Martial Arts Master

The place they’d arranged to eat at was in a courtyard without any signs. As Lou Cheng walked towards the entrance, Yan Zheke was already waiting outside wearing a knee-length white dress. Her beautiful, jet black long hair swayed in the wind that passed through the alleyway. She was so beautiful, it was as if she’d come out of a painting.

Her eyes brightened when she saw her boyfriend. She took two steps forward and reached out with her hand to help Lou Cheng arrange his shirt collar and get rid of any creases. Her lips formed a smile as she said, “Don’t be nervous, it’s just a normal meal.”

“I wasn’t nervous before, but when you say this, it makes me a bit nervous,” Lou Cheng joked deliberately.

Yan Zheke’s eyes were filled with beauty. She looked him in the eyes and, pulling his non-injured hand, turned and headed towards the courtyard.

“Let’s go!”

Passing through the worn and aged entrance, going through the arch that was covered with flowering vines, and over a small, crystal clear pond that emitted a fresh fragrance, Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke entered through the east side of the house. They came into a secret room that felt quite warm.

A simple and unadorned table stood by the window. Outside, flowers were in bloom, which created an air of elegance as they swayed lightly.

Lou Cheng was unable to make heads or tails of the calligraphy paintings that hung on the wall. Lots of trinkets and adornments stood on top of the cabinet. Then he turned his gaze towards the four-sided table, and towards his mother and father-in-law.

“Hello, Aunt, Uncle.”

“Sit,” Ji Mingyu said with a smile, pointing to the place opposite of Yan Zheke.

“Okay.” Lou Cheng went back a half step and sat down along with Yan Zheke.

While the subtly awkward atmosphere was brewing, Ji Mingyu laughed. “When it comes to local dishes in the Capital, this restaurant ranks among the top five in my mind, and the atmosphere is quite suitable. Hehe, while I myself prefer food similar to food from Xiushan, you should quite like it.”

“Actually, I’m not a picky eater. Strange ingredients and flavors aren’t a problem.” Lou Cheng smiled in response.

Ji Mingyu nodded. “Using the best ingredients to produce delicious food isn’t a big deal. You can use ordinary ingredients to create food that people will praise to the heavens. If you really have skill and you combine the best of both worlds, the best ingredients and true skill, then you can create truly marvelous food.”

“Like this place for example?” Yan Zheke asked rhetorically, livening the atmosphere.

As the full-of-energy Empress Dowager took the initiative of leading the conversation, the awkwardness dissipated and Lou Cheng became more relaxed. He spoke and interacted all within the norms that the occasion dictated.

Yan Kai didn’t speak to him, he would merely add a sentence or two to Ji Mingyu’s from time to time or sigh as he watched Yan Zheke feed her “crippled” boyfriend, his heart aching at his daughter’s affection and attention towards others.

Ke really had grown up…

A whirlwind of dishes came and went. While Lou Cheng had an inhuman appetite, he didn’t have to nerve to reveal this skill of his, and he instead attached the most importance to speaking and placed eating second.

Yes, the food definitely wasn’t bad, it was just that the portions weren’t quite enough…. Fortunately, Empress Dowager had ordered enough for ten people…it really was something worthy of a martial arts aristocratic family. None of these details went unnoticed as he silently thought to himself.

As the lunch winded down, Yan Kai looked him in the eyes, took a sip of tea, and for the first time was the one to initiate conversation as he asked,

“Lou, what plans do you have for the future?”

Plans? Lou Chen went blank for a moment and was in the process of organizing his words when Yan Kai added, “Your master and the military are very close, so these aspects are unavoidably entangled. Are you thinking of pursuing this path or entering professional competitions?”

“Uncle Yan, I’m actually scared to death about this,” Lou Cheng thought, and then, mocking himself, said, “If it wasn’t for the fact that I had to, I wouldn’t want to take any risks in life. Still, at least for today, entering professional competitions seems more suitable for me.”

Yan Kai faintly nodded. “Then what goal do you have? To achieve physical invulnerability?”

“Yes,” Lou Cheng answered calmly, “One thing is that my impression of fighters is all about physical invulnerability. I hope to be able to challenge their abilities and be capable of fighting with them for a long length of time. Two is…”

Coming to this point, he paused, “Two… because Ke’s grandfather and grandmother both achieved physical invulnerability.”

Speaking briefly yet powerfully, Yan Zheke listened with a furrowed brow, a smile just below the surface. She bit her lower lip and wanted to playfully retort, but she was hindered by the presence of her mother and father, and thus restrained herself.

Yan Kai looked as if he was thinking about some previous events and seemed touched. After a long period of silence, he said,

“Not bad. You shall work hard.”

Even though I’ve asked myself whether or not all that I’ve accomplished up until now could be considered enough, every time I think about my mother and father-in-law, who are Mighty Ones with Physical Vulnerability, I feel it’s a bit more complicated… Also, Ming Yu’s business largely relied on the Ji family and depended on those two with physical invulnerability.

Yan Kai didn’t again speak at length, and Ji Mingyu changed the topic, once again making the atmosphere more natural. At the last moment, she chuckled and glanced at Lou Cheng as she said, “Lou, are you going back to Songcheng tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, my flight is a little after 10,” Lou Cheng answered honestly.

Ji Mingyu turned again and looked towards Yan Zheke. “Ke, you spend today with us. As we’re at the Capital, we should pay a visit to some of our older family members.”

“Okay,” Yan Zheke answered timidly.

After saying their goodbyes, she escorted Lou Cheng to the entrance of the courtyard.

“Is this it?” Lou Cheng asked dumbfoundedly as he turned his head and glanced at her.

This wasn’t at all what he had imagined his meeting with his mother and father-in-law would be!

