Chapter 24 - 23: Provocation, Advice Is Wasted on the Doomed!

Chapter 24: Chapter 23: Provocation, Advice Is Wasted on the Doomed!

The person assigned to receive Liu Zimo was a Vice Hall Master of the Yu Xun Martial Arts Hall. His name was Sun Yang, a slightly chubby middle-aged man with an incredibly amiable face.

Upon seeing him, Liu Zimo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Although his expression didn’t betray the slightest hint of abnormality, a trace of displeasure quietly rose in his heart. He felt like he was being brushed off.

This Sun Yang was clearly an ordinary person who had yet to set foot on the Martial Dao. The white Shadow Lock floating above his head further proved his limited aptitude.

"Is this some kind of joke? How could an ordinary person without Martial Cultivation become a Vice Hall Master of the Yu Xun Martial Arts Hall?" Liu Zimo wondered.

"Mr. Liu, I presume?" Sun Yang seemed somewhat surprised by Liu Zimo’s youth. He hadn’t expected the guest he was receiving to be a young man in his early twenties. "Come, come, please have a seat! I just brewed a pot of Biluochun tea, perfect for entertaining a distinguished guest!"

Not slighting Liu Zimo in the least because of his age, Sun Yang enthusiastically ushered the young cash cow into the adjacent reception room. As he poured the tea, he introduced himself.

"I am the Vice Hall Master in charge of the Martial Arts Hall’s external security business. Although I am not skilled in the Martial Dao, I am intimately familiar with the strength of every Martial Master in our hall.

"If Mr. Liu has any requirements, you can mention them to me first. No matter which Martial Master’s contract you want, I can generally make the final call!"

Clearly, Sun Yang had noticed Liu Zimo’s raised eyebrow earlier. He was using this introduction to subtly explain and highlight his transcendent status within the Martial Arts Hall.

Hearing this, Liu Zimo immediately understood. Vice Hall Master Sun was essentially just a male receptionist pushed to the front lines to schmooze with clients. The so-called "Vice Hall Master" title was just a bluff to impress people, much like the flashy manager or vice president titles printed on corporate salesmen’s business cards.

Then again, it made sense. A truly capable Vice Hall Master with extraordinary martial prowess wouldn’t have the time or energy to handle reception duties. The inherent pride and unyielding backbone of a Martial Artist wouldn’t allow them to slap on a sycophantic smile for ordinary people either. If an official Martial Artist were actually assigned to greet guests, they would likely piss off the clients within three sentences.

"Thank you for your trouble, Master Sun." Receiving the teacup, Liu Zimo’s mood improved slightly, and he replied with soft politeness.

"Haha, you’re too polite, Mr. Liu. Anyone who walks through our doors is a guest, let alone someone like you who is a Gold Member of our Yu Xun Martial Arts Hall. You are a VIP among VIPs!"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sun Yang stopped beating around the bush and asked directly, "Since you came here looking for our masters, you must have done some prior research. Which master caught your eye? You can tell me first, and I’ll see if they have any availability in their schedule."

"Zhao Jiajun, Sun Xincheng, Wan Hongying, Li Yan..."

Liu Zimo didn’t hold back, casually rattling off a few names from his memory. However, right after he mentioned the first four names, Sun Yang raised a hand to interrupt him.

"Mr. Liu, wait a moment, please hold on!

"The individuals you just mentioned are all Gold Medal Martial Masters of our Martial Arts Hall, and more importantly, they are the Direct Disciples of the old Hall Master. They generally don’t accept external security jobs.

"Why don’t you tell me your specific requirements first, and then I can recommend a few suitable Martial Masters for you. How does that sound?"

As soon as Liu Zimo opened his mouth, Sun Yang knew this guy was most likely another clueless amateur. The order of the names he recited was clearly copied straight from the Martial Arts Hall’s official website. Sun Yang met plenty of people like this every month, so he was already used to it.

"Does he really think anyone can just afford and hire our Hall’s Gold Medal Martial Masters?" Sun Yang scoffed inwardly.

