Chapter 451

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

The Deputy Director of the General Office holds a Deputy Bureau-level rank and wields considerable influence within the province, but in Jiangning... Hou Wei scanned the floor below and said, "Mr. Chen has gone out; you'll have to wait, or you can leave a message at the front desk."

"When will he be back?"

"Don't know."

"Then can we contact him first?"

"If Mr. Chen has his phone turned off, there's no way."

A normal person would be displeased with such a 'three questions, three don't-knows' response, but the liaison office staff's job is precisely reception and seeing-off; failing to complete the task is unacceptable. The man pulled Hou Wei into small talk: "Look, we came all this way; if we just go back like this, it's no skin off my nose, but it would cost the Deputy Director face. If it's convenient, could you help us contact a few responsible people who can actually make decisions?"

A year ago, Hou Wei was just an unemployed youth from a laid-off worker's family; he had never been treated with such respect, and his tone softened as he said, "Currently, the Martial Arts Hall's administrative work is under my charge, while Chen Group is handled by their CEO, Chen Zhenxing..."

"The Martial Arts Hall is under your charge." The man smiled even more amiably. Seizing the chance, he interrupted Hou: "Look at my eyesight. I am Liu Fei; let's get acquainted. What is your honorable surname?"

"No need for honorifics; surname Hou, Hou Wei." The difficulty of gaining respect from government officials is so great that people rank it alongside corruption, believing it cannot be changed.

Hou Wei felt very happy, a joy of being acknowledged. He immediately helped by bellowing: "Everyone crowding the first floor, disperse! The Inspection Team is now recording names; any students still lingering in the hall one minute from now will all face the military stick."

The Martial Arts Hall Inspection Team's military sticks are as thick as a child's fist, terrifying indeed. Whether they were loitering at the front desk or watching the excitement, they all scattered like birds and beasts, without a shred of hesitation.

Hou Wei turned his head back, smiling: "Director Liu, you record things down there; I'll remind them."

Liu Fei smiled like a sensitive plant raised by barbarians, saying: "Drop the 'Director Liu'; Director Sun of the Provincial Government General Office is right downstairs. Just call me Xiao Liu."

"Then Director Liu it is." Hou Wei's 20 years in a state-owned enterprise finally paid off.

With the form of address settled, Liu Fei then invited: "Mr. Hou, you've truly helped us enormously; how about I take you to meet Director Sun?"

"I happen to have business, so I won't meet him." Hou Wei said, shaking hands with Liu Fei.

The government's attitude is too good; it surely hides malicious intent, because the government's true name is "malicious intent." Hou Wei had real business downstairs, so he accidentally dodged the sugar-coated cannonball.

Liu Fei was helpless, couldn't force it, and tried his best: "Hey, can you arrange someone to accompany us on a tour? When Mr. Chen returns, we can meet him as soon as possible."

A tour implies covering meals and lodging. Though Hou Wei didn't understand the operating rules inside the government, he understood that much.

He thought for a moment, then Hou Wei smiled: "I'll help you contact Chen Zhenxing. Chen Group is a Fortune 500 company; whether you're contacting them for investment business or something else, finding him is quite convenient."

The absolute best at kicking a ball in China are definitely not the men's national team; the outstanding elements all passed the civil service exam. Liu Fei naturally couldn't be kicked away by Hou Wei; his tone grew even more sincere, almost making one mistake it for pleading: "No need to trouble two masters with one matter; we're already at the Martial Arts Hall, why not tour inside? You are the person in charge of the Martial Arts Hall, after all."

Hou Wei, having just grasped the Martial Arts Hall's administrative authority, got excited and couldn't refuse, reluctantly saying: "Only the 8th floor and below; I'll assign someone to be your guide."

Liu Fei said "Good," simple and clear, giving him no chance to go back on his word.

Hou Wei shook his head, sighing inwardly "insufficient cultivation," while casually calling over a Level 3 student.

As of today, Martial Arts Hall students below Level 3 are as numerous as ox hairs; because they are cheap and plentiful, they have become disposable substitutes available at a moment's notice, with zero human rights inside the Hall. They have resisted, of course, but what they often get is a fat beating — whether in schools, the military, or society, there is never a shortage of bully-type figures; sometimes the ones administering the beating aren't even bullies, just people wanting to enforce their orders — under such circumstances, if lower-level students cannot rapidly raise their Body Technique level, it's practically a pre-booked ticket to becoming a worker. High-level Martial Arts Hall students habitually seek out those familiar lower-level students they've beaten before for help.

"Student Bao Xin." Hou Wei looked at the identity badge unique to Level 3 students and smiled: "You accompany Director Liu and them on a tour of the 8th floor and below; alright, off you go."

Finished speaking, he smiled at Liu Fei and left in quick steps.

If he stayed any longer, he'd be swallowed up by that grinning, oily demeanor.

Sometimes, even knowing the other party's intentions, one cannot refuse due to face; Liu Fei used a small trick, but it was very effective.

Though a bit disappointed at not securing free meals and lodging, it wasn't a failure; he could expense the entertainment through the liaison office, just without an escort, which was slightly beneath his dignity.

After going down and reporting truthfully, Liu Fei asked: "Director Sun, do we go up for the tour, or go to a nearby hotel to rest first?"

"Go up and look." Director Sun tilted his head up, also full of curiosity. The Provincial Government General Office does reception work; he had long prepared himself for a cold shoulder. After all, he's just a Deputy Director of a General Office whose authority doesn't leave the government building; he never expected Jiangning's princeling enterprises to be as tactful as the county-level ones below.

Level 3 student Bao Xin, though disliking the guide work, performed it competently enough, introducing the canteen, recruitment company, and the training halls on the 4th floor and above all the way.

