Chapter 84: Recruitment

Chapter 84: Recruitment

Forget it, it's just a "Spirit."

Chen Shouyi stood up, stretched, picked up his Wooden Sword and briefcase, and headed out again.

Practicing swordsmanship was better than letting Shell Woman watch cartoons all day. At least until evening, he had no intention of letting her out.

Before long, he arrived at the haunted house.

The Old Woman, hearing the commotion, came by once more. She stood at the entrance for a while, offered another reminder, and soon left.

Chen Shouyi paid her no mind. He practiced until dusk before returning to the hotel.

……

Five days passed in a row.

During this time, Chen Shouyi's life followed a simple and regular routine. Occasionally, he would go out for meals with Lu Weifeng or relax at a bar.

As for Wei Chenghao, after returning home five days ago, he had completely vanished without a trace and still hadn’t come back.

Over this period, his Strength, Perception, and Willpower had each increased by 0.1.

The increases in Strength and Perception were somewhat understandable, but the rise in Willpower was baffling. He guessed it might be due to overcoming the lingering fear of the haunted house after practicing there daily.

Unfortunately, after five days of sword practice, his Swordsmanship had only improved slightly.

It reached (Proficient 19).

……

Early the next morning, as Chen Shouyi was brushing his teeth, he heard a knock at the door.

Toothbrush in mouth, he stepped out of the bathroom, cracked the door open, and peeked outside.

It was Lu Weifeng, looking unusually energetic. Chen Shouyi couldn’t help but sigh. "No need to be this early, right? Give me a few minutes!"

Before Lu Weifeng could respond, he promptly shut the door.

If not for his Instinctive step back, Lu Weifeng would’ve had his nose smashed. Annoyed, he grumbled, "What’s the big deal? It’s not like you’ve got a woman in there! Huh? You’re watching Peppa Pig this early in the morning?!"

"None of your business. I’ll watch whatever I want," Chen Shouyi retorted through gritted teeth, still holding the toothbrush.

He ignored him after that. The longer they spent together, the more it became clear that despite Lu Weifeng’s rough-and-tough appearance, his personality was downright goofy.

Or maybe he was just putting on an act around Chen Shouyi.

Chen Shouyi returned to the bathroom to finish brushing his teeth. Once he was done, he ignored Shell Woman’s fierce resistance, tied her up again, and stuffed her into the briefcase.

Then he opened the door and said, "Let’s go!"

……

The Martial Artist Club was located in a manor villa by Sun Moon Lake in the city center.

The place wasn’t small, but it wasn’t particularly large either.

Compared to some high-end clubs for the wealthy, it seemed rather modest.

The moment they approached the entrance, four fully armed guards stopped them. "Sorry, outsiders aren’t allowed here."

"We’re here for the Martial Apprentice Examination!" Lu Weifeng said with a smile.

"May we have your names?" one of the guards asked.

"Chen Shouyi!"

"Lu Weifeng!"

"Please, come in."

The guards immediately let them pass.

"Pretty strict," Chen Shouyi remarked. "They even have guards at the entrance."

"Those guys might actually be real soldiers. Martial Artists have close ties with the military. If we weren’t quasi-Martial Artists ourselves, we wouldn’t have gotten in."

Inside the villa, three people were already waiting.

At such an early hour, it was clear no Martial Artists would be arriving—only those participating in this Combat Test.

"That freak I mentioned just arrived. The young one," one of them whispered to the other two upon spotting Chen Shouyi.

The other two subtly glanced in Chen Shouyi's direction.

Though the words were spoken quietly, Chen Shouyi's heightened senses caught them clearly. Pretending not to hear, he surveyed the villa's furnishings as he walked in with Lu Weifeng and took a seat on the sofa.

Soon, two attractive salespersons served them tea.

Lu Weifeng, ever the social butterfly, struck up a conversation with the trio: "You look familiar—probably saw you last time. But you two are new faces, right?"

"We took the physical test in October. You guys did yours in November," a bald man replied with a grin.

"No wonder. So they combined two batches into one."

"That depends on how many passed the preliminary test. If there are enough, the Combat Test happens quickly. If not, you might wait forever—we had to wait over half a month," the bald man said, his eyes repeatedly darting toward Chen Shouyi.

Being surreptitiously scrutinized by a grown man made Chen Shouyi increasingly uncomfortable. He turned to the bald man and asked bluntly, "Why do you keep staring at me?"

"N-no reason!" the bald man stammered, slightly nervous, though his words smoothed out afterward. "I’ve heard about you, so I was just curious."

"What’s there to be curious about?" Chen Shouyi snapped.

"Right!" the bald man immediately conceded.

Chen Shouyi was speechless. Was this guy just timid, or had his reputation already grown so fearsome?

...

As time passed, more participants trickled in.

Three Martial Arts Notaries arrived once again, though apart from the Notary Office Director, the other two were different this time.

One of the notaries opened a room inside, revealing an armory of cold weapons. "Everyone, pick your weapon, then we’ll depart. Our destination this time is Passage 10233, located in the suburbs of Hedong City."

...

On the bus, Chen Shouyi held an alloy sword, eyes closed in quiet focus.

Suddenly, the Notary Office Director in the front seat turned and asked, "You’re Chen Shouyi, right? After the test, any plans? Any place you’re thinking of going?"

Instantly, all eyes turned toward him, filled with envy.

This was blatant recruitment—practically a guaranteed offer.

Quick on the uptake, Chen Shouyi replied, "Probably returning to my hometown, Dongning City."

"Dongning City? No offense, but the conditions they offer won’t compare to Hedong City. Hedong’s Martial Artist Allowance and Relocation Allowance are the highest in the province. Besides, Dongning’s situation isn’t great right now—it’s already under martial law."

"Even the best conditions won’t help me afford a house," Chen Shouyi pointed out sharply.

The Notary Office Director’s expression froze.

This is indeed a problem. Since the blackout, people from the surrounding areas have flooded into Hedong City, causing housing prices to skyrocket with no end in sight. Previously, the 3 million Relocation Allowance for Martial Artists could buy a 100-square-meter apartment, but now it can only get you 50 or 60 square meters.

After a moment of thought, he hinted vaguely, "That’s true, but we’ve always placed great importance on talent. Some matters can be handled as exceptions. For instance, our Inspection Office can provide an additional Relocation Allowance."

"Forgive my bluntness, but aren’t you the Jiangnan Province Martial Arts Notary Office? How did it become an Inspection Office?" Chen Shouyi asked in confusion.

The Notary Office Director smiled. "Our department’s full name is the Jiangnan Province Martial Arts Notary and Discipline Inspection Office. The notary work is just one part of our duties—our primary responsibility is the latter, handling and apprehending Martial Artists involved in criminal cases."

The two other notaries exchanged glances.

Was this really their stern, no-nonsense boss?

To recruit this young man, he was practically throwing dignity out the window.

Of course, the Director had no idea his subordinates were silently criticizing him.

On one hand, he genuinely valued talent. On the other, he wanted to establish goodwill.

At just seventeen years old, this young man already possessed physical abilities close to that of a Senior Martial Artist. Barring any unforeseen accidents, it was practically guaranteed he would become a Great Martial Artist. And how many Great Martial Artists were there in the entire Jiangnan Province? Including himself, only fifteen.

Though he was also a Great Martial Artist, appearances could be deceiving—he looked to be in his thirties but was actually over fifty. In recent years, his physical condition had begun to decline, forcing him to start planning for the future.