watching silently as the action unfolded. A younger man approached him, his lips curling into a smirk.

"You seriously gonna stand there and let the women do all the work? C'mon, man, you're killing us out here," the guy teased, his tone light but challenging.

Yasushi turned his head toward him and let out a measured breath. "Killing us? Trust me, they could handle most guys here in a fight without breaking a sweat. Probably you too," he replied coolly.

The younger man snorted, shaking his head. "Is that so? Well, I gotta see it to believe it. My family moved here after Xinyi Cheng left, so I never got the chance to see what she's made of. But you…" He pointed at Yasushi and grinned wider. "What about you? Wanna prove your words?"

Yasushi stared at him, his tone flat. "I'm a pacifist monk. I don't fight."

Xinyi couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, loud enough to grab attention from nearby. "You? A monk? That's the dumbest thing you've said so far, Yasushi. Just take him up on it already. That dumb punching machine still hasn't had its record broken. Go ahead and knock it out."

Yasushi had tried to keep things calm, but Xinyi's outburst made sure that wasn't happening. They'd only come here to check the building's condition — low priority stuff — but now they'd stuck around much longer than intended.

He sighed, giving in. "Fine. I'll do it, but only to shut you up. Let's get it over with." The young man who'd been watching grinned as if he'd won something.

They walked to the machine mounted on the wall, and the guy switched it on.

"See? Max score is 9999. Best so far is 5401, set by some old dude years ago," he said, clearly proud of the machine.

He flexed his muscles and said, "My personal record is 897, Xinyi's last was around 699, and the current highest is 3009 by the owner in his prime."

Yasushi gave a nod, exhaling as he shrugged off his jacket. He handed it to Nandini before rotating his right arm, loosening it up for the strike. His eyes lingered on his fist as he stretched his fingers, then he squared his stance in front of the machine. He raised his arm, fist coiled tight, ready to punch, but paused and glanced at Xinyi.

"…If you break it, we'll pay for it," Xinyi said with a chuckle, her tone casual yet carrying an edge of amusement.

"What do—" the man started, but the words were drowned out as Yasushi's fist slammed into the machine.

The impact made the numbers spike to 9999, then flash into an error before the entire device failed. The machine's casing bent under the pressure, pieces breaking apart. The wall behind it cracked in a jagged pattern, evidence of the force Yasushi had unleashed.

The area grew silent as they all turned to look at Yasushi, who stared at his score. He glanced at his own fist and then pressed it with his other hand. "I guess I've gotten stronger. Back then, I would've had to go all out. Now? That was about 70%. Not bad."

'I guess all that meditating and the ki exercises Nandini and Hakufubuki told me about really helped. My ki reserves increased, and my physical strength naturally improved,' he thought while tightening his grip.

Yasushi looked at the young man next to him, whose expression was frozen in disbelief. "You alright?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.

The young man stammered, "N-no… i-it's nothing," before quickly walking away, avoiding further interaction.

Xinyi approached, exhaling in exasperation, before slapping his back with a little too much force. She leaned closer and pressed against him, her lips curling up as she winked. "Guess you couldn't help showing off a little~"

Before Yasushi could respond, Jingliu grabbed Xinyi by the arm and pulled her aside, starting to berate her in a tone that carried frustration. Xinyi didn't take it lying down and fired back, their words bouncing off one another like they had rehearsed it a thousand times. Meanwhile, the room's energy began settling, though an unspoken tension remained as the people around them kept stealing cautious glances at Yasushi.

Yasushi didn't seem to care about the wary stares, content with the slight improvement in his strength. It wasn't something he often needed, but he appreciated it all the same. After standing around for a while and taking in the atmosphere of the place, someone invited them to head upstairs to the second floor, which was still under construction.

Climbing the staircase, they passed rows of photographs in neatly arranged frames. Many of the pictures were of renowned athletes from across the globe, their names instantly recognizable to anyone who paid attention to sports. The rest were family portraits of the Chengs, and Yasushi quickly noticed that several included Xinyi herself.

"This is their progress. They're about 60% through the work, and they believe if they keep up their current pace, they'll finish by the end of the month," the owner explained as he joined them at the site. He scanned the area with a sense of pride before turning back toward the group.

"Is it safe to step onto the floor?" Yasushi asked, looking toward him.

"It's stable enough, yes," the owner answered. "But they've advised walking carefully — no running or jumping while inside."

