Martial Arts Master

Having spoken his mind, Geezer Shi was about to roll down the car window to take in the fresh air when he found Lou Cheng staring at him with a complicated expression. So he asked gruffly, “Brat, what are you thinking about with such a stupid look on your face?”

Lou Cheng was pondering his master’s condition with a heavy heart. He first thought it was due to his old age and chronic coughing problem. Perhaps it was the after-effects of such a stunning performance. He thought his master would be fine after a while. It was only after he had a chat with his senior sister in the car that he realized how bad his master’s condition was.

The science and technology developments in modern society meant the average person was likely to live past 70. It was astonishing that a physical-invulnerability master had just entered his 60s only had seven or eight years to live!

Lou Cheng recalled his master’s lonesome figure walking along the snowfield in the Brutal Blizzard with his hands behind his back. How could he not be dejected and feel like he want to cry?

His senior sister’s comments about Geezer Shi being a person who valued his image, verified by his personal observation, meant he was not to give Geezer Shi a pitying look or say sentimental words… He finally forced a smile after considering all this.

“I’m recalling what happened. I always know you’re a powerful master, but your performance is still beyond my expectations. You’re just like an immortal, making snow in August without even waving your hand! You’ve painted the world white… ”

Geezer Shi beamed and replied in faux modesty, “Just so-so. I’m not as good as I was in the past. Those days, I could make it snow without borrowing energy from the Ice Pulp.”

He snickered mentally, having finally shocked his bratty disciple for the first time!

Shi Yuejian shook her head with a smile. She navigated the car into the villa district, finally parking it in her garage.

After they entered her home, she put on slippers and smiled at Lou Cheng. “Make yourself at home. I won’t be treating you as a guest. I’m going to cook Rock Candy Snow Pear Soup for your master.”

She tilted her head to one side when she noticed Lou Cheng’s confusion. “What’s so strange?”

“No, I just didn’t expect a physical-invulnerability master to cook herself,” Lou Cheng explained with a smile.

“It’s my hobby. I like to make dishes in free time. If I didn’t have my talent in martial arts, I’m probably a chef or baker by now.” Shi Yuejian chuckled as she headed towards the open kitchen.

“Remember to cool it down. In this hot summer, how do we drink it if it’s not cold?” Geezer Shi shouted at her daughter’s back.

Lou Cheng was about to take the initiative to complete the task with his power of frost when he heard Shi Yuejian chuckle in defeat. “Okay, fine. I’ll cool it down with Ice Spirit Force.”

No wonder she was a physical-invulnerability master of the Ice Sect. He had better not embarrass himself in front of such an expert… Wiping off the imaginary sweat on his forehead, Lou Cheng sat down in front of Geezer Shi and asked with concern, “Master, is there any progress in the study about Cultivation?”

If there was, perhaps he could comprehend by analogy and lay the foundation to cure his master in the future.

“Those old guys would’ve already called me to show off if there were any,” Geezer Shi replied with a contemptuous look. “Since I’m going to the secret base of the military tomorrow, I’ll visit them on the way and fetch you some materials. I’ve made contributions, so they’ll give me a regular physical examination every year. I would’ve gone two days ago if you hadn’t won the Youth Tournament’s champion and let all your senior uncles know.”

Regular physical examination? Lou Cheng recalled one of the first things Geezer Shi had told him. He had said that his job was to be the object of examination.

Lou Cheng struggled to suppress his laughter and Geezer Shi coughed.

“Now that you’ve decided to merge cultivation methods with martial arts, you won’t have predecessors to learn from, making your journey that much harder. I can only advise you to base it on my experience. It’s still fine before the physical invulnerability state, but you should be prepared for beyond that.”

“Master, I understand.” Lou Cheng took a deep breath.

It was the price he must pay for his unwillingness to forsake his greatest advantage.

Geezer Shi’s serious demeanor did not last more than a minute. He began tut-tutting, “It’s not necessarily terrible since misfortune and fortune are interdependent and inter-contained. You may be talented, but that’s only in comparison to ordinary warriors. You’re still no match for those once-in-a-century talents like Warrior Sage Qian Donglou, Zhi Hai of Daxing Temple, Peng Leyun of Shangqing Sect, and your master…”

“If you cultivate according to normal procedure, your progress will be predictable and your future level won’t exceed expectations. There won’t be any surprises. How will you catch up with those ahead of you? Your new path will have many changes, but only with changes can there be hope.”

“Ah, but it’s still too early to say. If you properly follow the path of martial arts cultivation, you may achieve great things. You’re quite similar to Dragon King.”

He did not mention Shi Shan, the Reincarnated Buddha of Daxing Temple.

From the kitchen, Shi Yuejian protested, “Dad, where’s the resemblance?”

Placing the stockpot on the stove, she washed her hands and returned to the living room. “Dragon King’s lust for victory is so abnormal. How is Lou Cheng anything like him?”

“How is Dragon King’s lust for victory simply abnormal? It’s abnormal beyond imagination,” said Geezer Shi, agreeing with her.

As Dragon King’s fan, Lou Cheng was immediately intrigued.

“Senior sister, can you tell me about Dragon King in detail?”

Whether it was in interviews or TV broadcasts, the image of Dragon King was always veiled. But Shi Yuejian, as the Wuyue Club leading player and a physical-invulnerability warrior in the upper martial arts circle, often interacted with Dragon King. The Dragon King she knew might be more real.

Shi Yuejian noticed the change in his attitude and smiled. “You’re a fan of Dragon King? Our club will be heading to south China to challenge Longhu Club. I might not be able to fight him directly, but I can still introduce you two after the match. Do you want to come? Dragon King is usually kind to his fans.”

