I Also Like Sparring

Yinghai was a chain brand with three gyms in Luoying City.

The largest of them, a flagship store, sat near the city center square, covering nearly ten thousand square meters—its presence rivaling the commercial plaza next door.

Right now, Li Qingshan and Zhao Hongzhou were inside that flagship store.

"Qingshan, I always knew you were no ordinary fish stuck in a pond."

"Sure enough, the moment you joined the Martial Arts Class, you shot straight up."

The middle-aged, balding manager wore a warm smile, acting like an old acquaintance.

"Manager Zhou, you're too kind. I still appreciate your help back then."

Li Qingshan smiled back, extending his hand for a shake.

Zhao Hongzhou stood frozen, his gaze bouncing between the two smiling faces.

Manager Zhou was the HR manager of the flagship store.

When Li Qingshan had worked odd jobs there, they'd only met a few times—they weren't even acquainted.

As Zhao Hongzhou stood there dazed, a bottle of low-grade Nutrient Solution was pressed into his hand.

"Zhao Hongzhou, good work this time. Feel free to recommend more outstanding classmates in the future." Manager Zhou patted Zhao Hongzhou's shoulder.

"Yinghai is happy to provide a platform for these rising Martial Artists and help pave their path in martial arts."

"Manager, I..."

Zhao Hongzhou's face flushed red. He glanced nervously at Li Qingshan and started to refuse.

He hadn't brought Li Qingshan here to claim a reward.

Just as Zhao Hongzhou was about to push the Nutrient Solution away, Li Qingshan quickly cut in:

"What are you looking at me for? Hurry up and thank Manager Zhou."

"No need, no need."

Manager Zhou waved his hand and got down to business.

"Qingshan, as the top of this Martial Arts Class, how about I set your Class Fee at 1500?"

"1500?" Li Qingshan blinked.

Were there really that many suckers these days?

"If you think it's too low, I can bump it up a bit!"

"No, no, it's not that I think it's low."

Li Qingshan quickly waved his hands and asked, "Manager Zhou, I just joined the Martial Arts Class. Will anyone actually buy lessons?"

A Class Fee of 1500 for two hours a day—that was enough to buy a bottle of Nutrient Solution.

But that only mattered if someone actually signed up.

"Heh, you're underestimating the weight of being 'top of the Martial Arts Class.'"

Manager Zhou waved dismissively, confident. "Don't worry, your lessons will be in high demand. And Yinghai won't take a single cut of the commission."

These days, truly talented Martial Artists were all in the New Continent.

As for those left on the Old Continent—

To put it bluntly, aside from the local Martial Arts Teachers, the rest were all scrubs.

In that situation, flashy marketing mattered far more than actual strength.

Li Qingshan didn't know how the guy made money, but if it was a win-win, all the better.

"Pleasure doing business!"

Just then, a commotion came from the front desk.

"I don't care! You have to switch my coach!"

"I bought lessons to learn martial arts, not to practice Broadcast Gymnastics somewhere else!"

A troublemaker?

Li Qingshan turned his head.

A chubby kid with a backpack, around twelve or thirteen, was clinging to the front desk counter, refusing to let go.

Manager Zhou's expression shifted, and he hurried over to the front desk.

Li Qingshan nudged Zhao Hongzhou's arm and asked, "How's your 'client'? Not all of them as hard to handle as this little fatty, right?"

"My client's a little girl. She's very obedient."

Zhao Hongzhou looked toward the front desk and sighed helplessly.

"And this little fatty is a one-of-a-kind case in the shop."

Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"How so?"

"His name is Cao Shaoyu. He just started First Year of Middle School, dreams of being a hero, and gets into fights every day."

"He's already been through a few coaches, none of them satisfied him."

Clearly, this scene wasn't playing out for the first time.

"Pretty interesting."

Li Qingshan shrugged, crossing his arms to watch the show.

Whether it was because the chubby kid Cao Shaoyu had a big background, or Manager Zhou simply had high professional standards, the manager kept bowing and scraping with a flattering smile.

But Cao Shaoyu wasn't buying it.

"A refund? Did I come here for money? I came to train in martial arts!"

Cao Shaoyu's face flushed red with anger as he pointed a swollen finger at the sign on the wall.

"Is this how Yinghai does business? Not even a decent coach?"

"I don't want a refund. I'll pay more. A 1000 Class Fee isn't enough, so make it 1500... no, 2000!"

"Find me a coach worth a 2000 Class Fee to teach me martial arts!"

Zhao Hongzhou shook his head, speechless.

