Newbie

The basic rundown was really simple: use your common sense. Xin Tuyong was to stay quiet unless spoken to, not fidget, and never display weakness.

Any weakness would implicate him and he would be fed to the wolves*. The person he was going to train with was a professional, and he should not, by any stretch of imagination, even attempt to vilify her.

Yes, especially as a woman, she'd struggled terribly in the world. That made her all the more dangerous.

A respected colleague of Huan Mao, Huan Mao thinly veiled her threats of castration if Xin Tuyong ever dared to look down at her.

Xin Tuyong knew not to mess with anyone. He inwardly cringed at the imagery of him losing his jewels, but he was glad to have the warning ahead of time.

He would not play around. When they arrived, there was a large building towering ahead. Men and women in expensive looking clothes stood soberly outside, gauging the new arrivals.

Huan Mao exited the car with Xin Tuyong in tow. She quietly greeted them and was ushered through the large doors. Their arrival was not a surprise.

Her large aura nearly choked Xin Tuyong with its severity. He kept his lips sealed and eyes coolly trained ahead, never looking anyone in the eye. The sheer size of the halls spoke volumes about the importance of the place.

Huan Mao and Xin Tuyong were led to a clear glass elevator, where the entourage left them. Huan Mao deftly punched numbers into the keypad and the doors opened. Time stood still as they glided upward.

Ding! Huan Mao led Xin Tuyong through the long hall until she finally stopped at one door, undecorated and made of steel, and knocked.

A gruff "Come in!" sounded, permitting their entrance. It was nothing at all like what Xin Tuyong had pictured.

Seated at the desk within the office was a small, middle-aged lady typing away at her computer. Picture frames lined the walls and a large window exposed the outside world.

It was more comforting than the cold walls of the hall.

"Hello, Yi Lan," Huan Mao said formally. "This is my subordinate, Xin Tuyong. He's here to receive training for tomorrow's schedule."

The woman, Yi Lan, stood straight with the commanding presence of a general. Her keen eyes looked Xin Tuyong over.

"En. Does he have any former experience?"

"No. He's a beginner in every sense."

"Does he have any strengths or weaknesses that I should be aware of?"

"Well," she flashed a discrete smile, "he gets a little green around the gills under high stress. Too new to have any strengths, but he isn't in bad shape."

He fought the blood pounding loudly in his ears. It was like he wasn't in the room. Fear held his tongue.

"Well, then. Does the boy speak?"

His face flushed as he managed a smooth response: "Yes, ma'am, I do."

A strange light flickered in the eyes of the older woman for an instant as she stared intently at the fresh meat.

"Good." She reached behind her desk and hauled out a large briefcase with a huff. "Let's get started. Follow me."

* "fed to the wolves" = if there was any danger, no one would help