“Yes! If this isn’t it, then what do you still want to do?” Yan Zheke blinked, asking with a smile.

“Shouldn’t they have asked me more specific questions about my situation? Like my name, what to call me, where do I live, how many people are in my family, are we wealthy or not…” Lou Cheng said with a slightly joking tone.

According to other people’s experience, meetings such as this were more like interrogations!

“Ha…” Yan Zheke laughed brightly. “They don’t want to dig up your specific situation. They figured that they shouldn’t and rather should ask me privately. How could they just directly ask you? If they were that rude, it’d be so awkward!”

“Fine.” Lou Cheng exhaled.

Yan Zheke pursed her lips, and with a sudden urgency, looked around and added,

“Empress Dowager right now is really…. really happy about you…. She thinks that you’ve got a gift and that you’re a reliable person. She says you can do whatever you want to accomplish…. She supports you. My dad… my dad has no choice but to accept.”

Lou Cheng’s heart was filled with happiness, and he purposely said boastfully,

“Could you say that the more the mother-in-law sees her son-in-law, the more satisfied she is?”

“Don’t flatter yourself!” Yan Zheke turned her head and rolled her eyes at him, but she was unable to conceal the joy in her eyes.

The two of them exchanged a few words and then each headed back. Lou Cheng had no plans for the afternoon and was relaxed, but he was unable to find a few of his highschool classmates in the Capital to meet up, so all he could do was chat with them on QQ for a while and waste the day away.

When it was night time, Qi Fang, according to her everyday ritual, gave him a call a little after 10 o’clock and shared how much praise she had received that day.

The next day, Lou Cheng still did not slack off and went to the park nearby to do physical training as he always had.

When he was almost finished, he suddenly noticed that his master at some point had come to get some alcohol from the stand beside him.

“Lin Que has been seduced by the studies of Shushan, so he probably won’t be coming back. What are your plans?” Geezer Shi pointed at him with his chin.

Not waiting for Lou Cheng to respond, he heedlessly added, “Since I’ve helped your school president get the championship, I’m going to rest for a while as well. I suppose you’re going to barely graduate as well and leave when it’s time. Hey, brat, do you want to enter professional competitions or what?”

So Master will also be going… Lou Cheng was dumbstruck for a moment. The thoughts in his mind were even more clear and definite as he muttered,

“Master, I’ve gotten to this level in just a year and a half. I’ve progressed quickly and rapidly. This National Competition has revealed a lot of problems. I want to bear down and settle down for a year, really refine myself, and wait until I’ve entered the Inhuman Stage to enter professional competitions. Yes, this would be best.

“Also, Lin Que has left, and you’re also leaving, so I also must go. Isn’t the Martial Arts Club just returning to its original state? Yes, it’s stronger than it was before, but no one has time to truly dedicate themselves to growing. Next semester, more than half of us will be unable to advance to the Division level. This will bring a lot of setbacks, and it will be difficult for our Songcheng University classmates to support us once again. Their enthusiasm and zeal will return to its original point. They’ll certainly be disappointed and saddened…

“I think… I think I’ll stay for one more year, bring in others, and wait for them to mature. This way, there will be some new blood afterward. When I leave again, heh… when that time comes, I’ll be a senior and won’t have too many classes, so I can leave early and get my diploma…”

Geezer Shi laughed at what he’d heard, drank a sip of alcohol, and said,

“I knew it. You kids are so high and mighty. I’m all too familiar with the BS you’re spewing. Lin Que would suddenly break out his supernatural abilities, and you’d surely choose to stay for another year… however! When that time comes, this old man also has some things for you to do.”

“What things?” Lou Cheng asked, astonished.

“It concerns the Nine Words Formula and the Emperor Yan Force. I’m going to choose a few simple things to let you do yourself. Since I’ve already let you have some rewards, I’ll also give you some sharpening methods. When the times comes, we’ll talk again.” Geezer Shi seldom spoke with such seriousness.

Because he didn’t have the advanced Emperor Yan Force of the Zhu Rong Force in order to achieve the balance between fire and ice, Lou Cheng’s Frost Force had never progressed towards the Ice Spirit Force.

“Okay.” Lou Cheng pressed down his curiosity and didn’t pursue the topic further.

At that moment, Geezer Shi tsked with his hands behind his back.

“Settle down well, and before long you’ll be able to enter the Inhuman Stage.”

…

Finished with training, the Martial Arts Club members met up and headed towards the airport to fly back to Songcheng. Along the way, all of them laughed heartily, except for Lin Que, who knew he would go back to Shushan to study. There really was the excitement and feeling that they were returning to their hometown as heroes. Lou Cheng revealed to Yan Zheke that their master would also be leaving, and the two of them were downcast.

After getting off the plane, a school bus came to pick them up. Lou Cheng and the others headed back to the Songcheng University’s new school campus area that they had been away from for so many days.

This time, the school bus stopped directly outside of the martial arts arena to allow them to first put the National Competition championship trophy in the awards hall. On Monday, they would go to meet the president to accept his commendation.

As they got off the bus and headed towards the martial arts arena entrance, Lou Cheng leaned his head to the side and grinned as he remarked to Yan Zheke,

“Suddenly, it’s all a little unfamiliar…”

While speaking, the two quickly arrived at the entrance and faltered, as the inside was filled with seated classmates. It was spontaneously filled with seated classmates, boys and girls, a few thousand of them!

They hoisted up a banner, and as a group they shouted in unison,

“We’ve arrived!”

“We’re champions! ”

The warm welcome assaulted their senses. Lou Cheng’s heart opened, and he unknowingly smiled.

“We’re champions! ”

End of Part 2