Both of them sat facing each other as gentle music played inside the café.
On the dark brown stone table was a vase of roses, which drew a line between their vision.
The fragrant roses and Caeser’s golden hair were a perfect match. They made him look all the more attractive.
“Anything. I don’t really drink coffee,” Lin Sheng said.
Caeser smiled as he ordered two cups of coffee that Lin Sheng had never heard of.
Soon, two hot aromatic cups of coffee were served.
As he waited for the waiter to leave, Caeser smiled and looked at Lin Sheng.
“Are you interested in working for my company?” he asked as he raised a finger. “You don’t have to decline so quickly.”
“Ten thousand a month, that will be your basic salary.”
Lin Sheng did not drink the coffee and simply tore bag after bag of sugar into it.
“I don’t have any interest in working for anyone at the moment.”
“Twenty thousand.” Caeser smiled.
Lin Sheng paused for a moment.
“I want to build my own career, do you understand what I mean?”
Caeser continued to smile as he shook his head.
“It seems like you’re unwilling. No worries, you’re still young. If you need anything, you can come over and look for me.”
He then pushed a name card across the table.
“I can see that you are an ambitious one. If you ever get bored trying your luck, my company is always open to you.”
“Thank you.”
Caeser took a sip.
“If you don’t mind, may I know who your teacher is?”
“I don’t have one.” Lin Sheng shook his head.
“Is that so?” A smile appeared on Caeser’s face again. “I heard that you’re a third-year high school student?”
“Yes, I am.” Lin Sheng nodded. “I’m facing my college entrance examination soon. It’s troublesome, to be honest.”
“With your talent in swordplay, why do you need to worry about that exam?” Caeser said with a smile.
“Even Langang University in Huaisha City alone, if you want it, as long as you’re able to win something from the national tournament, I can help you pull some strings and get you in through the athlete intake program.”
“Langang University?” Lin Sheng was stunned.
“Yes, Langang is one of the main universities in the country. While it may rank low, it’s a good choice for normal students,” Caeser said with a grin.
Lin Sheng was enticed.
If he could get a secured entry into the university, that would be for the best. His revision for the exam was just taking too much time.
However, that was incumbent on Caeser not hoodwinking him.
“Win a prize in the national tournament? What sort of placing are we looking at?” Lin Sheng asked.
“At least the top ten. Since this is the National Amateur Swordsmanship Tournament, it’s not that well regarded. As for the professional tournament, even if you’re capable, you don’t have the time for it. The tournament cycle for the professional circuit is just too slow.”
Caeser’s cobalt eyes were calmly fixed on Lin Sheng.
“Of course, the higher you place the better.”
“Why do you want to help me?” Lin Sheng asked.
“Well, because I’m a businessman.” Caeser smiled again. “Based on your abilities, with a little training, you’ll know how to defend against firearms, and you’ll be a good, as well as powerful, bodyguard.
“So, I hope that you’ll come over to my company as my security advisor, and in times of need, protect me and my family.”
Lin Sheng twiddled his finger as he considered the offer.
“If you can guarantee me a place in the university, I’ll agree.”
“If you can come out in the top ten, that’ll be a simple matter.” Caeser smiled again.
To obtain a powerful bodyguard for ¥20,000 a month plus a guaranteed entry into Langang University, it was a bargain for Caeser.
While this bodyguard was still fresh, he would be able to do wonders with just a little training.
Finding a proper professional was just too difficult.
…
After the tournament, Lin Sheng’s lifestyle returned to normal.
What he did not expect was that even before the club began its recruitment process, problems had already appeared at its door.
Near the rental grounds in Blackwater District, a few goons had appeared to collect protection money and fought with Russell who was waiting there.
While Russell had learned how to brawl and could hold his ground one-on-one or two-on-one, three-on-one was too much for him. He quickly summoned Madillan for help.
In the end, the goons were beaten off, but they came back again with another five.
The two sides fought once more, with both ultimately licking their wounds.
The goons did not care about a person’s identity.
Blackwater District was a classic chaotic ghetto, where gangs were formed and dismissed every now and then.
Such goons were highly mobile, and aside from an established gang like the White Tarots, your run of the mill goons would simply move elsewhere if they could not beat you.
By the time Lin Sheng received the news, it was already late in the afternoon.
And he was astonished to find that Russell had actually made friends out of them.
Due to the fight, not only did they no longer have to pay protection money for the training space, but they had also attracted a few impoverished youths who wanted to join the training and work in place of their fees.
…
Blackwater District, backyard training course.
It was a large square yard with an area of about two hundred square meters, and it was surrounded by a wall. This was the temporary training ground they had rented in Blackwater.
