Zhongxing Martial Arts Hall

Xiao Wang looked for that forty-year-old man from last time, but after scanning the area, he couldn't find him.

Xiao Wang had no choice but to join the back of the line.

After waiting for a while, the line behind him began to grow longer. He turned around and craned his neck for a look, but still didn't spot the man.

"Could he be dead?"

Xiao Wang speculated inwardly. He looked at the line next to him for collecting compensation payments. Six family members were already waiting there, and from time to time, another relative would come and join the queue.

As the lines grew longer, the Fusheng Group staff inside the storefront grew busier as well.

About an hour later, the staff member's mechanical voice rang out again.

"Take out your agreements. Line up properly. One at a time."

The line in front of Xiao Wang began to move. He followed in small steps, occasionally turning to glance at the line behind him. There was still no sign of that man.

Xiao Wang stopped worrying about it and took the agreement out of his backpack, holding it in his hand.

Another hour passed before it was finally his turn.

The staff member took his agreement and looked it over, then drew a tube of his blood and set it aside before handing him two ten-thousand-denomination Federation notes.

For convenience, the Federation had specifically issued Federation notes in denominations of one thousand, five thousand, and ten thousand.

"Are you doing phase two?" the staff member asked, looking at him.

"Yes."

Xiao Wang answered without hesitation. He had noticed that everyone ahead of him had gone through phase two, without exception.

He figured the risks of phase two probably weren't any greater than the first time.

"Roll up your sleeve."

Just like last time, the staff member followed the procedure and injected the phase two experimental drug into his arm, then stamped the agreement.

"Come back in two days with the agreement to collect your money. If you die, have your family collect the compensation next door."

"Next."

Xiao Wang put away the money and agreement, then stood up.

He looked toward the line that was still waiting, but still couldn't find the middle-aged man.

Then he looked at the line next door for collecting compensation payments. The number of people there had now risen to nine.

Xiao Wang stood where he was for a moment before preparing to leave.

But just then, he saw a little girl approaching from the distance. She looked only thirteen or fourteen, thin and frail, with a prosthetic leg. Though she wasn't using crutches, she still limped as she walked.

It was clearly the cheap kind of prosthetic.

She slowly made her way forward. Xiao Wang kept staring at her. At that moment, he desperately hoped she was merely passing by, on her way to see her friends, or perhaps her parents.

But Xiao Wang knew that was almost impossible, because he could see the man's likeness in the little girl's face.

Even so, he stubbornly continued to believe that perhaps the little girl was only passing through.

Under Xiao Wang's gaze, the little girl came closer and closer. Then, before his very eyes, she walked toward the line for compensation payments and pulled an agreement from the pocket of her somewhat tattered clothes.

The instant Xiao Wang saw her take out the agreement, an indescribable emotion surged up inside him.

"Fuck."

Half an hour later, Xiao Wang appeared outside a martial arts hall.

The hall was called Zhongxing Martial Arts Hall. He had already asked around about it before. Before the Mount Yuan Martial Arts Academy entrance exam, he planned to use this time to train there and improve himself.

As supplements to the Federation's Martial Arts Academies, martial arts halls were numerous and varied. Their standards differed greatly, and so did their fees.

Many people who failed to get into a Martial Arts Academy would also learn some fighting skills at martial arts halls.

In the outer district of Mount Yuan City, nearly every student aspiring to enter Mount Yuan Martial Arts Academy would find a way to get extra training at a martial arts hall.

Unless they were some martial arts prodigy with absolute confidence in themselves.

Xiao Wang had asked around extensively before finding this martial arts hall. He had learned that Zhongxing Martial Arts Hall's founder had once been a teacher at Mount Yuan Martial Arts Academy, but had later been expelled for unknown reasons and founded this hall afterward.

Xiao Wang's reasoning was that since he wanted to improve his martial arts, tuition could wait. The first priority was finding a capable master. Since Zhongxing Martial Arts Hall's founder had once been a teacher at Mount Yuan Martial Arts Academy, his abilities surely couldn't be too poor.

Standing outside, Xiao Wang looked up. The martial arts hall was not large, and its sign was unremarkable.

But that didn't matter. He had only come today to ask about the fees.

The gates of the martial arts hall stood open, so Xiao Wang walked right in. Inside was a courtyard resembling a training ground. It was not large, and cold weapons were laid out along both sides—sabers, spears, swords, axes, three-section staffs, and more.

Yet there was not a single person in sight.

"Is anyone here?"

Xiao Wang stood in the courtyard and called out.

No one responded for a long time. Just as he was about to call again, someone suddenly walked out from the main hall inside.

The man was huge, over 1.9 meters tall, with bulging muscles.

One look was enough for Xiao Wang to judge that this man's combat strength was certainly not weak.

The man looked at Xiao Wang. "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm here to take a master."

"Take a master?" the big man repeated doubtfully.

"Yes. This is a martial arts hall, right? I'm here to take a master and study martial arts."

Upon hearing that, the big man gave Xiao Wang another serious look. "This is indeed a martial arts hall, but Master isn't here right now. If you're not in a hurry, wait for a while. If you're busy, come back another day."

"I'm not in a hurry."

"Then wait a while. Master should be back soon."

After saying that, the big man brought out a basket of edamame from a side room and sat on the curb by the main hall entrance, peeling them.

Xiao Wang wandered around the courtyard. When he reached the area where the cold weapons were displayed, he picked up a saber to play with for a while, then tried out a spear.

The big man paid him no mind, only occasionally glancing at him as he focused on shelling his edamame.

"What should I call you, Senior Brother?" Xiao Wang returned to the center of the courtyard and asked the big man.

"Cheng Hu."

"Hello, Senior Brother Cheng. Can I ask why there are so few people at our martial arts hall?"

Xiao Wang had already found it strange when he came in. At an ordinary martial arts hall, there would be at least twenty disciples, while some had as many as a hundred.

"There are just this few."

"Huh?"

"Mm."

Hearing that answer, Xiao Wang thought Cheng Hu was brushing him off. But after looking at him, he realized Cheng Hu was answering seriously.

So he stopped asking about that and changed the subject.

"Senior Brother Cheng, how much does this martial arts hall charge? Is it expensive?"

"You'll have to ask Master."

"Are there any conditions for taking in disciples?"

"You'll have to ask Master."

"How much is edamame per pound?"

"Four Federation dollars."

Xiao Wang: ...

Fine. He could only wait for Master to return.

After waiting for nearly an hour, just as Cheng Hu's edamame was almost gone, the master he had mentioned finally returned.

Hearing movement at the entrance, Xiao Wang turned around to look.

An old man in his fifties walked in, his hair somewhat gray but his spirit vigorous. He was accompanied by a younger man in his thirties, just over 1.6 meters tall, with a vicious glint in his eyes.

Both men froze when they saw Xiao Wang.

"Who's this kid?"