Yasushi gave a small nod and moved cautiously into the space. A handful of workers were busy at their tasks, their focus locked on what they were doing. They didn't seem to notice him or the others.

After a brief look around, Yasushi returned to the group. "We shouldn't interrupt them. Let's head out since there's not much else we can do here." The others agreed, and they made their way out of the area.

+-+

The last stop they decided on before grabbing lunch was what people referred to as the "slums" of Yuwu. The term wasn't completely accurate — while the area was in worse condition compared to the rest of the city, it wasn't in ruins or bad enough to fit the word entirely. It was just noticeably run-down, a clear step back from the rest of Yuwu's polished streets.

"We didn't check this out last time we were here… It's definitely worse than the rest of the city. What happened?" Yunxue asked, her eyes moving carefully across the area as the group scanned their surroundings.

"In the past, after the Cheng family had to leave, the staff kind of slacked off," Catherine explained as she stepped forward. "This place started falling apart thanks to wannabe gangsters and gangs trying to take over. Most of them were dealt with, but there are still some people trying to act tough here, which keeps us from completely fixing things." She frowned, looking at the worn streets around them.

Before they could respond, a group of rough-looking youth stepped out from the dimly lit corners of the area. They spread out, circling Yasushi's group, holding sticks and a few knives. Smirks spread across their faces as they sized up the opposition.

"What's this about? You've pulled this stunt before, and you know how it's going to go," Xinyi said, her tone even as her eyes locked on them.

The group hesitated for a brief moment, their leader stepping forward while cracking his knuckles. "Things are different this time, Xinyi. You've been out of the picture too long. Today, we're the ones walking away with a win. We've been putting in the work. You won't stand a chance."

Yasushi raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's straight out of a low-budget flick." His voice carried disbelief, drawing a few snickers from their group.

Before another word could be exchanged, the so-called tough guys rushed at them. Yet their efforts didn't amount to anything — bodies were suddenly flung back, colliding with walls or slamming onto the ground, leaving them groaning and motionless where they landed.

Yinhaie and Nandini had stepped forward, handling the group with swift coordination. Their combined effort left the so-called gang sprawled on the ground, unconscious, except for the leader, who groaned as he tried to sit up. Xinyi walked toward him and stopped right above where he lay, looking down at him with a blank expression.

"You never learn, do you?" Xinyi said, her voice calm but firm. "I talked to my dad about this last night, and it looks like we're dealing with this place next."

The leader looked up at her, confusion flickering across his face as he struggled to catch his breath. "W-what do you mean? This area is still controlled by—" he started, but his words were cut off as Xinyi placed her foot on his stomach, pushing just enough to knock the air out of him.

"We're going to tear down most of the homes here," Xinyi said plainly, not letting him recover. "Most of them are falling apart anyway. Then, we're going to rebuild them, upgrade everything to match the look of the rest of the town. The people who live here can come back or even have more space if they want. That's how it's going to go." She didn't look away as she spoke, making sure her words sank in.

"The gangs—!" the young man shouted, but Xinyi grabbed him by the collar, cutting him off mid-sentence and yanking him close enough to make him flinch.

"Enough of this crap, Fenling," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You've been messing around long enough. It's time to grow up. Get a job. Stop stealing and mooching off others. If you keep going like this, you'll ruin your life. You're not fooling anyone, living in this filth and pretending you're something you're not." She let him go with a small shove, taking a step back. "You've got two days to clear out. If you're still here after that, we'll kick you out. No excuses."

The mood around them shifted hard, the tension practically choking the air. Every set of eyes was fixed on Xinyi now, her words cutting through the silence. Fenling didn't say anything. He glared at her, fists clenched tight, but then turned and stomped off without another word, his silence louder than anything he could have said.

Xinyi exhaled, turning on her heel. "I'll explain this place in more detail over lunch. Let's eat earlier than we planned. With those guys still hanging around, we won't get much done. Hopefully, my warning gets through, and they clear out before the deadline," she said before walking ahead, leading the way without looking back.

The group stood still for a moment, exchanging uncertain glances. Finally, Catherine broke the silence. "If Lady Xinyi is explaining, we can leave it to her. Let's go," she said, already stepping after Xinyi without waiting for a response.

Left with no alternative, the rest followed in a hesitant line. As they trailed behind, questions about the history of these so-called "slums" and the "gangs" brewing within them filled their minds. Yuwu wasn't what they had imagined for a town known for its farms and agriculture.