Chapter 30 — Recruitment

“Yes. Yes I did.”

Mingzhe looked back down at his wrist, which Lin Che eventually let go of. It was slightly red.

“How?” he asked, still refusing to believe what had just happened.

“That’ll be difficult to answer,” said Lin Che, who picked up the table that had been moved to the side. He placed it back between them and brought out the chairs. “Sit down.”

Mingzhe sat. This time, he did not reach for a drink, and instead leaned forwards towards Lin Che. “You said you had no formal training.”

“I don’t have any.”

“Then what do you have?

“A secret,” said Lin Che, “kept in certain circles.” He paused for a moment, pouring out a drink for both of them. “Which is, actually, part of why you’re here.”

Mingzhe raised an eyebrow.

“The competition is sponsored for a reason,” said Lin Che. “One such reason is to find people worth finding — athletes and martial artists who’ve proven themselves to be both talented and disciplined. And then, once they’re found, they get offered a door.”

“A door,” Mingzhe echoed back, quieter. “Into what?”

“I’m sure you understand what I am talking about,” said Lin Che, channeling Qi into his eyes. Indeed, his suspicions were correct, with Mingzhe already bearing trace amounts of Qi suggestive of beginner cultivation training. “You’ve spent fifteen years building up a foundation and hit your ceiling, but I suspect you have recently gone beyond what you had assumed was your skill cap.”

Mingzhe was quiet for a moment.

“And Yang Zichen is part of this world, isn’t he?”

Lin Che coughed.

“He entered the competition a couple of years ago, but then he disappeared. And now he’s back and better by a significant margin, and he moves like—” He stopped. “You’ve invited him.”

“Yes,” said Lin Che, barely holding in a smile which could expose him.

“Right.” Mingzhe picked up the drink and drank from it properly this time as he bought time to think. “And you’re inviting me.”

“If you want to be invited—”

“What does that involve?”

Lin Che reached into his jacket pocket and produced a business card for the Shen Clan. His wife had given it to him earlier that morning, stating that she had better things to do than to go watch some ants fight for recruitment purposes, and very succinctly briefed Lin Che on his task: introduce the winner to the Shen Clan.

He slid the card across the table.

“Call that when you’re ready to step into this world,” he said. “They’ll take it from there.”

Mingzhe looked at the card and scrutinised it. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“No interview, no—”

“You just demonstrated everything they want to see,” said Lin Che. “You survived three rounds with someone very good and are now asking sensible questions instead of panicking. The interview’s already over.”

“Thank you,” replied Mingzhe, before standing up and giving Lin Che a deep bow. Lin Che scratched his chin out of embarrassment, but moved back to a neutral position by the time Mingzhe rose again.

“Don’t thank me,” he said. “Thank whoever answers that number.”

***

Mingzhe had one hand on the door when it opened from the other side.

Xu Fang came through first, walking in at the accelerated pace of an excited puppy after his conversation with Zichen, who followed behind at a regular speed.

Mingzhe stopped in his tracks.

He looked at Xu Fang, then back at Lin Che, before his eyes moved onto Yang Zichen, before the puzzle pieces fell in place.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Xu Fang! You’re friends with the sponsor?”

“Guest of the sponsor,” said Xu Fang. “Lin Che’s wife sorted us out with the tickets. I’m just here for the free drinks and to watch you embarrass yourself on a stage.” He clapped Mingzhe on the shoulder. “You were brilliant, by the way. I’m very proud of you and I’m telling everyone.”

Mingzhe looked between Xu Fang and Lin Che once more.

“Congratulations,” Mingzhe said to Zichen.

“Good fight,” he returned with a thumbs up.

Mingzhe began taking his steps out of the door when—

“Right,” said Xu Fang, pulling Mingzhe back into the circle. “Food. There’s a place fifteen minutes from here that does excellent late-night lamb skewers and I’ve been thinking about them since we drove past.”

Xu Fang looked around the group with a smile on his face.

Lin Che was the first to respond. “I can’t,” he said. “I promised Shen Yue that I’d take care of some family business tonight in exchange for the tickets.”

“Tonight?” asked Xu Fang.

“Yeah, there are deadlines involved, otherwise I would definitely have come.”