Grass grew all over the yard, and there were a few large water containers that had yet to be removed.
The gray wall was littered with all sorts of graffiti, from curses to lewd drawings.
The two cleaners they had hired were holding buckets of water while trying to wipe the graffiti off.
Lin Sheng turned away and looked at the three youngsters who were standing in front of him.
They were all skinny, almost bamboo-like, and their faces were pale as well as sunken. You could tell that they were malnourished from just a glance.
The shirts they wore were patched but still clean and tidy.
“You want to join the class?” Lin Sheng asked with a frown. “And you’ll work in place of the fees?”
“Yes, sir,” the tallest boy answered loudly, clearly not intimidated.
Lin Sheng sighed. The three individuals may have looked like they were there to train, but in actuality, they were there to look for work and food.
The training was just an excuse.
However, that also meant that he now had his first batch of disciples. If he could make something out of the three of them, then he would be able to spread the word about his school, and subsequent recruitments would be easier.
Lin Sheng turned around, and after he discussed the matter with Shayeen behind him, he decided to take them in.
As for rental, they had canceled their rental of the clubhouse and only rented the current place, so that shrunk the rental cost by about tenfold.
Plus, the money prepared by Shayeen was more than enough, and for a small place like that, they could even survive a few years without any profit.
After the discussion, Lin Sheng had a look at their family background.
Two of them were locals, sons of dockworkers in Blackwater, while another one was an outland orphan who had come here to beg.
He could not be bothered about verifying the veracity of their claims, and after registering them, he started the day’s training.
Lin Sheng kept things simple and directly picked out Blackfeather City’s melee combat training system from his memory. He arranged the basics into light and heavy portions before he threw the responsibility to Russell later.
He had time since he was there almost every day.
Russell reacted in joy as he started to lead the practice with the three in tow.
As for why the goons did not ask for protection money, Lin Sheng did not believe the story about forging a friendship from battle.
He was sure that Russell and the rest had used their families’ influence.
However, that was expected and within Lin Sheng’s calculations.
So long as they could get a foothold in Blackwater, the next step would be to expand their influence. And how were they going to do that?
It was simple.
He planned to organize an unrestricted combat tournament after some time—right on the streets.
The victor would get some measure of money and the title of “Blackwater’s Ace Fighter”.
Both of them sat facing each other as gentle music played inside the café.
On the dark brown stone table was a vase of roses, which drew a line between their vision.
The fragrant roses and Caeser’s golden hair were a perfect match. They made him look all the more attractive.
“Anything. I don’t really drink coffee,” Lin Sheng said.
Caeser smiled as he ordered two cups of coffee that Lin Sheng had never heard of.
Soon, two hot aromatic cups of coffee were served.
As he waited for the waiter to leave, Caeser smiled and looked at Lin Sheng.
“Are you interested in working for my company?” he asked as he raised a finger. “You don’t have to decline so quickly.”
“Ten thousand a month, that will be your basic salary.”
Lin Sheng did not drink the coffee and simply tore bag after bag of sugar into it.
“I don’t have any interest in working for anyone at the moment.”
“Twenty thousand.” Caeser smiled.
Lin Sheng paused for a moment.
“I want to build my own career, do you understand what I mean?”
Caeser continued to smile as he shook his head.
“It seems like you’re unwilling. No worries, you’re still young. If you need anything, you can come over and look for me.”
He then pushed a name card across the table.
“I can see that you are an ambitious one. If you ever get bored trying your luck, my company is always open to you.”
“Thank you.”
Caeser took a sip.
“If you don’t mind, may I know who your teacher is?”
“I don’t have one.” Lin Sheng shook his head.
“Is that so?” A smile appeared on Caeser’s face again. “I heard that you’re a third-year high school student?”
“Yes, I am.” Lin Sheng nodded. “I’m facing my college entrance examination soon. It’s troublesome, to be honest.”
“With your talent in swordplay, why do you need to worry about that exam?” Caeser said with a smile.
“Even Langang University in Huaisha City alone, if you want it, as long as you’re able to win something from the national tournament, I can help you pull some strings and get you in through the athlete intake program.”
“Langang University?” Lin Sheng was stunned.
“Yes, Langang is one of the main universities in the country. While it may rank low, it’s a good choice for normal students,” Caeser said with a grin.
Lin Sheng was enticed.
If he could get a secured entry into the university, that would be for the best. His revision for the exam was just taking too much time.
However, that was incumbent on Caeser not hoodwinking him.
“Win a prize in the national tournament? What sort of placing are we looking at?” Lin Sheng asked.