Lou Cheng was naturally interested but he resisted the temptation after recalling that he had already taken several days of leave. He replied pitifully, “I need to get back to work in two days. I can’t keep going on leave after taking someone’s money. Please bring me next time. Dragon King won’t be running anyway!”

The income from his part-time job seemed pitiful in comparison to his 600,000 yuan bonus. But the bonus from Youth Tournament was a coincidence and he had never expected to receive it. Since he had promised to help the Gushan Martial Arts School, he was morally obliged to continue.

A real man’s promise was heavier than gold!

“Sure. You have quite the self-control. I suddenly feel you resemble Dragon King a little.” Shi Yuejian nodded with emotion. “You’re going back to Xing province tomorrow? Your brother-in-law is still abroad and won’t be back in a few more days. Looks like you’ll have to see him next time. Your trip here is so rushed. I really don’t know what the chief sect is thinking.”

They discussed this for a while longer before Lou Cheng steered the conversation back to the original topic, all while wondering the implication of Shi Yuejian’s words.

“You mentioned Dragon King was kind to his fans. What about to the other warriors?”

According to his anti-fans and gossip news, the Dragon King, Chen Qitao, was a contradictory character of both pride and inferiority. He was said to be vain, harsh, overbearing, and narrow-minded.

Shi Yuejian replied after some thought, “As mentioned, Dragon King has an abnormal lust for victory. He’s kind to his teammates and fellow disciples in some ways but harsh and merciless in others. When it comes to his opponents and enemies, he’s unwilling to fail. If his team loses to some underdogs by luck, don’t expect him to be a good spirit or have the grace of a mighty one.”

“He’ll get particularly angry if the winner is also a Warrior Sage. He’s very concerned with external evaluation, especially compared to other Warrior Sages.”

“But he’s undeniably a fighter that commands respect. Not even those physical-invulnerability warriors would deny this. There’s acknowledged fact among us. Warrior Sage, Qian Donglou, in a once-in-a-millennium talent capable of surpassing all his contemporaries. It’s shocking enough for one to be a physical-invulnerability warrior at 23 or 24, but he has already reached the First Pin and won his first title at that age.”

“There’s a large talent gap between Dragon King and Qian Donglou. You won’t be able to imagine how much effort he had put in, how many sacrifices he has made, all so he won’t lose to Warrior Sage Qian Donglou.”

Geezer Shi tut-tutted. “I know what you mean. After all, I’ve once fought Dragon King, no, the boy Chen Qitao, for some time back then.”

“Ah? Master, when did that happen?” Lou Cheng asked in confusion.

How could he be unaware of this as Dragon King’s big fan?

Geezer Shi giggled. “Do you remember that Chen Qitao has once disappeared for almost a whole year without attending any Challenge Tournaments, which he explained as being treating with his injuries.”

“I remember. He hadn’t won any titles then.” Lou Cheng was coming close to the truth.

“Last year, he made the finals of several Title Tournaments but lost to Qian Donglou each time. This disappointed the media due to his reputation and they published numerous articles doubting his qualification to parallel the Warrior Sage,” said Shi Yuejian taking over her dad’s explanation. “This affected Dragon King greatly. He shaved his head and he applied to enter the war zone. Using his life as a bet, he spent ten months on the edge of life and death to cultivate. When he returned, he defeated Qian Donglou thrice and won three titles in a year.”

Leaning on the sofa, Geezer Shi said with some nostalgia, “Chen Qitao was already of First Pin at that time, so there was little room for progress. But you don’t know how insane and stubborn he was. He completely transformed into a different person.”

Excitement surged in Lou Cheng as he listened to Dragon King’s past.

A true fighter should be like him!

“Qian Donglou is younger than me, but I still call him Warrior Sage out of respect. He has many flaws common to talented ones. He’s not hardworking enough, or should I say, he’s lazy. He’s the kind who wouldn’t stand if he can sit and wouldn’t sit if he can lie down. Initially, he was able to keep working hard out of his desire for the titles, he soon relaxed after winning. He thought he could win just with minimal effort. Just then, Dragon King appeared and nearly destroyed all his self-confidence. Qian Donglou only recovered his spirit after much difficulty. This forced again him to make the most of his talent,” said Geezer Shi, gossiping with great enthusiasm.

“We can say there won’t be the present Warrior Sage without Dragon King’s stimulation and no Dragon King without Warrior Sage as his goal. So they’re worthy of the title Legendary Twins.” Shi Yuejian sighed with emotion once again.

Lou Cheng listened with great interest, his blood boiling with excitement.

Were these the true facts of Dragon King and Warrior Sage?

After lunch, Geezer Shi led him to the second floor and gave him two visualization pictures. He joked,

“These are the Prairie Fire Diagram and the Zhu Rong Diagram. Find their core and charm yourself. You can bring them home, but if you lose them, I won’t be responsible. You’ll have to think of how to compensate for them yourself.”

“Thank you, master.” Ignoring Geezer Shi’s joke, Lou Cheng took over the visualization pictures in excitement. One picture was filled with colorful flames, making him feel like he was standing by a burning sea. In the other was a god of fire with the face of a beast, suppressing the flame. He looked fierce and powerful.

Noticing Lou Cheng’s excitement, Geezer Shi walked towards the door, cleared his throat, and said calmly,

“Brat, remember to email me the videos you took earlier.”

“Ah?” Lou Cheng turned to his master in bewilderment.