Chapter 002: The Journey of Applying to the Escort Agency

He found it incredible, so he stepped down to challenge me. The others, seeing this, exclaimed in disbelief. He waved his hand dismissively, took off his coat, and assumed a stance.

The final military strategy Q&A session was quite conventional on my part, and the questions I posed were rather moderate. After all, this is a selection process for a security agency, which is different from that of the military or aristocratic families.

I am not sure how others responded, but my answer is that I want to travel the world with my money at your discretion

I know that the world of martial arts is not that simple

The guy from Black Wind Stronghold said, "Me? Since I am from Black Wind Stronghold, it must be due to connections. My uncle is the second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold, and once I mention it to him, he would feel embarrassed not to let me through"

The manager expressed regret, stating that Master Zhang is a person of significant background. He has just arrived in the capital and has not yet settled in. If you were to follow him at this time, you would become an elder, and in the future, you would not have to worry about wealth and honor. Do not be misled by the fact that you currently have only 500 wen; if you perform well in the future and gain the master's appreciation, he could easily reward you with an additional 1,000 or 800 wen, as if it were a game.

Among the subsequent individuals, two-thirds scored above 40 points, as they all come from reputable schools and possess solid foundational skills

Four years have passed, will you die if you don't boast? I thought to myself, and decided to stop talking

Three days later, I arrived on time and saw that there were more than ten young men who had come for the interview. The young man with dark skin directly led us to the training ground, which covered an area of about 2 acres. Inside the ground, there were various weapons and some equipment, similar to the training ground of the Taishan Sect, but the items were not as complete as those of the Taishan Sect.

I said, my friend, they are the Black Wind Stronghold, and this is how they make a living. If they do not rob caravans, they would not be living up to their renowned name. Don't you think so

Liu Qingfeng pretended to be suddenly enlightened, realizing that it was a junior disciple from the Taishan Sect, and expressed his apologies. Although the Taishan Sect is not a prestigious sect, it ranks among the top 50 sects in the court, much stronger than those rogue factions like Zhao's Village and Tiger's Den.

The manager is speechless, what exactly do you want to say

Upon seeing this, I realized that his initial stance was almost identical to that of Taizhi Youdao. I politely acknowledged my defeat and launched an attack. The more I engaged, the more alarmed I became; his techniques bore a striking resemblance to those of Taizhi Youdao, yet they were even more refined than this set of martial arts. After three or four moves, I understood that the gap between my martial skills and his was insurmountable. However, he did not rush to defeat me; only after completing a full set of moves did he lightly leap out of the combat circle

The manager took a puff of his dry tobacco and asked, how much did the other party offer you? I was afraid of losing face, so I said one thousand wen, which included food, accommodation, and travel expenses. Damn it, after this incident, I will never again engage in the foolish act of trying to impress others at my own expense.

When it was my turn, I performed one of the three major boxing styles of the Taishan outer disciples, known as the Way of Taizhi. This boxing style is characterized by its expansive movements, and after completing the routine, I was drenched in sweat. I was quite satisfied with this performance. Sitting next to the interviewer was a man, around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old, of short stature, with a slight beard and a composed expression. After I finished my performance, before anyone else could ask a question, this man inquired about the origins of the boxing style. I truthfully informed him that it was a style from the Taishan school.

Liu Qingfeng displayed a look of pride on his face. Upon seeing a young man in white standing at the door in silence, appearing rather aloof, he approached to strike up a conversation

The results are out; the three of us in the group went through a scenario simulation. In fact, the fourth person was rather dull, and we waited for quite a while before managing to utter a single sentence: this tea tastes really good

The world of Jianghu is very complex

What do you know

As I watched the people in front of me come out one by one, some were elated while others were dejected. When Liu Qingfeng emerged, he appeared to be in high spirits, indicating that he had performed well this time. After all, the martial arts of Wudang are quite renowned in the martial world

More than thirty candidates came to apply, and seven or eight were eliminated through archery. After all, they are all people from the martial world, and they all possess at least this level of skill

Why is it very complicated

I am Liu Qingfeng from the Wudang Sect, under the tutelage of Daoist Qian Kunzi. Which sect do you belong to?

After returning, I resigned from my position with Zhang Xiucai's steward. When the steward asked why, I said my dream was to become a bodyguard, traveling the world and enjoying the thrill of justice and vengeance. The steward replied, "Stop talking nonsense. At my age, I've seen all kinds of people. Generally, those who leave do so for two reasons: first, money, which wasn't sufficient; second, feelings, which were somewhat stifled.

I said I know

The teacher supervising nearby smiled and said, "Your solution is quite good, using connections." Liu Qingfeng then felt quite pleased, stating, "Our Wudang disciples are spread across the world, and when one side is in trouble, support comes from all directions. Moreover, it is the Black Wind Stronghold that is in the wrong. They were the ones who first ambushed the convoy, which is indeed incorrect."

Liu Qingfeng said, the Wudang Sect is nothing special, I only scored 680 points back then. If it weren't for one arithmetic problem I didn't solve correctly, I could have scored 700. At that time, I could have chosen from the four major sects, and even the Persian Mingjiao was not out of the question. How many points did you score back then, brother?

The Persian Ming Sect is nothing more than this, is it? Liu Qingfeng whispered to me. I did not respond.

Later, I really wanted to slap myself twice. The admission results came out, and it was a seven-white document, with no accommodation or meals provided. The treatment was not much better than that of a guard, but I thought, after all, it is a security agency, which is a different concept from being a guard. This job, when mentioned, also carries a certain prestige.

