Li Fei walked out of the office building holding the prescription Hao Yi had given him.
He glanced at the Myriad Blood Pearl inside his body:
[Rank: Level 1 71%
Blood Soul: 9 + 23%]
The two streams of heat inside his body had just reduced his Blood Soul a bit, but his rank data had jumped by 20%!
"It seems that heat contains very strong energy."
Li Fei pondered thoughtfully.
At that moment, it was the height of summer, the incessant cries of cicadas, and the glaring sunlight made it difficult to open one's eyes.
"Junior Li!"
A voice suddenly called out.
Li Fei turned his head and saw a person standing under the shade of a nearby tree.
The person looked quite young, burly in stature, wearing a black short-sleeve shirt from the Martial Arts Hall, smiling and waving at Li Fei.
Li Fei knew him. He also lived in the residential compound of the Inspection Bureau, and they had met a few times before.
He walked over to him.
"Junior Li, my name is Lu Changwu, I, too, am a Rank A student of the Martial Arts Hall and joined two years before you."
Lu Changwu took the initiative to clasp his fists toward Li Fei.
Li Fei returned the gesture, "Hello, Senior Lu."
"Junior Li, my father is Lu Sheng, the Captain of the first platoon of the Inspection Bureau, and he knows your father well. We are all children of the Inspection Bureau, and we should get closer to each other here at the Martial Arts Hall," Lu Changwu said with a smile to Li Fei.
The Inspection Bureau had three platoons. Li Lei was the Platoon Leader of the second platoon, and Lu Sheng's father was the Captain, a level higher than Li Lei. According to the traditions of the Inspection Bureau, the Inspector Generals were typically promoted from the Captain of the first platoon. Thus, Lu Sheng held a position just below a few others within the bureau.
"That's true, Senior Lu, you're right. We should indeed be closer."
Li Fei also said with a smile, naturally adjusting his form of address.
"Hahaha, then I'll take the liberty of calling you Xiao Fei."
Lu Changwu patted Li Fei's shoulder, "Come on, Xiao Fei, I'll introduce you to some friends."
Li Fei accepted Lu Changwu's invitation.
Both had bicycles, and soon they rode out of the Martial Arts Hall together, with Lu Changwu bringing Li Fei to a nearby restaurant.
Upon entering the restaurant, Li Fei saw several tables joined together, seating a mixed group of more than a dozen men and women.
Upon seeing the two enter, they all got up.
"Brother Lu."
"Big Brother Lu."
Everyone greeted him.
Li Fei could tell that Lu Changwu held significant prestige among this group of people.
"Come, let me introduce you all."
Lu Changwu wrapped an arm around Li Fei and announced loudly:
"This junior's name is Li Fei, son of Li Lei, the Platoon Leader of the second platoon of the Inspection Bureau. He was taken as a student by the special instructor Hao Yi upon joining, and is now already a Rank A student."
As Li Lei had always claimed Li Fei as his own son to others, so everyone believed so.
If it were originally him, he might have corrected them publicly, but Li Fei wouldn't awkwardly decline the benefits that came with such recognition, so he went along with Lu Changwu's introduction.
Next, Lu Changwu introduced Li Fei to those present.
These were all children of the Inspection Bureau personnel, including four sons of Platoon Leaders, some children of squad leaders, and the rest were children of ordinary staff.
"All of us practice Martial Arts, and it's advisable not to drink too much. Today, to welcome Junior Li Fei, let's all drink this one cup. Cheers!"
Lu Changwu raised his cup from the table.
"Welcome Junior Li!"
"Welcome!"
"Thank you, everyone."
"..."
Everyone drank their wine together, then sat down to eat and chat.
In terms of family background, Li Fei was second only to Lu Changwu among the group., and the children of the other four platoon leaders were on par with him. However, what set him apart was having a special-grade lecturer as his teacher, which was quite impressive.
Among this group, only Lu Changwu was taken as a student by the special-grade lecturer, making Li Fei the second.
Therefore, everyone was very enthusiastic towards Li Fei.
One of the older boys, in particular, kept calling him 'Xiao Fei Brother' and frequently toasted him with tea instead of wine because his father was the platoon leader in the same battalion as Li Lei, Li Lei being his father's direct superior.
Li Fei, having attended many business events in his previous life, was more than competent in handling such a situation.