“At least the top ten. Since this is the National Amateur Swordsmanship Tournament, it’s not that well regarded. As for the professional tournament, even if you’re capable, you don’t have the time for it. The tournament cycle for the professional circuit is just too slow.”
Caeser’s cobalt eyes were calmly fixed on Lin Sheng.
“Of course, the higher you place the better.”
“Why do you want to help me?” Lin Sheng asked.
“Well, because I’m a businessman.” Caeser smiled again. “Based on your abilities, with a little training, you’ll know how to defend against firearms, and you’ll be a good, as well as powerful, bodyguard.
“So, I hope that you’ll come over to my company as my security advisor, and in times of need, protect me and my family.”
Lin Sheng twiddled his finger as he considered the offer.
“If you can guarantee me a place in the university, I’ll agree.”
“If you can come out in the top ten, that’ll be a simple matter.” Caeser smiled again.
To obtain a powerful bodyguard for ¥20,000 a month plus a guaranteed entry into Langang University, it was a bargain for Caeser.
While this bodyguard was still fresh, he would be able to do wonders with just a little training.
Finding a proper professional was just too difficult.
…
After the tournament, Lin Sheng’s lifestyle returned to normal.
What he did not expect was that even before the club began its recruitment process, problems had already appeared at its door.
Near the rental grounds in Blackwater District, a few goons had appeared to collect protection money and fought with Russell who was waiting there.
While Russell had learned how to brawl and could hold his ground one-on-one or two-on-one, three-on-one was too much for him. He quickly summoned Madillan for help.
In the end, the goons were beaten off, but they came back again with another five.
The two sides fought once more, with both ultimately licking their wounds.
The goons did not care about a person’s identity.
Blackwater District was a classic chaotic ghetto, where gangs were formed and dismissed every now and then.
Such goons were highly mobile, and aside from an established gang like the White Tarots, your run of the mill goons would simply move elsewhere if they could not beat you.
By the time Lin Sheng received the news, it was already late in the afternoon.
And he was astonished to find that Russell had actually made friends out of them.
Due to the fight, not only did they no longer have to pay protection money for the training space, but they had also attracted a few impoverished youths who wanted to join the training and work in place of their fees.
…
Blackwater District, backyard training course.
It was a large square yard with an area of about two hundred square meters, and it was surrounded by a wall. This was the temporary training ground they had rented in Blackwater.
Grass grew all over the yard, and there were a few large water containers that had yet to be removed.
The gray wall was littered with all sorts of graffiti, from curses to lewd drawings.
The two cleaners they had hired were holding buckets of water while trying to wipe the graffiti off.
Lin Sheng turned away and looked at the three youngsters who were standing in front of him.
They were all skinny, almost bamboo-like, and their faces were pale as well as sunken. You could tell that they were malnourished from just a glance.
The shirts they wore were patched but still clean and tidy.
“You want to join the class?” Lin Sheng asked with a frown. “And you’ll work in place of the fees?”
“Yes, sir,” the tallest boy answered loudly, clearly not intimidated.
Lin Sheng sighed. The three individuals may have looked like they were there to train, but in actuality, they were there to look for work and food.
The training was just an excuse.
However, that also meant that he now had his first batch of disciples. If he could make something out of the three of them, then he would be able to spread the word about his school, and subsequent recruitments would be easier.
Lin Sheng turned around, and after he discussed the matter with Shayeen behind him, he decided to take them in.
As for rental, they had canceled their rental of the clubhouse and only rented the current place, so that shrunk the rental cost by about tenfold.
Plus, the money prepared by Shayeen was more than enough, and for a small place like that, they could even survive a few years without any profit.
After the discussion, Lin Sheng had a look at their family background.
Two of them were locals, sons of dockworkers in Blackwater, while another one was an outland orphan who had come here to beg.
He could not be bothered about verifying the veracity of their claims, and after registering them, he started the day’s training.
Lin Sheng kept things simple and directly picked out Blackfeather City’s melee combat training system from his memory. He arranged the basics into light and heavy portions before he threw the responsibility to Russell later.
He had time since he was there almost every day.
Russell reacted in joy as he started to lead the practice with the three in tow.
As for why the goons did not ask for protection money, Lin Sheng did not believe the story about forging a friendship from battle.
He was sure that Russell and the rest had used their families’ influence.
However, that was expected and within Lin Sheng’s calculations.
So long as they could get a foothold in Blackwater, the next step would be to expand their influence. And how were they going to do that?
It was simple.
He planned to organize an unrestricted combat tournament after some time—right on the streets.
The victor would get some measure of money and the title of “Blackwater’s Ace Fighter”.
