The Beauty CEO's Personal Expert

Back at the office, He Ziyun waved to Ling Chen and said, "The Chengde Martial Arts Hall you just mentioned, I looked it up. It’s an obscure little hall, and no one has even heard who the Martial Arts Hall Master is. Are you sure that Tian Xiong wasn’t lying to you?"

"He probably wasn’t." Ling Chen replied, "He has no reason to deceive me about the Netherworld Snake. Anyway, East Sea City is not far from Luofeng Town, so I might as well take some time to go there. If things go smoothly, one day should be enough."

"Are you planning to go alone? This concerns the Netherworld Snake, you should bring more people to ensure your safety."

Ling Chen nodded and said, "I know."

After resting for a night at Dragon Tiger Hall, early the next morning, Ling Chen, together with Chen Junfeng, Ji Gang and the porridge girl, drove straight to Luofeng Town where Chengde Martial Arts Hall is located. After more than an hour’s drive, the group finally arrived at a small town.

It was already more than eight in the morning. Ling Chen found a hotel, took a short break, and then asked the hotel clerk for directions to Chengde Martial Arts Hall. Chengde Martial Arts Hall is not far from the hotel, just a twenty-minute walk.

Walking on the spacious street, it wasn’t long before they saw a sign next to a small alley by the road, with the words ’Chengde Martial Arts Hall’ written on it and a directional arrow below.

Following the direction of the arrow, the four walked through the alley, over twenty meters forward, arriving at a large vermilion door. Hanging at the top of the door was a plaque with the words Chengde Martial Arts Hall. The plaque seemed to be quite old, with the paint already peeling off, making it look very shabby.

Moreover, the door was closed, and weeds were growing nearby, as if the place had been abandoned for a long time. Chen Junfeng looked around and asked, "Are you sure this is the right place? It doesn’t look like someone lives here."

"Tian Xiong only mentioned the Chengde Martial Arts Hall, nothing else. Since we’re already here, we might as well go in and take a look." With that, Ling Chen walked up the steps to the door and gently knocked.

After a while, footsteps were heard from inside the door. As the door opened, an elderly man appeared before the four.

The elderly man took a glance at Ling Chen, his face stern, and asked indifferently, "Who are you looking for?"

Ling Chen clasped his fists towards the man, smiling, "Hello, sir, my name is Ling Chen. I wish to pay a visit to the Martial Arts Hall Master of Chengde Martial Arts Hall, could you please pass along the message."

"You’ve come to the wrong place; there’s no Martial Arts Hall Master here." With that, not letting Ling Chen say another word, the elderly man shut the door directly.

The result left Ling Chen momentarily stunned; the man’s attitude was too cold, as if he didn’t welcome them at all. Hesitating for a moment, he reached out his hand and knocked on the door again. But the people inside did not respond to them at all. Standing at the door for a few minutes, there was still no one to open the door. Seeing this, the porridge girl pointed to the wall beside them and said, "Why don’t we just go in and take a look?"

Ling Chen shook his head and said, "That would be too impolite. We’re still unclear about what kind of place this Chengde Martial Arts Hall is, it’s best not to act rashly."

"So what do we do? Just wait outside?"

"No hurry, it’s still early now, waiting doesn’t hurt." With that, the four stood at the door of Chengde Martial Arts Hall, knocking from time to time, hoping to attract attention inside.

In a blink of an eye, over an hour had passed. Just then, a young woman came in from the alley, holding the hand of a five or six-year-old boy, presumably a mother and son. Upon reaching the martial arts hall door, the woman glanced curiously at the four of them before lightly knocking on the door. Shortly after, the door was opened from within, and the elderly man who had just rejected Ling Chen appeared again.

Seeing the elderly man appear, the young woman greeted with a smile and said, "Elder Ren, I’ve brought him over. Sorry to trouble you for the next couple of days."

The elderly man called Elder Ren nodded without saying a word, taking the boy’s hand and leading him inside, then closed the door.

As the young woman turned to leave, Ling Chen hurriedly called after her, politely asking, "Miss, excuse me, may I ask if your son is learning martial arts at this hall?"

The woman nodded and said, "Is there a problem?"

"No." Ling Chen smiled and said, "I heard there’s a martial arts hall here, so I wanted to send my son here to study. However, I’m an outsider, and don’t know much about this hall. Moreover, I wanted to go in and meet the Martial Arts Hall Master just now, but Elder Ren wouldn’t let us in."

Upon hearing this, the woman couldn’t help but laugh, "So it’s about that. Elder Ren has always been this way, seemingly cold on the outside, but he’s a kind-hearted person. Chengde Martial Arts Hall is the only martial arts hall in Luofeng Town, with a long history, over a hundred years old. It may look shabby on the outside, but Elder Ren and the others have real talent and skills. Many parents like to send their kids here to learn, partly to strengthen their bodies, and partly because the martial arts hall has a unique teaching method that’s beneficial for the children’s growth. Of course, Chengde Martial Arts Hall has high standards for its students; it’s not just anyone who can enter. They say that every student relies on fate. Without fate, no matter how much money or power you have, they won’t take you."

Ling Chen chuckled bitterly and said, "So if we’re being turned away, it means we have no fate."

"Not necessarily. Maybe Elder Ren is just testing you to see if you truly want to send your child here to learn. Back when we first came, we were refused multiple times, couldn’t even get in. Later, Elder Ren was moved by our sincerity and took my son as a disciple. So a single failure is quite normal, you can try a few more times; perhaps there will be a turnaround."

"I understand, thank you!"

"You’re welcome, I hope you succeed." With that, the woman waved to Ling Chen and walked straight out of the alley.

Returning to the side of the three, Ling Chen looked at Chen Junfeng and asked, "You all heard, right?"

"Seems this door is not easy to get through. So what now?"

Ling Chen scratched his head, constantly thinking of a plan. Originally thinking one day would be enough, but now it seems this won’t be accomplished any time soon. However, since they’ve come all the way to Luofeng Town, they can’t return empty-handed.

After pondering for a while, Ling Chen had a sudden idea, walked quickly to the door of Chengde Martial Arts Hall, and knocked again. This time, he exerted great force, the door rumbled loudly. Seeing his actions, Chen Junfeng and the porridge girl asked puzzledly, "What are you doing?"