Seeing how well Li Fei responded, Lu Changwu was somewhat surprised:
"Is this person really only seventeen years old? Anyone taken as a student by Hao Yi is indeed no ordinary person."
As the atmosphere was almost ripe, Lu Changwu spoke,
"Xiao Fei, now that you have become Mr. Hao's student, you will surely accomplish great things. What are your plans for the future?"
All those present quieted down upon hearing this and turned their attention to Li Fei.
Li Fei knew this was the critical moment of the dinner and replied with a smile,
"I came to the Martial Arts Hall just wanting to learn some skills. It was luck that Mr. Hao took me as his student. As for the future, I'll take things one step at a time."
"Oh?"
Lu Changwu looked deeply at Li Fei and nodded:
"Xiao Fei, you're new here and not familiar with the situation. Let me give you a brief explanation."
"Please enlighten me, Brother Lu."
"Do you know who most of the people who come to this Martial Arts Hall are, besides children from ordinary families?"
Lu Changwu said this with a self-mocking laugh, "If one wishes to advance further in the way of Martial Arts, the Zhi Ge Department at the top twelve universities is the first choice. However, only those with excellent talent or children of top elites from various regions can directly obtain a place without examination. Only those of us, with lesser talent or without the means to secure an exam-free entry, come here to the Martial Arts Hall to take a chance."
Li Fei just watched him, keeping silent, while Lu Changwu continued,
"Every year, the Martial Arts Hall in Xing City only has two or three spots for the Zhi Ge Department at the university, along with some resources for cultivation. Whether these spots or cultivation resources, almost all are monopolized by the Tiger Saber Gang!"
Li Fei was startled, and he recalled the appearance of the noodle shop owner's death.
"Xiao Fei, since you are a descendant of the Inspection Bureau, you must be aware of the Tiger Saber Gang?"
Lu Changwu asked.
Li Fei nodded: "I know they are the biggest local gang, said to have three thousand followers."
"Humph, three thousand followers are just a front for outsiders. However, the Tiger Saber Gang has dozens of formal Martial Artists, and a few exceptional martial masters. Coupled with their connections in various areas of Xing City, such a force allows them to act brazenly in this Martial Arts Hall."
Lu Changwu said coldly.
Li Fei understood his implication.
As the top local gang, the Tiger Saber Gang had immense power, whether in terms of martial force or connections, placed at the very top. Since the children of the top elites of Xing City were not in the Martial Arts Hall, like those present, descendants of the Inspection Bureau, the Tiger Saber Gang did not fear offending them.
For a local gang to be so dominant was not surprising to Li Fei. If the court's control over the locality had been strong, the capital would not have been attacked seventeen years ago.
In such a feudal era, "The emperor's power not reaching the counties" was typical of the times, and localized emperors were the norm.
Noble families, local strongmen, Jianghu sects, court intrigues... the problems accumulated over more than five hundred years by a feudal empire were not something that could be resolved solely by a radical new reform.
"Martial Arts Hall has monthly exams with students separated into three grades: A, B, and C. The top ten in each grade's exam receive rewards, including resources necessary for Martial Arts cultivation. Besides that, the yearly quotas for the Zhi Ge Department at the university have assessment criteria, with one important criterion being the ranking in these monthly exams.
The Tiger Saber Gang almost controls these monthly exams, employing various means to ensure that their people occupy the top ten in each grade. This way, they essentially control the cultivation resources and university Zhi Ge Department quotas of this Martial Arts Hall."
Lu Changwu looked at Li Fei, "Xiao Fei, if you wish to achieve something here in the Martial Arts Hall, clashing with the Tiger Saber Gang is inevitable."
Li Fei met his gaze, "Is the reason you invited me today to gather support to confront the Tiger Saber Gang?"
"Exactly!"
Lu Changwu confirmed outright, "You are Mr. Hao's student and will undoubtedly be powerful in the future. With your addition, we have a better chance of breaking the barriers set by the Tiger Saber Gang and seizing opportunities from their clutches."
"Brother Lu, and everyone, I am new here and not looking to court trouble. But as we are all children of the Inspection Bureau, if there's ever a need for my help in the future, I will do my best."
Li Fei raised his teacup towards everyone.
Always cautious, he didn't directly agree, nor did he clearly refuse, giving himself some leeway.
Although this wasn't what Lu Changwu wanted, he still smiled and raised his teacup:
"Hahaha, let's drink another round!"
...