Waiting

"Mr. Chen, the things you asked for." Secretary Yu carried several large and small bags, filled with all kinds of men's clothing.

Chen Xu pulled out a stack of Abyss Coins and forcibly stuffed them into Secretary Yu's pocket.

Clothes made the man, saddles made the horse. After changing into a casual tracksuit, Chen Xu looked at least one or two notches better than he had in underwear and an overcoat.

Secretary Yu had barely left when a black sedan pulled up.

A driver in a black uniform stepped out and opened the door for Chen Xu. "Hall Master Chen, I'm here to take you to the Martial Pavilion to wait for your assessment. Please."

Chen Xu had already learned the entire process, so he bent down and got into the car.

When the sedan arrived at the Martial Pavilion, Chen Xu followed a guide toward the review hall.

Inside the spacious review hall, a teenage boy and girl in school uniforms were bent over a table, scribbling away at something.

Children found it hard enough to focus in the first place. Hearing Chen Xu's footsteps, the girl immediately looked up and sized him up.

"Are you here to assess my brother?" the girl asked in a voice as clear as a songbird's.

"Lin Xue!" The boy tapped her on the head with his pen. "Do you know how rude that question was?"

Pouting, Lin Xue puffed out her little cheeks slightly. "I know, Brother."

The boy set down his pen and rose to his feet, his voice carrying the vigor and confidence unique to youth. "Hello, I'm Lin Qi, the hall master of the Inquiry Martial Arts Hall.

For certain reasons, I'm borrowing this place to finish my homework."

"You're a martial artist too?" Chen Xu studied the boy carefully. He looked younger than Chen Xu's previous self, yet he seemed to be both a martial arts hall master and a student.

"So you're Hall Master Lin. I'm not a Martial Pavilion employee either. I'm also here for the hall master assessment," Chen Xu said evenly.

"Big Brother Chen, you're here for the assessment too?"

Rather than distancing himself upon learning that Chen Xu was not a staff member, Lin Qi smiled and walked over. "I thought I was the only one taking it. I was even more nervous than I was for an exam. Now that Big Brother Chen is here, I feel much less nervous."

He reached out and shook Chen Xu's hand.

As they shook hands, Chen Xu keenly sensed a pair of eyes overflowing with jealousy. At the table, Lin Xue bit down hard on the end of her pen and stared without blinking at their clasped hands.

Chen Xu glanced at Lin Qi, who had noticed nothing. After living so many years, this was the first time he had encountered a brother-con of this caliber in real life.

She could get jealous over even a basic handshake. He had no idea how the two of them normally lived.

"Big Brother Chen, your martial arts hall must have lots of students. I'll definitely visit and observe it when I get the chance.

My hall still can't officially recruit students yet. I'm really looking forward to it." Lin Qi began imagining the glorious future of his martial arts hall.

Just as Chen Xu was about to speak, the review room door opened again. A girl with a bun hairstyle, dressed in a martial arts uniform, poked her head inside. When she saw Lin Qi, she waved repeatedly. "Ah, Brother Lin, you really are here!"

"Jiajia, why are you here?" Lin Qi asked with a surprised look, quickly walking over.

"Hall Master Chen, let me introduce her. She's Hall Master Yan's granddaughter and also my classmate, Yan Jiajia."

Hearing Lin Qi introduce her, Yan Jiajia raised her head and puffed out her chest like a proud little peacock.

Normally, little martial arts hall masters like him were not even qualified to meet her, much less speak with her. Since Brother Lin had introduced him, she would give him a little face.

"Miss Yan." Out of consideration for the Hall Master Yan he had never met, Chen Xu casually greeted her, then found himself a sofa and sat down.

Judging by her attitude, he could not be bothered to press his warm face against her cold backside.

Yan Jiajia had never been treated so perfunctorily, but in order to maintain her image in front of Lin Qi, she forcibly suppressed her anger.

Just as she was about to lean against Lin Qi, a sudden female voice startled her.

"Yan Jiajia, stay away from my brother!"

Lin Xue came running over angrily. As she grabbed Lin Qi's other arm, she kept using her free left hand to shove Yan Jiajia away.

"Lin Xue!" Lin Qi's voice rose more than a dozen decibels.

"How could you treat your senior sister like that? Have you forgotten all the manners I taught you?"

Lin Xue squeezed herself beside Lin Qi and muttered, "She's not some good senior sister."

Yan Jiajia said nothing and simply pressed herself closer to Lin Qi again.

"Tsk, tsk. The more I look at this guy, the more he seems like a protagonist." Chen Xu lounged on the sofa, watching the three of them packed together with great interest.

Maybe I should ask him about his seat at school when I get the chance?

"Hall Master Chen." Lin Qi cast Chen Xu a pleading look. He had no idea why any time the number of women around him exceeded zero, things ended up like this. The key was that they were all his friends or his younger sister, so he could not exactly force them away.

Ignoring Lin Qi's plea for help, Chen Xu pulled out his phone and idly scrolled through it.

Brushing back her hair, Yan Jiajia leaned close to Lin Qi's ear. "Brother Lin, I know information about the Martial Pavilion inspector."

"Huh?" Lin Qi broke free of the two girls and stared wide-eyed at Yan Jiajia.

Yan Jiajia was quite dissatisfied with his expression. "What, is that so strange? I'm the hall master's granddaughter."

"I have a way to increase your chances of passing." Yan Jiajia's schemes clicked away as she waited for Lin Qi to ask her for help, so she could naturally propose a private weekend date—ptui, a shopping trip.

"I won't listen." Lin Qi immediately covered both ears with his hands.

Yan Jiajia froze slightly. The script she had planned seemed to have deviated somewhat from what she had imagined. She hurriedly asked, "Why won't you listen? It's very difficult for a martial arts hall to gain a foothold in Jinning Commandery. If you can pass in the best possible way, why wouldn't you do it?

Besides, don't you want your sister to get into that school? Without outstanding enough results and sufficient funds, she won't be able to get in."

"I know all that." Lin Qi's expression became exceptionally serious.

"But I won't allow myself to obtain everything I want through shortcuts or cheating.

That is not only my parents' teaching, but also the path I intend to follow.

That is true in life, and it is true in martial arts as well."

"Your parents were because..." Yan Jiajia spoke without thinking, but her voice grew softer toward the end. She glanced at Lin Qi and, seeing that he had not noticed her slip, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"This isn't cheating, nor is it taking a shortcut." Yan Jiajia argued her case for the sake of her weekend date.

"It's called sharing information, understand? I learned all of this through my own ability."

"Cheating!"

"Sharing!"

"Cheating!"

"Sharing!"

The two argued endlessly, neither noticing that Lin Xue was unusually quiet. Leaning against her brother's chest, she occasionally glanced at Yan Jiajia. No one knew what she was thinking.

Amid the commotion, the review room door opened once more, and four people entered in succession.

The male disciple looked at the two arguing people and frowned slightly. What did these two take this place for?

"This is the Martial Pavilion. What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket? Silence!" the male disciple shouted, his voice strong and forceful.

The arguing abruptly stopped, and the four people in the room quickly turned to look.