41: Chapter 41 Zhao Yanfeng Steps In

Bear Paw Martial Society.

The meeting room on the third floor.

Fang Zhuo did not wait long before being ushered up by a young female customer service representative.

"Sit."

A middle-aged man smiled. He was dressed in a suit and tie, exuding the aura of a successful businessman, with not a hint of the ruggedness typical of a martial artist.

"My surname is Ma, I am the General Manager of Bear Paw Martial Society."

"Manager Zhao, I am an intermediate instructor at Shanhe Martial Arts Hall. Fang Wu is my father. I suspect he was injured while sparring, which led to his critical illness. Now, I need to know whose booking he accepted yesterday?"

"Also, I want to see his sparring footage from yesterday."

Fang Zhuo did not sit, looking at the man in front of him with a firm gaze.

"This..."

Manager Ma had not expected Fang Zhuo to be so direct and was momentarily stunned, but as the general manager of a company, his adaptability was not lacking.

"Young Brother Fang, no wonder I felt you had an extraordinary air. As an intermediate instructor at Shanhe Martial Arts Hall, your Life Level must be over 25, right? Fang Wu has raised a good son."

Manager Ma flattered him with a smile first before saying, "I felt very uneasy after hearing about your father's situation; he was very popular in the shop."

"We cannot disclose the information of customers who place orders; this is industry protocol.

The booking he took yesterday might have been problematic, or it might not have been. For specifics, you can ask your father. Although we have the sparring footage, it is only used as material for compliance checks by the Supervision Department and cannot be released for you to view."

Manager Ma said apologetically, "I hope you can understand."

"Understood."

Fang Zhuo replied, "I will go file a report in a moment. The officers can watch the sparring footage when they arrive."

As he said this, he turned to head downstairs.

"Wait a moment."

Manager Ma called out helplessly. This matter could be big or small, and he didn't want it to turn into a case, as that would affect the shop's reputation.

"I didn't want to see what happened to your father either. However, overdrawing one's Martial Aspect leading to physical failure is rare, but it's not unheard of; it happens every year in the Federation."

"How about this: I'll process your father's claim as a work-related injury for reimbursement and compensation. How does that sound?"

"A work-related injury claim?"

Fang Zhuo's eyes narrowed slightly. It seemed this matter really was related to the client who placed the order! Otherwise, why would the manager offer a work-related injury claim when his father was sent to the hospital from home?

"It's not what you think."

Manager Ma realized he had been too hasty and immediately explained to Fang Zhuo:

"It has nothing to do with the customer. Your father has always been conscientious and diligent, having won the 'Top Performer' achievement in the shop many times. I am also saddened that he fell ill."

"Enough."

Fang Zhuo raised a hand to interrupt Manager Ma. "It seems the person who placed the order for my father has quite a background. I won't make things difficult for you; have your company boss come here."

Manager Ma's words of concern for Fang Wu did not seem fake.

"My boss?"

Manager Ma pointed at himself, clearly bewildered. Seeing Fang Zhuo was already a courtesy extended because of Fang Wu's past hard work.

His boss was a Level 39 Advanced Martial Artist. Unless a Transcendent Martial Artist appeared, he was a master wherever he went.

"What?"

"Do you think I'm not worthy?"

Fang Zhuo dialed Manager Zhao's number right there on the spot.

"Manager Zhao, yes, I have a small matter I need your help with. Could you come to Bear Paw Martial Society right now? Okay, I'll wait for you here."

Manager Ma was completely stunned.

He recognized the voice of Manager Zhao on the phone—the manager of the Mingyue Community branch of Shanhe Martial Arts Hall in Jinhe City.

Manager Zhao and his boss were both Level 39 Advanced Martial Artists, but Manager Zhao's status was higher because he belonged to a first-class martial arts group.

Compared to Shanhe Group, Bear Paw Martial Society wasn't even fit to carry their shoes!

In the Blue Moon Federation, power belongs to the individual, and a martial artist's fist is the ultimate logic. The power possessed by first-class martial arts groups like Shanhe Group and Tengfei Group was already enough to make any major nation on Blue Star wary.

Manager Ma's expression was complex.

Fang Wu really had raised a good son. Fang Zhuo didn't look old; he had initially thought being an intermediate instructor at Shanhe Martial Arts Hall was already quite good.

He hadn't expected him to have the influence to get a manager from Shanhe Martial Arts Hall to step in.

...

Bear Paw Martial Society.

The round-table meeting room on the top floor.

A middle-aged man dressed in a red training suit sat at the head of the table. On his right, Manager Ma was whispering explanations with an apologetic smile.

Fang Zhuo and Manager Zhao sat on the left, spaced a few seats apart.

"Manager Zhao, Young Brother Fang."

The man in the red training suit spoke.

He was the boss of this small company, Bear Paw Martial Society, named Du Qiang.

"I have clarified this matter. Regarding your father falling ill... first, I must apologize."

Du Qiang looked at Manager Zhao and Fang Zhuo, smiling apologetically with his posture extremely humble.

Immediately after, he glared at Manager Ma.

Manager Ma immediately recounted the facts: "The booking Fang Wu accepted yesterday was placed by a customer named Ding Shixun."

"This customer has a volatile temper and violent tendencies; he often assaulted sparring partners when he called for them, and he has injured individual sparring partners in the shop before."

"Since then, his bookings have not been accepted by any sparring partners in the shop."

"Click—"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhuo clenched his fists, his expression darkening.

It really was related to yesterday's sparring session!

"Listen to the rest first."

Manager Zhao turned his head to soothe Fang Zhuo.

He had a vague premonition that since the owner of the sparring shop had blurted it out so cleanly, it was likely that this person named Ding Shixun had a background and wouldn't be easy to deal with.

Having received the go-ahead from his boss, Manager Ma continued: "About ten days ago? I can't remember the specific time. Fang Wu suddenly called me and said he could accept bookings from Ding Shixun, and that he would take any similar 'violent monster' bookings in the future."

"If this were any other employee, I would likely have warned them and stopped them. But Fang Wu was different. He had the Martial Aspect 'Black Tortoise', and his own Life Level was at 18. Among Primary Martial Artists, it was difficult for the average person to hurt him."

"I thought it would be nothing more than enduring some trash talk; it wouldn't make him lose a piece of flesh anyway. The price for the sparring bookings Ding Shixun placed was quite high—3,800 per hour."

"This price was four or five times that of a normal booking."

Manager Ma made a bitter face and said, "For the first two days, although I trusted Fang Wu, I was still a bit worried. But seeing that after a few days, Fang Wu was still full of vigor and hadn't been injured, I set my mind at ease. He got to make money, and I got a commission..."

"Who would have known that yesterday, after Fang Wu returned home, he suddenly fell ill. Sigh..."

"Then it is related to this person, Ding Shixun?"

Manager Zhao asked.

Fang Zhuo also held his breath, staring straight at Manager Ma.

Du Qiang, however, smiled and said, "Manager Zhao, this is all our shop knows about the matter; we have truthfully told you everything relevant."

"Fang Wu overused his Martial Aspect, leading to a backlash. Whether this is related to Ding Shixun is something you will need to investigate yourselves."

"Perhaps it was just a normal sparring session?"

Manager Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Du Qiang: "Whether the sparring process was normal or not is very simple. If you let us see the sparring footage, wouldn't we know?"