<h4>Chapter 1187: Chapter 1194: Lifetime Service (Part 1)</h4>


    "Looking for me?" Ling Chen was slightly taken aback. The location of this base was very secretive; no one knew where it was except for their own people.


    "Do you know who it is?"


    "Not clear. The person looks unfamiliar, never seen him before. Chen, what do you think..."


    Ling Chen thought for a moment and said, "Alright, you go and invite the person to the meeting room, I’ll go meet him shortly."


    "Yes."


    Soon, Ling Chen arrived at the base’s meeting room. As soon as he entered, a middle-aged man in a suit immediately appeared in his sight. The man was about forty years old and judging by his appearance, he must have been quite a handsome man in his youth, exuding an indescribable aura and charm.


    While Ling Chen was sizing up the man, the suited man was also observing Ling Chen. Their eyes met, and Ling Chen smiled slightly, saying, "You’re looking for me?"


    "Mr. Ling, hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you." The middle-aged man stood up proactively and extended his hand.


    "Hello. Sir, I don’t yet know how to address you?"


    The middle-aged man smiled and said, "My surname is Zhu, Zhu Houchang."


    "Surname Zhu?" Ling Chen felt a shudder in his heart, instantly realizing the man’s background, "What rtion are you to Zhu Qing?"


    "She is my niece, I am her uncle. Mr. Ling, I know you captured Zhu Qing, there must be some misunderstanding. I hope you can show some leniency and release Zhu Qing; our Zhu Family will remember your kindness."


    "Mr. Zhu, rest assured, Lady Zhu is doing well with me, I haven’t harmed her. Besides, I am very interested in your Zhu Family. If you don’t mind, I’d like to have a detailed discussion with you, perhaps there is a chance for cooperation."


    Upon hearing this, Zhu Houchang’s eyes shed with surprise, "Mr. Ling, you want to talk about cooperation with me?"


    Ling Chen’s lips slightly curled into a smile, nodding, "Yes, but I wonder if I’m qualified."


    "Mr. Ling, to be honest, our Zhu Family is very selective in choosing business partners. If you wish to employ our Zhu Family, you must pass our family’s assessment. Unless you meet all the criteria, I can only say I’m sorry."


    "No problem!" Ling Chen nodded and said, "Mr. Zhu, since there is an assessment, there’s no time like the present. Let’s start now. Whatever you need, I will do my best toply."


    "Mr. Ling, are you serious?"


    "Do you think I would joke about something like this?"


    "Alright, then please wait a moment, Mr. Ling." After saying this, Zhu Houchang stood up, took out his phone, and walked to a corner to make a call. A few minutester, Zhu Houchang returned to his seat and said, "Mr. Ling, if you wish to cooperate, there are a few things I need to state upfront. First is themission; our Zhu Family’s services are lifetime unless you perish. Therefore, themission is not cheap."


    "Mr. Zhu, I’m a straightforward person, just tell me the amount directly."


    "Our Zhu Family’smission is divided into three levels. The lowest is twenty billion, with assassins trained by our Zhu Family at your service. The second level is fifty billion, served by our family’s external disciples. The highest level is one hundred billion, with one-on-one services by our family’s internal personnel."


    "One hundred billion?" Ling Chen was genuinely surprised. Although he knew the service was lifetime, one hundred billion is not a small amount, "Mr. Zhu, don’t you think this price is a bit high?"


    Zhu Houchangughed, "Mr. Ling,pared to our services, this price is definitely not high. You must understand, our services include a lot, not only protecting your safety but also dealing with some of your enemies. Additionally, if you need, our Zhu Family can mobilize one-third of our force to assist you, but you only get one chance."


    "How strong is this one-third force?" Ling Chen asked curiously.


    Zhu Houchang confidently said, "Dealing with two or three Heavenly List experts is not a problem."


    Hearing this, Ling Chen’s eyes lit up slightly. If what Zhu Houchang said was true, then the one hundred billion would be worth it. After all, he wasn’t short of money; Ling Kun left a considerable fortune for him, totaling hundreds of billions. Besides, the industries Ling Kun invested in still generated a fixed annual ie, amounting to tens of billions. So, one hundred billion wasn’t too expensive for him.


    "OK! I ept your price."


    "Mr. Ling, don’t be hasty; our assessment isn’t over yet. If you don’t meet the requirements, everything I said is worthless." As soon as Zhu Houchang finished speaking, the phone rang again.


    He answered the call and whispered a few words. Afterward, he hung up and looked at the content disyed on the phone screen. After a moment, Zhu Houchang nced at Ling Chen and asked, "Mr. Ling, is the Dragon Tiger Hall your asset?"


    "Yes, is there a problem?"


    "No problem, if I had known the Dragon Tiger Hall was founded by you, Mr. Ling, we could have saved a lot of time." With that, Zhu Houchang put away his phone and looked at Ling Chen, "I think we need to adjust our deal."


    "Please go ahead, Mr. Zhu."


    "I heard that the Dragon Tiger Hall possesses many lost secret techniques, is this true?"


    Ling Chen’s heart stirred, instantly understanding Zhu Houchang’s implication, "Mr. Zhu, are you suggesting I exchange secret techniques?"


    "Exactly. Over the past hundred years, our Zhu Family has lost the transmission of many martial arts, including one called the Spirit Shadow Step. I wonder if Mr. Ling has heard of it?"


    "The Spirit Shadow Step, one of the three major movement techniques in the Huaxia Martial Arts. Nine Yang Qiankun Step, Shattered Leaf Step, and the Spirit Shadow Step. Because the Spirit Shadow Step is unique and has high requirements for practitioners, it ranks third. Mr. Zhu, am I correct?"


    Zhu Houchang nodded, "Mr. Ling, you’re spot on. To be honest, the Spirit Shadow Step was created by our Zhu Family ancestor. Unfortunately, it was lost over a hundred years ago, and we only know the basics, unable to grasp its essence. If Mr. Ling can provide us with the Spirit Shadow Step’s secret manual, I can lower the service fee. Mr. Ling, what do you think?"


    "Since Mr. Zhu hasid it out, I might as well be frank. I do have the Spirit Shadow Step’s secret manual, but Mr. Zhu should be aware of its value. For martial artists, its worth can’t be measured by money."


    Hearing this, Zhu Houchang pondered for a moment and asked, "Mr. Ling, what do you mean by..."


    "I can give you the Spirit Shadow Step’s secret manual, and I will not short you a penny of the one hundred billion service fee, but your Zhu Family must stand by me when I need help..." Saying this, Ling Chen raised three fingers, "Three times! If necessary, you need to mobilize half of your forces to assist me. These are my conditions. I wonder if Mr. Zhu can ept them?"