It was afternoon.
Old Huang gathered all the disciples on the first floor.
Li Xiuwen stood among them.
Two strangers, a man and a woman, stood at the martial arts hall's entrance. Both were tall and powerfully built.
The man was at least six foot three, his arms a size bigger than Brother Ji's, thick and muscular, with a faint bronze sheen. His presence surged like a flood, and his eyes resembled those of a hungry wolf.
The woman was five foot eleven, with a wild blond afro, a skimpy tank top, and flared trousers that left her navel exposed. Most striking of all were the two arhats tattooed on her small, half-exposed breasts.
Their outlandish outfits made them look nothing like martial artists, but Li Xiuwen knew these two were true experts.
Both had red peonies tattooed on their shoulders.
"Red Poles..."
Leaving aside small-time gangs like the Longjin Road Thirteen Guardians,
the established Clubs in the Enclave generally had five ranks: Blue Lantern, Four-Nine, Straw Sandal, Red Pole, and Dragon Head.
Put simply,
Blue Lanterns were interns, unofficial members who had yet to undergo the initiation ceremony.
Four-Nines were official employees who had completed the initiation ceremony.
Straw Sandals were core personnel who could lead a few underlings.
Red Poles were elite enforcers, the company executives and the faces of the organization.
Generally speaking, a Club's leader was chosen from among its Red Poles.
The most badass Red Poles were also called "Flower Poles." They were usually the Club's Dragon Head or Head Instructor.
Of course, Clubs also had noncombatant administrative positions, such as their lawyers, the White Paper Fans.
But here, those were empty titles with no real authority. In a world of supernatural martial arts, fists decided everything.
"Greetings, Master Huang." The man and woman both bowed respectfully.
Huang Sihai could not hide his smug expression. He cleared his throat and said, "Let me introduce them. These two are Red Poles from [Hesheng Tu]."
Hesheng Tu?
Li Xiuwen had heard of them. They were the biggest Club in the Enclave's East District, as well as a Hall of the Everjoy Society.
"I'm Wild Chicken. Chicken as in Chicken Cutlet... She's Lion-Head Buddha... We're here today to recruit a few members. Anyone interested?" the man said.
"Me!"
"Me, me!"
A crowd of people immediately raised their hands.
After thinking it over, Li Xiuwen raised his hand too. He needed money.
He had been unable to forget the Fish Ball he had taken last time.
With his current strength, he should be able to earn some money to support his martial training by joining a Club, provided he stayed careful.
The man stepped forward and smiled. "I'll need to check your bones. Hesheng Tu doesn't take just anyone."
Wild Chicken examined the bones of more than a dozen students, one by one.
Finally, he looked at Liu Chun. "Not bad. You've reached Purple Membrane. You'll be useful. Want to join Hesheng Tu? Brother Chicken will have your back from now on."
Liu Chun was beside herself with delight. "Yes."
She was not particularly short of money, but she wanted to join a Club too.
She wanted fame, wanted to rise above the crowd and be admired by thousands!
The woman with the blond afro approached Big Silly Qiang and A Zhen. "Do you two want to join?"
"Yes! Take me under your wing, Sister Buddha!" A Zhen said with a smile.
"I can go too? I'm a bit dumb," Big Silly Qiang said, scratching his head.
"Your martial constitutions are pretty good too. Big guy, you were born with some strength, weren't you?" Lion-Head Buddha asked.
"Before I even reached entry level, I wasn't much weaker than someone at Azure Membrane. Master said I had Innate Strength," Big Silly Qiang said with a grin.
"People with Innate Strength are suited to Hard Qigong. That happens to be my specialty. Follow me, and I'll make you the toughest man in the Enclave," Lion-Head Buddha said.
"Big Silly Qiang, hurry up and thank your master!" Huang Sihai said, giving him a pointed look.
"Master? Aren't you my master?" Big Silly Qiang was bewildered.
