Washington, the moon hanging high in the sky.
Strings of orange lanterns lined the street, flanked on both sides by Chinese-style buildings with red walls, yellow tiles, and upturned eaves adorned with glazed tiles. Various billboards flashed with colorful lights, and many storefronts displayed couplets written in black brush strokes.
This was the renowned Chinatown of Washington, freshly lit as evening began and the streets started to fill with people.
"Haha, co in, please."
Qian Lichuan greeted the two n in front of him with warmth, none other than Wu Li and Chen Gang.
That night, Chen Gang had ntioned that it was best to inquire about signing with a professional team from soone within the circle. Wu Li agreed, so Chen Gang helped to inquire. Learning that Song Yidong was currently in the United States, they contacted him to see if they could et.
Song Yidong, also from Hua Country, was 23 years old. At the age of 10, he was sent to Shaolin Martial Arts School to study Traditional Martial Arts. By 12, he got into Sandboxing and by 15, he had signed with a local Martial Arts club. After several competitions in his ho country, UFC noticed him at 20, and through selection competitions, he was successfully signed.
Over the years, there have been about twenty or so Hua Country fighters signed with the UFC, and among the male fighters, Song Yidong had the best record. Competing in the Featherweight division in UFC, his current record stood at 5 wins and 1 draw, maintaining an undefeated streak.
Chen Gang managed to acquire the phone number of Song Yidong’s agent, Qian Lichuan, and called him directly. Upon hearing that Wu Li was coming, Qian Lichuan promptly agreed to et and arranged to et that evening at a well-known Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, ready to welco and refresh Wu Li.
Qian Lichuan led the way, walking into a private room.
The first thing seen was a resting area – a large space with seven or eight big sofas.
Four young girls dressed in red qipaos, their hair up in high buns, exuded the charm of classical court beauties. As the door opened, the four girls stood up together, lining up on both sides and bowing in unison.
"Welco."
Their voices tinkled like the song of orioles. Wu Li turned to look; the inner room was at least a hundred square ters, extravagantly decorated with a large private dining area, a big round wooden table at the center, surrounded by sofas and chairs.
Just by the adornnts, Wu Li estimated that tonight’s al would hit the five figures at least, possibly even six. The host was certainly sparing no expense for this dinner.
"Xiao Dong, co over here."
Qian Lichuan called out, and a young man who had been sitting on the resting area’s sofa got up and approached.
"Let introduce you, this is Song Yidong. Xiao Dong, this is Chen Gang, the director from the ’Seeking Martial Arts’ TV program, Director Chen."
Song Yidong smiled and shook hands with Chen Gang, "Director Chen."
"This man here probably doesn’t need any introduction, who doesn’t know him now? Haha." Qian Lichuan laughed as he looked at Wu Li.
Wu Li smiled back at Song Yidong and used system detection for a quick glance:
[Sandboxing (Master Level), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Master Level)]
[Overall Score: B (94%)]
The ability was certainly not bad. A B rating indicated that among professional fighters, he was quite skilled. One more step up, reaching A, would qualify him as one of the top professional fighters.
Song Yidong was also sizing up Wu Li, clad in a grey hooded jacket, black casual trousers – a very unassuming outfit. But with his standout looks and an excellent deanor, he could command attention easily. Song Yidong was reminded of Huang Feihong as portrayed by Li Lianjie in his childhood, a grandmaster’s aura that matched Wu Li at the mont.
He’s only twenty-one this year, how did he train to this point? Song Yidong couldn’t help but wonder.
Noticing Song Yidong’s slight trance, Wu Li extended his hand, "Hello."
Song Yidong quickly regained his composure and shook hands with a smile, "Hello, I’ve heard a lot about you."
"Co, let’s sit inside," invited Qian Lichuan, leading everyone to the main hall to take seats around the round wooden table.
"Wu Li, Xiao Dong and I both watched your last live broadcast, impressive!"
As soon as they sat down, Qian Lichuan initiated the conversation.
He was a seasoned socializer, perfectly managing the atmosphere – his complints never made one feel awkward and his occasional jokes elicited laughter. With such a person around, one would never have to worry about a lull in the conversation.
The four qipao-clad waitresses began serving dishes while Qian Lichuan stood up to fetch a bottle of alcohol. Wu Li glanced at the label – it was Moutai.
"Wu Li, Director Chen, would you like so?"
As he asked, Qian Lichuan was already busily opening the bottle.
Chen Gang turned to look at Wu Li, who nodded in agreent.
"There’s a saying that martial artists don’t drink alcohol, but it’s not that strict in reality," he mused. As long as one doesn’t habitually binge, having a couple of drinks occasionally is not a problem. Sotis, alcohol can promote health, dicinal liquor can be used in body training, and drinking on foggy days can even dispel the toxins in the fog.
Seeing Wu nod, Chen Gang also indicated that it was okay to drink so, so Qian Lichuan filled all four glasses.
"Co, to the first toast, a salute from Xiaodong and to you both."
After the four drank the first toast, Qian Lichuan poured himself a second glass using the divider and then raised his glass to Wu.
