Chapter 30 – Boiling Night

“Here comes the fish.”

The steaming fish pot was brought to the table.

The white fish meat rolled in the golden broth, accompanied by green and red peppers, releasing an enticing aroma.

The fish was black fish.

Although it wasn’t wild-caught, it was still tender and delicious.

“This must be one of their specialties.”

Lu Yuan tasted a piece of fish and couldn’t help but praise.

“Yes,” Lin Zhiqin nodded with a smile. “I’ve been coming to this restaurant for over ten years. I’ve brought many students here, and even after they leave the martial arts gym, they still come back for this dish from time to time.”

Hearing “bringing students,” Lu Yuan’s cheeks flushed slightly.

He had previously mocked Lin Zhiqin with this point.

But Lin Zhiqin seemed unfazed and said, “You’re much more mature than the average senior high school student.”

“I just tend to overthink things a bit.”

Lu Yuan took another piece of fish, eating it with some rice.

Inside his teenage body was the soul of an adult. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person.

Not particularly smart, with limited social experience, he was indeed a bit more mature than the average senior high school student, but only marginally.

Feeling embarrassed about his earlier joke, Lu Yuan remained silent.

However, Lin Zhiqin’s words weren’t necessarily all true.

“My nephew is your age, but he’s far behind you in these aspects.”

Lin Zhiqin paused, then said, “It’s normal for you to misunderstand. This isn’t exactly a straightforward matter. And I do have my own selfish motives.”

“You mentioned a legitimate martial arts competition, right?”

“Yes, it’s legitimate. But the martial arts gym’s rules prohibit disciples from participating in profit-driven martial arts competitions.”

Lu Yuan pondered, “So, if I agree, I can’t undergo the official disciple assessment right now.”

“Correct,” Lin Zhiqin nodded. “That’s why I approached you and Yang Jiandong. Students aren’t considered disciples and aren’t bound by those rules.”

“Then…”

Lu Yuan put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and asked seriously, “What are the benefits of agreeing? Is it just money?”

Lin Zhiqin glanced at him and said, “There’s also my personal one-on-one coaching. For Yang Jiandong, those are the only two benefits.”

Lu Yuan’s expression shifted slightly. “And for me, there’s more?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhiqin nodded. “Your talent in martial arts far surpasses Yang Jiandong’s. I will teach you other things. Also, as I mentioned before, you’ll have the chance to become a direct disciple.”

“A direct disciple of the martial arts gym. What exactly is the core teaching of Yuan Martial Arts Gym?”

Suddenly, an image flashed in Lu Yuan’s mind of a photo he saw on the second floor of the gym, a photo that had appeared and then disappeared.

In the photo was a person wearing a martial arts uniform with the character “crane” on it.

Unfortunately, Lin Zhiqin wouldn’t explain.

“I’ll tell you once you agree.”

Lu Yuan didn’t press further.

“Before we finish this meal, you can ask me any questions you want. After we eat, give me your answer,” Lin Zhiqin said to Lu Yuan.

“Alright,” Lu Yuan responded promptly and then focused on eating.

Even though Lin Zhiqin said he could ask anything, Lu Yuan didn’t ask any more questions. He had already learned what he needed to know and had made up his mind.

The meal was soon almost finished.

Of the five dishes on the table, more than half ended up in Lu Yuan’s stomach.

He ate until he was very full, even burping a few times.

Lin Zhiqin didn’t eat much, having stopped early. He lit a cigarette and seemed lost in thought.

When Lu Yuan was done eating, Lin Zhiqin signaled for him to leave.

It had to be said, this place was indeed affordable.

Five dishes, including chicken and fish, totaled less than two hundred yuan.

Naturally, Lin Zhiqin paid the bill.

Standing in the shade at the entrance of the small shop, Lu Yuan squinted his eyes at a stray cat by a trash can across the street.

Lin Zhiqin finished paying and walked out of the shop, standing beside him. “So, have you made up your mind?”

Lu Yuan nodded and replied calmly, “I can agree, but I want to see what kind of competition you’re talking about first.”

Lin Zhiqin’s eyes flickered slightly. “Alright, I’ll take you. When are you available?”

“Tomorrow is fine,” Lu Yuan said. He had a break for the next couple of days but had to go back to school the day after tomorrow.

“I’ll pick you up around six tomorrow evening. Leave me your phone number and address.”

Lu Yuan quickly recited his phone number to Lin Zhiqin and gave an address near a street corner close to his home.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of revealing his address; he just didn’t want his mom to see Lin Zhiqin picking him up, as that would be hard to explain.

By now, it was nearly noon.

After chatting with Lin Zhiqin, Lu Yuan didn’t feel like going back to the martial arts gym. The application form didn’t matter much anymore.

Bidding farewell to Lin Zhiqin, Lu Yuan ran towards the nearest bus stop.

Watching Lu Yuan’s swiftly retreating figure, Lin Zhiqin’s eyes flickered, and he seemed to murmur something to himself that only he could hear.

“A month to reach the sixth rank in boxing power, truly a rare talent. Perhaps I can convince the teacher…”

“The ‘Galaxy Mech War God’ card pack, one silver piece, five gold pieces, ten diamond pieces.”

“Damn! I just pulled an SSR Shining Black Warrior!”

“You little brat, where did you learn to talk like that? Watch out, or I’ll tell your teacher.”

The bus at noon moved as slowly as an old turtle almost baked by the sun. By the time Lu Yuan got home, it was already 12:45.

Lu Yuan watched a few elementary students from nearby neighborhoods playing card games in the shop for a while before heading upstairs.

“Whoosh•”

Standing at the wash basin in the bathroom, Lu Yuan turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on his face.

The person in the mirror had fair skin and handsome features.

Though he still looked a bit youthful, there was already a hint of sharp, striking looks.

“The scabs are almost gone, looking like they are from days-old wounds.”

Lu Yuan touched a scratch on his cheek and noticed that the superficial wounds he got last night had healed remarkably fast, almost completely.

Being young, with a fast metabolism, and having a constitution attribute of ten, Lu Yuan’s recovery rate was far beyond that of an average person.

After washing his face, he dried it with a towel.

Lu Yuan grabbed a drink from the fridge and went to his room, sitting down at his desk.

He began to ponder over the things Lin Zhiqin had told him during lunch.

“If Lin Zhiqin wasn’t lying, then participating in a couple of boxing matches wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“There’s a shortage of money at home, and I also lack real combat experience. Each fight, win or lose, will earn me a lot of experience points. This is a great opportunity to speed up my growth.”

As Lu Yuan was thinking this, his phone suddenly chimed.

He picked it up and saw a message from an unknown number.

[Mosa Cup Jiao Yan Boiling Night Supreme Martial Arts, you can look it up. – Lin Zhiqin]

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

So it was Lin Zhiqin who sent the message.

Was this the full name of the legitimate martial arts competition he mentioned?

Lu Yuan saved Lin Zhiqin’s number and then opened the computer on his desk. He typed the long event name into the search bar.

Quickly, relevant information appeared on the web page.