"You really are dumb. Sister Buddha's willing to teach you Hard Qigong. You should be fucking thanking your lucky stars! She's a famous Hard Qigong expert in the Enclave," A Zhen snapped.
Even Liu Chun was tempted.
Hard Qigong, also known as body tempering, was something very few people knew.
Of all these martial arts halls, few taught Hard Qigong.
If she could practice a Hard Qigong technique, her talent would make reaching the second floor a sure thing. She might even have a shot at next year's River-Crossing Slot.
Mr. Ming was said to be the Enclave's foremost Hard Qigong expert, known as the "Underground Ming King"!
Hard Qigong... Li Xiuwen clenched his fist. What man didn't want to be harder?
He wanted to study under Sister Buddha too, so he volunteered himself. "Sister Buddha, are you still recruiting?"
Lion-Head Buddha lowered her eyes toward him. She had not noticed Li Xiuwen at all. After all, both his cultivation and martial constitution were utterly ordinary, and he had no Innate Strength.
"We don't have any openings right now... But if you've got real money to offer, you're welcome anytime."
"All right." Li Xiuwen was not disappointed. He had started from a low baseline, so it was only natural that an expert like her would not take an interest in him.
That day, Lion-Head Buddha and Wild Chicken took Liu Chun, Big Silly Qiang, and A Zhen to the Club, where they would first undergo the initiation ceremony and then receive their ranks.
With their decent talents, they would generally start as Four-Nines and could be assigned good, low-risk jobs.
Clubs recruited at martial arts halls because they wanted to cultivate core personnel. First, they had to let the newcomers develop.
People picked up at random off the streets were just there to fill out the ranks and keep up appearances. When fighting broke out, they were all cannon fodder.
The others watched Liu Chun and her companions leave with envy.
Li Xiuwen focused on what was in front of him and continued practicing his punches.
Another seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
At Sihai Martial Arts Hall, Li Xiuwen returned Martial Tomb Miscellany to Old Chen.
"Don't lose heart, Brother Li. Things haven't been peaceful lately. Joining a Club isn't necessarily a good thing," Old Chen consoled him from inside the cage.
"Mm." Li Xiuwen looked toward the incense burner.
[Li Xiuwen] [Martial arts] [Basic martial arts knowledge: Entry (67%)] [Sea of Stake Training: Entry (44%)] [Sand-Turning Palm: Entry (53%)] [Stage: Azure Membrane (44%)]
Soon. In another month, I'll reach Purple Membrane. Sand-Turning Palm should reach minor attainment too.
At lunchtime, Huang Sihai strolled around with his hands behind his back, then came up to the table and cleared his throat.
The disciples immediately stood, waiting for him to speak.
"I have an announcement," Huang Sihai said.
"Please go ahead, Master~" A Zhen was lively by nature. She immediately offered Huang Sihai her seat, smiling as she gently kneaded his shoulders.
Huang Sihai enjoyed the attention. Sihai Martial Arts Hall had few female disciples, and he liked A Zhen. With the girl around, everyone's daily training was a little less dull.
Huang Sihai looked at Liu Chun in the middle of the crowd.
"The neighboring Night Heron Martial Arts Hall is coming here for a Hall Challenge in a month."
"A Hall Challenge?" Liu Chun looked interested. "Master, do you need our help?"
Huang Sihai sighed. "Old Night is a crafty old fox. He calls it a Hall Challenge, but he's really coming to take us down.
"Old Night claims descent from a prestigious school and styles himself an inheritor of the White Crane Style, except the White Crane Style refuses to acknowledge him.
"All these years, he's gone to great lengths to find martial geniuses, constantly raising his admission standards. He wants the Night Heron Style to become 'renowned' too, so he can slap the White Crane Style in the face.
"This year, he took in a promising student, and now he can't wait to show off here and build his reputation at our Sihai Martial Arts Hall's expense.
"As if that weren't enough, he's even invited reporters from the Ming Daily to cover it. He's clearly trying to use us as a stepping stone!"
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