"Martial arts? That brat just wants to fight!"

He was tempted by the 2000 Class Fee too, but he didn't have the skills to teach it.

"Isn't that convenient?"

A light laugh rang out.

Before Zhao Hongzhou could react, Li Qingshan had already walked straight to the front desk.

"I'll take this job."

"Qingshan, this..."

Manager Zhou rubbed his hands together, hesitating.

"Shut up!"

Cao Shaoyu cut him off impatiently, looking up at Li Qingshan with suspicion.

"Can you really teach me martial arts? Like, real martial arts?"

As he spoke, Cao Shaoyu gestured with his hands, looking rather ridiculous.

"Whether it's real martial arts, I don't know."

Li Qingshan smiled, reaching out to lightly tap Cao Shaoyu's forehead, where a blue-purple bruise marked the skin.

"But at least I can teach you how to fight."

"Hiss!"

Cao Shaoyu covered his forehead, shrinking back, but a grin spread across his face.

"Alright, alright, Coach. I'll train with you from now on."

The deal was struck, the trouble resolved, but Manager Zhou's face showed little joy.

After a moment's hesitation, he leaned close to Li Qingshan and whispered:

"Qingshan, maybe think it over. Cao Shaoyu's job is a bit troublesome."

"Teaching a little brat is nothing." Li Qingshan shook his head casually.

"If he's still not satisfied, I'll just refund the money."

"The trouble I'm talking about isn't that little brat!" Manager Zhou's face grew urgent, his voice rising.

"Hey, Zhou, who are you calling a little brat!"

Cao Shaoyu immediately jumped up, annoyed.

"I finally found a coach. Don't mess this up for me."

Manager Zhou ignored Cao Shaoyu, looking seriously at Li Qingshan.

"The coach Cao Shaoyu wants replaced is Yu Zhuo. He's a Second Year student in the Martial Arts Class, your senior."

The Martial Arts Class runs for three years.

In the first year, any high school senior can sign up, with wildly varying skill levels.

But to stay for the second year, you need at least Body Tempering Third Level.

"Senior?" Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow, his expression turning more serious.

"Yu Zhuo's strong? But this isn't really stealing his client, is it?"

"Yu Zhuo's at Body Tempering Third Level. As for whether he's strong..."

Manager Zhou glanced at Li Qingshan, the implication clear.

Body Tempering Third Level might just be the threshold for Second Year, but it wasn't something Li Qingshan, a newcomer who'd only been in the Martial Arts Class for a month, could match.

At the end of the day, being First in the new intake was just a gimmick.

Still, Manager Zhou noticed that Li Qingshan didn't seem to catch his meaning—there wasn't a trace of tension on his face.

"Even if it's not technically stealing his client, Yu Zhuo's always been domineering. Once he finds out, he'll probably come looking for a 'sparring session,'" Manager Zhou said earnestly.

"Our shop has no right to interfere in private 'sparring' between Martial Artists. Even the Patrol Bureau won't step in unless someone's seriously injured."

"And since you're both in the Martial Arts Class, you won't be able to dodge it when the time comes."

He'd already decided to refund Cao Shaoyu's money earlier, not just because the little fatty was hard to deal with, but also because of Yu Zhuo.

There were only so many private trainers in the shop, and no one else would risk pissing off Yu Zhuo over a single client.

"Coach Yu is kind of scary..."

Cao Shaoyu shrank his neck after hearing that, but this time he was dead set on switching coaches.

"Fine, I'll just give up the remaining lessons with Coach Yu."

Cao Shaoyu shouted loudly, his eyes darting to Li Qingshan, worried this new coach might be scared off by Yu Zhuo and refuse to take him on.

"Is this about refunding lessons or not?" Manager Zhou shook his head in exasperation.

"You're still young. You don't understand the adult world—this is about face."

Cao Shaoyu's Class Fee for Yu Zhuo was 1000, and now he was not only switching coaches but raising the fee to 2000.

To Yu Zhuo, wasn't that a slap in the face?

Cao Shaoyu didn't get it and ruffled his hair in frustration.

"I just want to switch coaches—why's it so complicated!"

"Actually, it's not complicated at all. Manager Zhou's just overthinking it."

Li Qingshan found it amusing and reached out to smooth down his hair.

"I'm not Yu Zhuo's dad. Do I have to care about his face just to take a client?"

Li Qingshan turned to Manager Zhou and said casually:

"Is Yu Zhuo in the shop right now?"

"He is." Manager Zhou nodded blankly, confused.

"Lead the way. I happen to enjoy 'sparring' too."