This is not a trivial matter. Liu Qingfeng coughed once and said, "Everyone, please share your opinions." He subtly implied that he considered himself the leader of the group. I will speak first. If it were me, I would go to the nearby Taibai Mountain to ask my sixteenth senior brother to take action, bringing along the brave men from his righteous faction to charge in directly and leave no one alive.

The person in charge said that the world of rivers and lakes is not as simple as you think

Then you tell me.

It is a pity, Liu Qingfeng said, you must have some subjects you are weak in. To join our Wudang Sect, one must score at least 600; it is no wonder you were unable to pass the exam

I said I scored four hundred and six

My heart has long wandered beneath the Taihang Mountains, already lured away by the scenery of Jiangnan. How could I feel stifled, cooped up in this small dwelling as a caretaker? I told the steward, thank you for your nurturing, but I still wish to experience the world outside.

Liu Qingfeng spoke these words with a look of pride on his face. The disciple in white whispered softly, "Persian Mingjiao"

I had a look of disbelief on my face, does my friend know how to chat? Yet I said, my good fellow, I had filled in Wudang as my first choice back in the day, but unfortunately, I didn't get accepted, I truly admire you

The general content of the topic is that the four of you have been dispatched to Shandong to deliver a batch of important goods. While passing through the Taihang Mountains, you were ambushed by the Black Wind Stronghold. The four of you are now holding a meeting to discuss what steps to take next

Upon seeing the question, a bald man beside me had a flushed face. Liu Qingfeng asked him what was wrong, and he stammered, "I am from the Black Wind Stronghold." Liu Qingfeng comforted him, saying, "This is just a metaphor, do you understand what a metaphor is? The dictionary defines it as using an easily understood thing A to explain a less easily understood thing B. I suspect your dictionary is an old edition.

Because the world of martial arts is not simple

Everyone is young, and a few people are chatting privately. A young man named Liu Qingfeng appears quite lively and quickly becomes familiar with several others. He claims to be a disciple of the Daoist Qian Kunzi from the Wudang Sect, and since Qian Kunzi is a candidate for the headmaster of Wudang, everyone's gaze towards him changes upon hearing this

Seeing him lost in thought, he muttered to himself that this was indeed the boxing style of the Taishan Sect. He then asked me if there was someone named Yue Shaoting in the Taishan Sect, to which I replied that I had not heard of him. He then retreated. I pondered whether this Yue Shaoting was a remarkable figure from the Taishan Sect, as it had been twenty years since anyone from the Taishan Sect had entered the top 100 rankings in the martial world.

The format of the second session is quite unique, with four people grouped together, seated around a small conference table, each with a cup of tea. Each group draws a topic, and then everyone expresses their opinions, which is grandly termed an open discussion. Liu Qingfeng, two other individuals, and I are in one group, and the topic we drew is a situational question.

The first round is a comparison of martial arts, primarily focusing on archery, boxing, and swordsmanship. The examiner is a man in his forties with a goatee, surnamed Song. My number is relatively low, so I stand with a few others at the edge of the arena, waiting in line.

The proctor chuckled and said, "You are not bad, you understand the rules." I let out a dry laugh, wanting to say, "Go to Mount Tai and call for reinforcements to deal with her." However, just before coming here, my senior brother Zhang Debiao from the Longmen Escort Agency specifically instructed me to respond this way when faced with such issues

The Central Plains Escort Agency is a courtyard with seven entrances. Although somewhat dilapidated, it is actually quite spacious. We applied through the side entrance on the west side, and after filling out the application form at the registration desk, we returned it to a young man with dark skin. He appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, and his solid lower body suggested that he was a skilled martial artist with considerable martial arts proficiency. The young man instructed me to come back for an interview in three days.

It just so happened that it was our group's turn, and when Liu Qingfeng was called, that fellow darted out like a monkey. The first round of the interview was relatively simple; one had to shoot five arrows and hit a score of forty rings to pass. Liu Qingfeng shot all five arrows and ended up with a score of forty-nine rings. With a toss of his hair, he was full of pride

After the initial interview, there were still sixteen people remaining. The escort agency was recruiting a total of eight individuals, which means two would be eliminated for every one selected. I happened to be in the ninth position, feeling somewhat anxious.

Next, it is either the martial arts or weaponry, originally intended to take place in the training arena, but the chief examiner changed his mind at the last minute and moved it to the inner hall. As a result, it will be conducted one by one, and the drawing results have come out, placing me relatively towards the end.

Liu Qingfeng, feeling somewhat awkward, approached me upon seeing me hiding in the corner and asked, "I am from Wudang, where are you from?" I replied shyly, "Taishan Sect."

The invigilator smiled at me and said, "So what will you do?" As for me, being new here and just passing through, I offer a small token of appreciation for the hospitality, hoping to make a friend. During festive seasons, it is customary to reciprocate such gestures.

I adhered to the norms and scored forty-five rings. The young man in white from the Persian Ming Sect scored forty-four rings. As soon as this result was announced, Liu Qingfeng was even happier than if he had scored forty-nine rings himself

Wow, coming from Persia, everyone listened and their eyes revealed waves of envy. The Ming Sect of Persia is a major religious sect globally, and disciples who leave the Ming Sect generally have bright futures. No one expected that they would come here to apply for a position as a bodyguard.

There are twelve individuals entering the final round, and the question is quite simple. The examiner asked just one sentence, two questions: What is your dream? How much money do you plan to have?