"What? Are you afraid I can’t afford them?" Liu Zimo frowned, intentionally questioning Sun Yang with an angry tone. "Or does Master Sun think I’m not qualified to ask them to step forward?"

"No, no, no, I absolutely didn’t mean that," Sun Yang hurriedly explained. "Furthermore, it has nothing to do with money. It’s just that the few you mentioned are basically all tied up with current assignments, making it inconvenient for them to take on other business.

"Of course, if you aren’t in a hurry, Mr. Liu, and are willing to wait for half a year to a year, then pretend I never said anything. I can start lining you up for an appointment right now.

"But if you can’t wait, you can absolutely check out the other Martial Masters in our Hall. Their strength is actually very impressive as well!"

Sun Yang had already perfected this stalling tactic to an art. Ninety-nine percent of his clients would be deterred by this move. After all, anyone looking to hire security was usually facing some sort of urgent or dangerous situation. Nobody could realistically afford to wait up to a year.

However, this time, the person he encountered was Liu Zimo, who had no intention of playing by the rules.

"Making an appointment in advance? Fine!" Liu Zimo seized on Sun Yang’s words, looking up at him with awe-inspiring arrogance. "Give me a number for the reservation fee, and I can transfer the money to you right now!

"But before that, I want to test the mettle of these lofty Gold Medal Martial Masters. Let’s see if they’re really as formidable as they claim and truly worth waiting half a year for!"

Since a diplomatic approach wouldn’t work, he could only resort to force. Anyway, Liu Zimo didn’t actually want to hire bodyguards. His sole objective had always been to successfully meet the Yu Xun Martial Saint, as well as the few True Disciples under his tutelage. He had initially thought that paving the way with money would be enough to accomplish his task smoothly. Now, it seemed he would have to show his fists after all!

"If Zhao Jiajun, Sun Xincheng, and Wan Hongying are just empty vessels trading on their reputation and can’t even defeat a novice like me who has only been training for a few months, then there’s no need for me to hire them!

"Don’t you agree, Vice Hall Master Sun?" Liu Zimo deliberately made his words sound incredibly grating, continuously provoking Sun Yang.

Seeing this, Sun Yang couldn’t help but shake his head in utter speechlessness.

"Great, another fool with a death wish!" Sun Yang thought.

He didn’t expect to meet another arrogant, hardheaded client after six long months. Ah, young people. They train in martial arts for a few days, and suddenly their egos inflate, blood rushes to their heads, and they think they’re invincible, completely disregarding everyone else. They didn’t even look at where they were standing!

The last guy who dared to act so arrogantly and jump around inside the Martial Arts Hall was still lying in a hospital bed. Did he really think the masters in their Hall were just decorative ornaments that any random stray dog or cat could trample on?

"Mr. Liu, are you certain you must do this? Won’t you reconsider?" Sun Yang made one final attempt at persuasion. He was a perfectly fine young man who had just handed over an eighty-eight-thousand-yuan membership fee to their Martial Arts Hall. Sun Yang truly couldn’t bear to watch him dig his own grave.

"There’s nothing to reconsider!" Liu Zimo remained stubborn, speaking with zero courtesy. "If your Yu Xun Martial Arts Hall is scared and doesn’t dare let Zhao Jiajun and the others come out to accept my challenge—if you want to be a bunch of cowardly turtles hiding in their shells—then pretend I said nothing, and I will turn around and leave!"

Sure enough, the moment these words were spoken, Sun Yang’s amiable face instantly sank as a surge of Qi Blood rushed to his head.

"You really can’t save someone hell-bent on digging their own grave!" he fumed inwardly.

The honor of the Yu Xun Martial Arts Hall and the reputation of its True Disciples could not tolerate such blatant slander from an outsider! Since this brat wanted to look for trouble, there was no need for him to keep holding him back.

SWISH.

Sun Yang stood up abruptly and said with a cold face, "In that case, please follow me, Mr. Liu. Let’s go to the martial arts arena next door and stretch our limbs!"