Yinghai was a chain brand, with three gyms in Luoying City.
The largest of them, the flagship, sat near the downtown plaza, covering nearly ten thousand square meters, its presence no weaker than the commercial plaza beside it.
At this moment, Li Qingshan and Zhao Hongzhou were inside the flagship.
"Qingshan, I knew all along you were no creature for a small pond."
"Sure enough, the moment you joined the Martial Dao Class, you shot straight up into the sky."
The balding middle-aged manager wore a warm smile, acting like an old friend.
"Manager Zhou, you're too kind. Thank you for looking after me back then."
All smiles, Li Qingshan reached out and shook his hand.
Zhao Hongzhou froze in place, his eyes darting between the two smiling faces.
Manager Zhou was the flagship's HR manager.
Back when he and Li Qingshan worked there, they'd only crossed paths a few times — they hardly knew each other at all.
As Zhao Hongzhou stood there dazed, a bottle of low-grade nutrient fluid was pressed into his hand.
"Zhao Hongzhou, well done this time. Bring more outstanding classmates our way in future." Manager Zhou patted his shoulder.
"We at Yinghai are glad to give these Martial Dao up-and-comers a platform, to lend a hand on their path."
"Manager, I..."
Zhao Hongzhou flushed red at once, glanced nervously at Li Qingshan, and made to decline.
He hadn't brought Li Qingshan here for a reward.
Seeing Zhao Hongzhou about to push the nutrient fluid back, Li Qingshan cut in quickly:
"What are you looking at me for? Thank Manager Zhou."
"No need, no need."
Manager Zhou waved a hand and got to the point.
"Qingshan, as this year's top Martial Dao Class student, how about I set your session fee at fifteen hundred?"
"Fifteen hundred?" Li Qingshan paused.
Were there really that many suckers these days?
"If you think that's low, I can raise it!"
"No, no, I'm not saying it's low."
Li Qingshan hurriedly waved a hand and asked:
"Manager Zhou, I just joined the Martial Dao Class — will anyone actually buy lessons?"
A fifteen-hundred session fee, two hours a day, was enough to buy him a bottle of nutrient fluid.
But only if someone bought the lessons.
"Heh heh, you're underrating the gold content of 'top of the Martial Dao Class.'"
Manager Zhou waved a hand, confident.
"Don't worry, your lessons will be in more demand than you can supply, and Yinghai won't take a single cent in commission."
These days, the truly gifted martial artists were all on the New Continent.
As for those who stayed on the Old Continent,
to put it bluntly, apart from the local Martial Dao teachers, the rest were small fry.
In a situation like that, a marketing gimmick mattered far more than real strength.
Li Qingshan didn't quite see how the man made his money, but if it was 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 trainer!"
"I bought lessons to learn martial arts, not to do radio calisthenics somewhere new!"
A troublemaker?
Li Qingshan turned to look.
He saw a chubby kid with a backpack, around twelve or thirteen, leaning over the front desk, refusing to let up.
Manager Zhou's face changed, and he hurried over at a trot.
Li Qingshan nudged Zhao Hongzhou's arm and asked:
"How's your 'client'? They're not all as hard to handle as this little fatso, are they?"
"My client's a little girl, very obedient."
Zhao Hongzhou looked toward the front desk and said helplessly:
"Besides, this little fatso is one of a kind in this place."
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"How so?"
"His name's Cao Shaoyu, just started seventh grade this year. Dreams of being a great hero, gets in fights every day."
"He's already gone through several trainers, never satisfied with any."
Clearly, this scene wasn't playing out for the first time.
"Pretty interesting, actually."
Li Qingshan shrugged and folded his arms to watch the show.
Whether it was that the chubby kid Cao Shaoyu had a big enough background, or simply that Manager Zhou's professionalism ran high,
Manager Zhou kept nodding and bowing, all apologetic smiles.
But Cao Shaoyu wasn't buying it.
"A refund? Did I come for money? I came to learn martial arts!"
Cao Shaoyu flushed red with anger, jabbing a pudgy finger at the sign on the wall.
"Is this how Yinghai does business? Not even one decent trainer?"
"I'm not taking a refund — I'll pay more. A thousand-a-session trainer won't do, make it fifteen hundred... no, two thousand!"
"Find me a trainer worth 2,000 a session and teach me real martial arts!"
Zhao Hongzhou shook his head, at a loss for words:
"Learn martial arts, my foot — this little brat just wants to fight!"
