Chapter 21: The Toilet Duel!

After the anomalous spacetime event concluded, Yuan Zhu encountered no further strange occurrences and arrived safely beneath his building.

He looked up at the four-story red brick structure, a place that felt both familiar and somewhat alien. The architectural style resembled the Khrushchev-era apartment blocks—cramped, densely packed, with clothes-drying poles wrapped in wire extending from every window.

His home was on the third floor. Entering the pitch-black stairwell, a damp, unpleasant odor immediately assailed him. As he climbed, the walls appeared mottled and peeling, covered in moss. Entering the narrow, crowded hallway, he saw the walls and ceiling stained black with years of greasy cooking smoke.

Several scavenging rats were startled, scuttling into a corner to peer at their brethren hanging from the door handles. *Why do you guys smell so good while we are chased and beaten in the streets? Someone, come hang me up there too.*

Yuan Zhu shook his head; the living conditions were abysmal. This dump was barely better than a slum. It was hard to believe that someone like him, an elite high school graduate, lived in such a place. Where did all his money go?

Guided by memory and instinct, he identified his door. He pulled out a loose brick from the wall, retrieved a spare key from the gap, and unlocked it. His hand brushed against a hanging lamp cord along the doorframe, and he gave it a sharp tug.

*Snap!*

The cramped room was immediately bathed in a dim, yellowish light. The small living area contained a table, a few chairs, and a storage rack; every other inch of space was piled high with household clutter and metal mechanical parts—mostly rejects Yuan Zhu brought home from the factory.

Hanging in the center of the ceiling was a lamp furnace the size of a soccer ball. Its upper hemisphere was a complex metal structure, while the lower half was a transparent glass globe. The container was filled with alchemical elements, which could release light and heat through a filament.

A single charge cost one dollar and lasted nearly a month. This was exactly what the steam factory where Yuan Zhu worked produced.

The apartment was small—two rooms and a living area, totaling just over thirty square meters. There was no bathroom, kitchen, or balcony; cooking was done in the hallway, and washing and relieving oneself took place in a communal water room. In winter, they had to stoke their own stoves.

Because of this, the risk of fires and winter carbon monoxide poisoning was high. The two times he had moved previously, it was because his neighbors or the floor below had caught fire. There was no need to panic, though; one simply packed up valuables and jumped out the window—it wasn't like a fall from that height would kill you.

"Brother?"

The boy resting inside was startled awake. Rubbing his eyes, he pushed open the bedroom door and looked at Yuan Zhu, who was wearing ill-fitting clothes. "Why are you home so late? Did you run into any trouble?"

The boy was Yuan Su. He also bore his mother's surname and was Yuan Zhu's half-brother. He was fourteen, though he looked fifteen or sixteen.

He had short black hair, wine-red eyes, fair skin, a slender build, and delicate features. With his gentle personality and excellent grades, he was very popular among his female classmates, who often came to their door to drop off snacks. He was the quintessential "other people's orphan."

Yuan Su had shown the potential of a top student from a young age; he was introverted, gentle, emotionally stable, and skilled at household chores. He was well-liked at school and won a scholarship every year. Even if he had been a girl, his personality would not have seemed out of place.

Since childhood, Yuan Zhu had prioritized investing in his brother’s education, grooming him to become a university student. Yuan Zhu, however, was a polar opposite despite sharing the same surname and eye color.

Standing 187cm tall and weighing 85kg, he was robust and healthy, a head and a half taller than his slender brother. A single punch from him would keep his brother crying for a long time.

While Yuan Su’s face was soft and handsome, Yuan Zhu had a mop of black, seaweed-like curls that fell past his ears. He had a prominent, straight nose, thick brow ridges, deep-set eyes, and a slightly narrow, sharp gaze. With his sword-like brows and thin lips, he looked wild and predatory, an appearance that often caused people to overlook his decent features.

Whenever he made eye contact with others, they viewed it as a provocation, which invariably led to physical conflict. Over time, he grew accustomed to this method of socializing. He began practicing boxing from a young age, as he found it an effective way to communicate and help others "perceive his moral standards" (persuading others with virtue).