"Wu, since you and Xiaodong are both competing in the UFC, you should exchange techniques when you have the chance," Qian Lichuan said with a laugh. "We’re all striving for the glory of our country, hahaha."
Wu clinked glasses with Qian Lichuan, "You’re too kind."
Qian Lichuan glanced at Song Yidong next to him, but Song Yidong was busy eating, so Qian quickly smiled and said, "Speaking of which, in the latest UFC event, both Wu and Xiaodong are scheduled to compete. Xiaodong’s opponent has been confird as the Spanish fighter Tony, and Wu, I heard your opponent might be Dan Hu, is that confird?"
Hearing this, Song Yidong put down his chopsticks and looked up at Wu.
In the latest UFC event, Song Yidong was set to fight the featherweight rank 15 fighter Tony. If Song Yidong won, he could very likely beco the first male fighter from Hua Country to enter the UFC’s official top 15 rankings.
To Song Yidong, this honor was significant. Previously, many dostic dia outlets had claid that he could beco the number one figure in Hua Country’s martial arts world, but ever since Wu gained fa, no one had brought up the subject again.
Now, Wu was also competing in the latest event. If his opponent was Dan Hu and he won, Wu’s ranking would undoubtedly enter the top 15, possibly even the top 10. This ant that even if Song Yidong defeated his opponent and entered the top 15, all the glory would be overshadowed by Wu’s performance.
Qian Lichuan had ntioned earlier that morning that Song Yidong was discontent with Wu’s easy fa. Although reluctant to admit it, Song Yidong did feel so resentnt inside: without even having fought a single UFC match or any record to speak of, Wu had beco the center of attention.
Moreover, as soon as Wu ntioned wanting to et with him, Qian Lichuan agreed without a second thought, instructing him to cancel his training session that evening to accommodate the guest, an attitude that seed a bit too deferential, which made Song Yidong sowhat uncomfortable.
However, he also understood that Qian Lichuan ant well.
The UFC, while being the top mixed martial arts competition in the world, was also a fa and fortune arena. Reputation, attention, and visibility sotis mattered more than actual strength. Song Yidong had fought in the UFC for years and seen too many skilled fighters unable to secure important matches. He knew that he had been fast-tracked to fight a top 15 opponent largely because Dana White valued the Hua Country market.
"It’s not confird yet," Wu replied and then took the initiative to look at Song Yidong.
"Actually, the main reason for my visit was to seek so advice from Brother Dong."
Wu’s address of ’Brother Dong’ caught Song Yidong off guard for a mont, but it also made him feel considerably more at ease. Smiling, he said, "What’s up?"
"I’m about to compete in the UFC, but I still don’t have a professional team around , so I wanted to ask Brother Dong if you know of any good teams or candidates that you could recomnd to ."
It turned out that was why he was sought out.
Song Yidong nodded and said, "Generally, you start by looking for a professional agent within the industry. These agents have extensive connections and can introduce you to suitable fighting coaches, physical trainers, nutritionists, and so on. So agents even directly manage a whole team, and when you sign, you sign with the whole team."
Wu said, "I plan on signing with a team, but I don’t have any good options yet."
Putting down his chopsticks, Song Yidong said, "I know so famous teams, but their commission rates are quite high, and most are already signed with celebrity fighters. Currently, there are only a few without fighters on hand; I’ll help you ask around."
Wu took the initiative to raise his glass to Song Yidong, "Then I’ll trouble you with that, Brother Dong."
Song Yidong smiled as he stood up to clink glasses with Wu, "Don’t ntion it."
He had assud that Wu, having achieved fa at such a young age, coupled with Song’s own deliberately humble deanor, would show so airs. But now, it seed that Song had misjudged the situation.
"To be honest, I don’t place much emphasis on agents, physical trainers, nutritionists, or masseurs," Wu stated his requirents. "What’s most important to is that the person has strong tactical analysis ability."
Wu practiced traditional martial arts, and his training differed from modern fighting. Now, at his current realm, he was beginning to gain an in-depth understanding of his body. Those physical trainers, nutritionists, and masseurs might not be of much help to him, so what he valued most was the coach’s tactical analysis ability.
After pondering for a mont, Song Yidong said, "Speaking of tactical analysis, I just rembered soone. He’s a top coach in the industry, extrely skilled at tactical analysis."
"Oh?" Wu showed interest imdiately, "Who is it?"
"Her na is Li Tongyun, a Hua Country national, but she’s always been in the United States. She was the main coach for Zhang Weili when she won the championship," Song Yidong inford.
"Zhang Weili, you an?" Wu asked for confirmation.
Song Yidong nodded, "Yes."
Zhang Weili was the first athlete from Hua Country to win a UFC championship and the first to successfully defend it. Before Wu’s rise to fa, many people began following the UFC because of Zhang Weili, and Dana White started paying more attention to the Hua Country market because of her success.
"I’ve heard Sister Zhang say that Li Tongyun was a great help to her. It’s just a pity that she doesn’t want to sign long-term contracts. She left after helping Sister Zhang win the championship and then switched to coaching n. There’s a rumor in the industry that the Legendary Spider Silva once sparred with Li Tongyun and afterwards asked her to be his fighting coach," Song Yidong continued.
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