He coveted that two-thousand fee too, but he hadn't the skill to teach.
"Well, isn't that convenient?"
A soft laugh sounded.
Before Zhao Hongzhou could react, Li Qingshan was already walking straight to the front desk.
"This one, I'll take it."
"Qingshan, this..."
Manager Zhou rubbed his hands, hesitating to speak.
"You, quiet!"
Cao Shaoyu cut in impatiently, looking up at Li Qingshan, dubious:
"Can you really teach me martial arts? The real Martial Dao!"
As he spoke, Cao Shaoyu gestured with both hands, rather comically.
"Whether it's the real Martial Dao, I couldn't say."
Li Qingshan smiled and reached out, lightly tapping Cao Shaoyu's forehead, where there was a purple bruise.
"But at the very least, I can teach you how to fight."
"Tss!"
Cao Shaoyu clutched his forehead and shrank his neck, but his face broke into a delighted grin.
"Good, good, good — Coach, I'm training with you from now on."
The deal struck and the trouble settled, yet there was little joy on Manager Zhou's face.
After a brief hesitation, he leaned close to Li Qingshan and said in a low voice:
"Qingshan, maybe think it over again. Cao Shaoyu's contract is a bit of trouble."
"Just teaching a little brat, it's nothing." Li Qingshan shook his head and said casually:
"If he's still not satisfied, worst case we just refund him."
"The trouble I mean isn't the brat!" Manager Zhou said anxiously, his voice rising.
"Hey Zhou, who are you calling a little brat!"
Cao Shaoyu hopped up at once, indignant:
"I finally found a trainer — don't go ruining it for me."
Manager Zhou ignored Cao Shaoyu and looked at Li Qingshan, serious:
"The trainer Cao Shaoyu wants to drop is named Yu Zhuo, a second-year Martial Dao Class student — your senior."
A Martial Dao Class intake ran three years.
In the first year, any senior could sign up, and skill levels were all over the place.
But to stay into the second year, you needed at least Body Forging Layer 3.
"A senior?" Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow, sobering somewhat.
"Is this Yu Zhuo strong? Though I'm not exactly poaching his client, am I?"
"Yu Zhuo is Body Forging Layer 3. As for whether he's strong..."
Manager Zhou shot Li Qingshan a glance — it went without saying.
Body Forging Layer 3 might be only the threshold for second year, but it wasn't something a freshman a month into the Martial Dao Class could match.
When it came down to it, "top freshman" was just a gimmick.
But Manager Zhou found that Li Qingshan didn't seem to take his meaning, not a trace of nerves on his face.
"It's not quite poaching, but Yu Zhuo has always been a domineering sort. Once he finds out, he'll likely come to 'spar' with you." Manager Zhou said earnestly.
"Our gym has no right to interfere in a private 'spar' between martial artists, and even the Inspection Bureau won't step in as long as there's no serious injury."
"And since you're both in the Martial Dao Class, there'll be no dodging it."
His earlier resolve to just refund Cao Shaoyu, beyond the kid being a handful, was also on account of Yu Zhuo.
There were only so many trainers in the gym, and no one else would provoke Yu Zhuo over a single contract.
"Coach Yu is a bit fierce..."
Hearing this, Cao Shaoyu shrank his neck, but this time he was dead set on switching trainers.
"Worst case, I won't ask for a refund on the lessons I've got left with Coach Yu."
Cao Shaoyu hollered, glancing at Li Qingshan all the while, afraid this new coach would be scared off by Yu Zhuo and refuse to take him on.
"Is this about a refund?" Manager Zhou shook his head, exasperated.
"You're still young, you don't get the adult world — this is a matter of face."
Cao Shaoyu had paid Yu Zhuo 1,000 a session; now he was not only switching trainers but bumping the fee to two thousand.
For Yu Zhuo, wasn't that a slap in the face?
Cao Shaoyu didn't follow, and rubbed his hair in irritation.
"I just want to switch trainers — why is it so complicated!"
"Actually, it's not complicated at all. Manager Zhou's just overthinking it."
Li Qingshan, amused, reached over and smoothed the kid's hair.
"I'm not Yu Zhuo's dad — do I have to spare his face just to take a contract?"
Li Qingshan turned to Manager Zhou and said casually:
"Is Yu Zhuo in the gym right now?"
"He is." Manager Zhou nodded blankly, not understanding.
"Lead the way. As it happens, I quite like 'sparring' too."