Students below the 8th floor are all below Body Technique Level 3; staff and workers have Body Technique levels exceeding Level 3, but their focus is no longer on training, unlike the initial stage where only an extremely few can surpass those ahead through talent alone.

"So this is Body Technique. Like Tai Chi in gymnastics. A bit faster than yoga." The accompanying Investment Promotion Bureau Director laughed and said.

"I don't think it's ordinary." Also accompanying Director Sun was a military transferred cadre, secretly comparing military boxing with Body Technique.

Naturally, there is no comparability.

Whether the West Continent or the Saint Qiao Kingdom, over ten thousand years of civilizational inheritance have produced only a handful of novel things; Body Technique is one of them.

Something developed for mere decades — if it could be mentioned in the same breath as a technique inherited for over ten thousand years, that would only prove the latter's stupidity or the former's arrogance.

A group of people standing outside the Martial Arts Hall on the 8th floor touring naturally drew the dissatisfaction of the instructors inside.

Especially today, the class was taught by a Combat Skill-level Knight; his temper was naturally fierce.

He almost appeared in the corridor in the time it takes to lift a foot, demanding: "Who? Scram!"

If not for Chen Yi using "Non-Violence" to strictly order the Knights, regardless of official rank, they would all be flying out right now.

Kill a man in ten steps, travel a thousand li without leaving a trace. The Knights can truly do it.

Bao Xin cursed "bad luck" inwardly, while starting to explain: "These few are here to tour the Martial Arts Hall environment; it was Hou Wei's order for me to come..."

"Scram!" The Knight's courtesy is reserved only for women; adrenaline secretion during training hours makes them prone to irritability.

Bao Xin fled in panic, leaving Director Sun and the others equally helpless.

Only that military transferred cadre stared unblinkingly at the students' movements inside the Performance Hall, suddenly saying: "Heard Chen Yi promoted this in the army before?"

This legend is known to everyone in the Martial Arts Hall. Bao Xin pulled him along, explaining as they walked toward the elevator: "Heard some special forces and such all came to learn; a while back, the Martial Arts Hall even sent people to instruct them. However, promoting it in the military seems to have failed."

"Why?"

"Can't be universally learned." The student said with a hint of pride: "Learning Body Technique requires talent; you can't just pull any random person and have them learn it. Those with too poor talent can't even reach Body Art Level 1; better to learn something simple."

Lack of talent can be supplemented with Divine Oil, just the cost is too high.

The military transferred cadre's mind turned; after entering the elevator, he suddenly pressed 18th Floor, smiling: "Let's go up and see; if Body Technique is formidable, we can just recruit soldiers based on Body Technique talent requirements from now on."

"Body Technique talent has a large relationship with physical condition; recruiting by standard would be great, just afraid the numbers won't be enough..."

The elevator doors closed; only then did Bao Xin feel the ascent, hurriedly pressing 1st Floor instead, to no avail.

"Just take a look, say nothing," the Military Transferred Cadre casually soothed him with a few words, and the Elevator quickly arrived at the th Floor.

The first thing that caught the eye was a stretch of Green Grass.

Liu Fei usually quite liked ornamental plants like orchids, so he looked carefully for a while, then cried out strangely: "It's a Fern."

"Jiangning can grow Ferns this big? Lao Sun, look, we definitely didn't come for nothing," the Military Transferred Cadre said generously, waving his hand: "Just fear they have no money; if they have money, they can take it out."

"Old Nie is generous enough," Sun Zhuren laughed prosperously.

To the Left Side of the th Floor was the High-level Training Hall, rented separately for the students' use, while to the right was the famous Oil Pool, used to trade various "Tearful Divine Oil" and "Energy Recovery Potion."

Now Martial Arts Hall Students not only had money, but many also possessed extraordinary talent, so they were willing to exchange some Wu Li Fang to take back for their Direct Relatives at Home. For example, "Energy Recovery Potion," if used by young people taking the College Entrance Examination or National Civil Service Exam, was practically equal to increasing over 80 percent of Study Time, Beneficial.

Of course, "Energy Recovery Potion" was mainly not for the students' use, so the price was Expensive, and only students above Level 6-7 in Body Technique could afford it.

Bao Xin, however, was not visiting the Oil Pool for the first time; the job that earned him the most money now was acting as a Purchasing Agent for others. Some students going "Overseas" always had money to burn, so they often found familiar Low-level Students to exchange Potions or Buy Medicine for their families at Home.

Such work was very easy, and the money earned allowed Bao Xin to use about one bottle of Tearful Divine Oil more per week; otherwise, his Cultivation at the Martial Arts Hall would be Negative Asset.

He was just thinking about how to persuade this group to leave when Sun Zhuren and the others very ungraciously dispersed.

The Oil Pool of over Thousand Square Meters was much larger than Postal Markets like the City God Temple, and Bao Xin was instantly Dazed.

"What drink is this? The bottle is really nice, give me a bottle," Sun Zhuren suddenly pointed at a Level 2 Tearful Divine Oil with a Price Tag of "15" and said.

In his view, apart from the goods being rather single, the Oil Pool was almost like a Supermarket inside a building, but the Crystal Clear Glass Bottles were very beautiful.

Students without a Nameplate were High-level Students. But students around forty years old were indeed Fewer.

The young man selling Divine Oil put the Level 2 Tearful Divine Oil into a small pack while smiling and asking: "Senior Student, are you a student from the First 10 Sessions? Shi Wu Wan Yuan, Bank Draft or Gold Ticket?"

... (Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to come to Qidian (qidian. com) to vote Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets; your support is my greatest Motivation.)