After reaching adulthood, he seamlessly transitioned into the underground bare-knuckle fighting circuit to earn extra cash. This was a classic case of appearance determining destiny: his sharp, piercing gaze had passively cultivated an "aggressively friendly personality," eventually leading him down the path of a part-time underground martial artist.

As for academics, he was somewhat lopsided and lacked his brother's all-around excellence, but he respected knowledge and had always shouldered the heavy tuition costs for both of them. Unfortunately, in his final semester of high school, he had been expelled after a fair fight with the principal in the restroom.

Incidentally, the principal had suffered a concussion and a fracture, was stabbed in the back by the dean of students who took credit for his downfall, and ended up retiring to his hometown to raise badgers.

Afterward, the dean not only gave Yuan Zhu a unique, belated graduation gift—a red envelope—but also helped him land his current job as a senior technician at the steam factory.

In terms of personality, Yuan Zhu had been positive, optimistic, and cheerful since he was a child. Having shouldered the responsibility of raising his brother alone, he had become exceptionally extroverted, driven by a fierce ambition. He deeply craved wealth, power, and status... eventually developing the personality of a relentless, high-achieving striver.

Not planning to attend university (due to the high costs), he accepted the dean’s underground employment offer, securing a stable job with good pay.

To earn an extra 0.5 in wages, he took on three additional jobs at the factory.

Craving more income, he moonlighted in underground fighting rings, occasionally throwing matches, his professional integrity questionable.

Wanting to touch upon transcendent power and become someone superior, he proactively joined the [Tooth of Fire], eager to offer himself as a sacrifice at their weekend gatherings.

The brothers were so driven because their mother, before she passed, had tirelessly brainwashed them with the command: "Our Yuan clan’s Great Xi noble lineage is illustrious, our family a pillar of poetry and ritual. Now that we are stranded in a foreign land and the family fortunes have fallen, you brothers must strive to rise, bring honor to your ancestors, revitalize our house, and allow your mother to live a good life."

Unfortunately, their mother was not a woman of substance. Greedy for glory and wealth but unwilling to find a reliable man to settle down with, she died on the road during a journey to claim an inheritance after her second marriage failed.

Though he had been an orphan since the age of ten, ten years of brainwashing had left a permanent mark on Yuan Zhu’s psyche: "Revitalize the family and bring honor to the ancestors." He lived every step of his life as a relentless striver, and he found joy in it.

Facing his brother’s concerned gaze, Yuan Zhu waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing. Ran into a minor issue, but it’s been handled. I’m back late today—what did you have for dinner?"

"I cooked for myself, and I saved some for you," Yuan Su replied.

"Good. Here’s 20 yuan for your living expenses. I have some private matters to handle over the next few days, so my schedule will be irregular. Eat out, don't wait for me."

As he spoke, he pulled out a leather wallet left behind by a cultist, opened it to reveal a stack of banknotes, and extracted four 5-yuan bills. This was equivalent to a week's wages for a normal adult, more than enough for living expenses.

Seeing the bloodstains on the bills that hadn't quite dried, Yuan Su looked worried. "Big brother, where did this money come from? There's so much, and I’ve never seen this wallet before. You aren't doing anything illegal because you’re tired of working, are you?"

"Get out of here! While I do think work is tiring and pays too little, this money is clean and earned fair and square. Even the Security Bureau couldn't touch me—it’s just a bit of blood, that’s all. How many days have I spent without seeing red? Just take it and use it, don't worry. Your brother has had a spiritual breakthrough; I’ve seen the light and decided to change how I live. Our good days are still ahead. You just focus on your studies; don't worry about the rest."

Looking at his brother, whose temperament and mental state seemed clearly off, Yuan Su nodded helplessly. He stopped questioning him but kept his brother’s changes in mind, worried that some incident during the day had caused this drastic shift in his mindset.

That thick stack of banknotes in the strange wallet might be the root of the problem. Had his brother really joined some criminal gang?

He vaguely remembered someone attempting to recruit his brother for underground work in the past. Even the duel between his brother and the principal had ensured he had a smooth middle school life, with no school bully daring to provoke him.

His brother had a record! Had he finally grown tired of the life of earning an honest living? Was the White Harbor boxing style he had cultivated for years finally going to be used in the wrong field?

At that moment, Yuan Su felt a heavy weight of worry in his heart.