Obscure

Lin Sheng's expression was calm as he walked to the window and stood side-by-side with Xiayin.

"How do you feel about what happened this time?"

The more composed his expression remained, the more the fire in his heart surged and burned.

Having lived two lifetimes, he had actually been pushed to the brink of desperation by such a minor nuisance.

Yes.

Desperation.

He was certainly capable of fighting; four or five people were no problem at all.

But what if a dozen came? Or twenty? Or perhaps a hundred?

Escaping would be considered fortunate, let alone defeating them. And that was not even accounting for the fact that they had guns.

Furthermore, he had family.

With the influence of the White Card Gang, a massive organization that occupied the entire city, once they made a move, his family and home would be completely compromised.

By then, even if he were the best fighter in the world, what use would it be?

Xiayin pursed her lips, watching Lin Sheng.

She did not understand what he was trying to say.

She had always admired this Teacher Lin, but the current situation had reached a level where individual martial prowess was no longer effective.

"Teacher, this matter is already over. The White Card Gang has promised not to trouble us anymore. Let's just let it go and leave it at that."

Xiayin's voice carried a hint of subtle maturity. Perhaps this incident had made her truly realize what was most reliable in a critical moment.

Lin Sheng sensed this change.

Having experienced this unexpected event, his three students had perhaps all matured a little.

But that was not what he wanted to see.

"Yes, this matter is settled. Thanks to Russell's grandfather, we are safe for the time being.

But what about next time? If we encounter trouble we cannot solve again, are we going to have to go to Russell's grandfather every time?"

Lin Sheng said calmly, though his tone carried an inexplicable undercurrent.

"This was just an accident; it won't happen often, Teacher." Xiayin shook her head.

"I just want to try relying on our own strength to settle our troubles, rather than having to rely on your elders in the future," Lin Sheng said lightly.

"Ourselves?" Xiayin was startled.

"Yes. Not looking at family, not looking at backgrounds, just our own abilities," Lin Sheng nodded.

Xiayin froze for a moment.

These words echoed in her mind like a spell, vibrating back and forth.

She suddenly recalled that from childhood to the present, almost every time she encountered trouble, she had relied on her family's influence to resolve it.

Very, very rarely had she relied on her own abilities.

It had almost become a habit.

Not just her; perhaps Russell, Madilan, and everyone in their circle were already accustomed to this.

They rarely thought about relying on themselves to make a name.

It wasn't that they didn't want to, but it was too difficult. No matter what they did, they were branded by their families. Often, they would unconsciously borrow their family's power.

"What does Teacher want to do?" Xiayin remained silent for a long while before speaking slowly.

"First, win a competition to gain recognition, then use that fame to open a training center. I specialize in practical swordsmanship, Russell can teach close-quarters combat, Madilan is good at management, and you can be responsible for procurement channels."

Lin Sheng made arrangements based on each of their strengths.

Xiayin opened her mouth. She did indeed have extensive connections; she had been helping her family manage business for a long time, so handling procurement was simple enough.

She just hadn't expected Lin Sheng to provide such specific arrangements so quickly.

"But in Huaisha City right now, it's unlikely that many people would be willing to spend money on training. It will be very hard for us to get it off the ground." She was not a hot-blooded youth who would immediately agree to join after a few persuasive words.

She was rational and realistic; when it came to operations, she never glossed over the details.

Lin Sheng smiled.

"We will only charge a very small tuition fee to teach everyone techniques to protect themselves. This money will also be spent on them to improve their nutrition. We aren't relying on this to make a profit."

"Then our earnings?" Xiayin was stunned.

"For now, as long as we can be self-sufficient, that is enough," Lin Sheng laughed. "Although Celine is relatively stable, the public security is still not great.

Besides, as a port city, the flow of people is high. As long as the tuition isn't too high, I imagine there will be quite a few people willing to give it a try."

"How will we promote it?" Xiayin asked again. She seemed to understand a little.

"We don't need promotion. There is no need for us to expand too quickly. It's fine if there are fewer people at the start." Lin Sheng did not plan to bite off more than he could chew.

He was about to take the college entrance exams and didn't have the time to teach too many people. Moreover, he still had to set aside time every day to attempt meditating on the Gray Seal.

After obtaining the Gray Seal Sanctuary, he meditated several times, yet he had not seen any results.

Xiayin was somewhat unclear about what Lin Sheng was thinking.

However, if the scale were small at the beginning, it would be no problem.

"I'll take a wait-and-see approach. If you want to do this, Teacher, the club can provide the venue for free," she replied after some thought.

In her view, it was obvious that Lin Sheng had been affected by the recent incident with the White Card Gang.

But a force could not be cultivated just by training a few students.

Students were not gang members; they had families and parents. Being so young, who would be willing to follow you into life-and-death struggles?

Lin Sheng did not mind failing to persuade Xiayin; he asked her to call the other two and convey the message. He then sat down in the lounge, sipping tea and waiting with composure.

Soon, just as he had expected, Russell and Madilan arrived in a hurry.

The two rushed up to the second floor in a few strides.

"Teacher, I think this can work! Let's do it together!" Russell was the first to shout loudly.

"Damn it, I've wanted to start my own business for a long time! We can use the club's venue as we please! I can step up myself to teach combat and marksmanship!"

He looked excited, clearly struck by the thrill of Lin Sheng's proposal.

Madilan, on the other hand, was quite pragmatic and began discussing the details carefully with Xiayin on the side.

Lin Sheng sat in his chair, drinking tea with a calm expression.

Russell's reaction was within his expectations. And for this proposal, Russell was the core.

He was the largest shareholder of this club; as long as he agreed, many miscellaneous matters could be easily resolved.

As for the other two, it would be best if they agreed, but it didn't matter if they didn't.

What surprised him slightly was that half an hour later, Xiayin and Madilan both expressed their agreement to partner up and start the training class.

"Teacher Lin, since we are partnering to run this class, the system must be clearly defined first. How should the shares and dividends be split?" Xiayin asked seriously.

"Also, although profit is not our primary goal, we at least shouldn't be losing money ourselves. These aspects must be considered carefully," Madilan agreed.

"For these aspects, let's base it on the effort contributed," Lin Sheng said simply.

"That works too," Xiayin nodded. "If we run this class, the true core will be your combat ability, Teacher Lin. As long as we can make a name for ourselves in this upcoming competition, the start will be easy to manage."

The group quickly began drafting arrangements, starting with registering the company trademark, then determining the criteria for recruiting students, how to recruit them, the tuition fees, and the curriculum schedule.