Martial Arts Master

Facing the sudden wishes from Lou Cheng, Lou Cheng’s father and mother were confused as they were staring blankly at him without responding, wondering they were hallucinating.

After several seconds, Lou Cheng’s mother, Qi Fang, laughed and replied, “Silly child, what for say these since we are a family? Do you need to be so modest?”

“Well, I’m just in the mood.” Lou Cheng chortled and added, “I go bathe and sleep. Gonna continue waking up early tomorrow for training.”

He then silently thought in his heart that the way he was being treated when he was a child was different from now. He recalled that his mother would always brag to others that he had learned to speak by himself. When the television was showing how people wish each other “Happy New Year”, he managed to pick up the words as a toddler and followed them to say the words. However, now that he said the same word, his parents were shocked instead of feeling surprized or happy…

Upon hearing that Lou Cheng was going to wake up early on the first day of New Year for training, Qi Fang said with concern, “It’s New Year, why not rest for a few days? Furthermore, it’s already late, it’s not good for your health if you don’t get enough sleep.”

“It’s Okay, It’s Okay.” Lou Cheng replied with a grin. He walked briskly towards his room, took out the money from the red envelope that he had received, and kept the money in his wallet. These money included 500 yuan from his grandparents, which was given to every child in the family except Lou Yuanwei, and 500 yuan each from his uncle and aunt, which totaled to be 1,500 yuan. This used to be the source of his private savings, whereas his parents would need to give Ma Xi, Ma Jiale each 500 yuan, and his grandparents each 1,000 yuan.

After bathing, he regulated his breathing and tried to integrate it with his body as one. He did not want to get too excited and ended up with insomnia.

With a calm heart and clear mind, Lou Cheng instantly went into deep sleep and woke up naturally the next morning. His alarm rang at the same time.

He changed his clothes, brushed his teeth and washed his face, making himself look more vigorous and energetic. He first sent a message to Yan Zheke, informing her that “The handsome guy has woken up.” He then grabbed his handphone and keys before heading out.

The sky was still dark and cloudy. The streetlights shone dimly along the street. Lou Cheng ran slowly along the wide and quiet street towards People’s Park, brushing against the bone-chilling cold breeze. At times, he could see some street cleaners sweeping the remains of firecrackers, a mark from yesterday’s grand celebration.

By the time he reached his destination, a ray of light had appeared from the sky. As it was the first day of New Year, the park was not as crowded as before, with only a few old people, who were still determined to train, scattering in the park. As such, he had easily found a quiet spot for his training and did not need to take a detour to the artificial lake as usual.

Lou Cheng focused on his training as he practiced each stance and skill seriously: Yin-Yang Stance, Condensation Stance, series of practice routines, 24 Blizzard Strikes combined with the Lightning and Fire Stance, Big or Small Hand Wrap.

One must have a good start for a new year!

…

Inside the Gushan Martial Arts School, Dai Linfeng, Qin Rui and other disciples were sleeping everywhere. Beer bottles and leftover plates of fruits were placed around in a mess. If not for the heater and blanket available in the room, it was possible that a few of them might be frozen to death.

Buzz buzz buzz! Dai Linfeng’s handphone continuously vibrated, which woke him up from his deep sleep.

He massaged his head and glanced around blankly as if he had lost his memory. It was only when he took out his phone, did he remember the reason for his sleeping here. Yesterday was New Year’s Eve, and after the reunion dinner with his family, he received a call from Qin Rui, seniors, and fellow disciples. They had decided to stay up late and have a happy time together to relax for next year’s preliminaries.

“Hey, Xiaofei, what’s up? Why did you call so early?” He saw the caller was the good-for-nothing Tao Xiaofei, and from the window’s view, it seemed only dawn.

Tao Xiaofei sounded excited and nervous as he spoke in a very lower voice, “Brother Feng, guess who I saw? I saw that guy who bumped into you the other day! Didn’t you mention that he was the one who set a trap and made you lose the tournament… ”

Dai Linfeng felt a chill upon hearing the news, and before he could finish his sentence, he questioned in reply, “How did you see him? Where did you see him?”

According to his master, that person could be a fighter of Professional Ninth Pin, someone with supernatural ability or strange eerie skills!”

Tao Xiaofei immediately replied him and spoke at a fast pace, “Last night after my family’s reunion dinner, didn’t I come out to hang out at the pubs? Then I heard that a few newcomers had joined the Emperor pub, so I went there with my friends and I had fun till this morning. I even brought a few out and planned to go to the nearby beautiful lakeside to try having sex in the car. Who knows I saw that guy training at the embankment! No mistake, I am sure it’s him, I can still vividly remember that feeling he gave off!”

“Brother Feng, do you want revenge? You could bring all your men, surround him and beat him into a pulp. No matter how strong he is, it’s still impossible for him to defeat that many people, isn’t it?”

He seemed to be very interested in such matter as it excited him so much.

Just then, Qin Rui and another disciple, who had been awoken by the noise, glanced in Dai Linfeng’s direction in a daze. He signaled them to keep silent as he spoke to Tao Xiaofei in a low voice, “You’re gonna stay away from him first, don’t let him discover your presence. This kind of thing, I got to ask my master.”

At the peak of the body refining state, it was certainly possible that the fighter would not be able to defeat all of them at once. Just five or six fighters of Amateur Third Pin and above would be enough to beat him to death. Even if they were just normal people, as long as they operated in large groups and equipped themselves with knives and daggers, they also had the chance to defeat that fighter. However, the problem would be how much damage could they handle? How much were they willing to sacrifice?

For a group of five to six experts of Amateur Third Pin and above, to beat a fighter of Professional Ninth Pin to death, they would probably sacrifice half of their people in their group should the fighter fought to his death. Moreover, this was not considering the breakdown of his disciples’ morales during the battle. Dai Linfeng did not want to see his fellow disciples die in front of him, not to say about the troublesome problems that might come after that. Thus, he was still hesitating whether to seek his revenge and planned to discuss this matter with his master, Chu Weicai.

He hung up the call immediately and dialed his master’s number, without taking a look at Qin Rui and the others.

As Chu Weicai’s vital energy and blood had weakened due to old age, he had already woken up and was having his bowl of longevity noodles on the first day of New Year. He picked up and answered his phone.

“Master, my friend saw that fighter of Professional Ninth Pin. He’s still at Xiushan!” Dai Linfeng said, summarizing the main points.

Chu Weicai placed the chopsticks on his right hand down on the table with a gentle tap, pondered for a moment before he spoke with a low voice. “Regarding this matter, it’s best that all of you don’t meddle with it. You guys are still unable to handle the things and happenings in the underworld. Give a call to Zhang Mingle and just let him know of it.”

“Yes, Master.” Dai Linfeng responded him with respect, then started looking for Zhang Mingle’s spare number.

Zhang Mingle, who was once his master’s disciple, was well-known as Master Le in the gangsterdom of Xiushan. He had the strength of Amateur First Pin at his heyday, but due to his constant indulgent to tobacco, alcohol, money, and women, it would be hard to determine his current rank now. However, the two subordinates under him, Vajra Body Zhang Biao and He Wei, were not easy to deal with either. They were once guided by his own master, and had absented themselves from distractions. If he were to fight against any of the two, he would only have 60%-70% of winning.

As for his own master, he was a fighter of Professional Ninth Pin when he joined Xiushan gangsterdom in his foolish young days and became one of the few big brothers. Nevertheless, he was plotted against in one of the arguments and got badly injured. This forced him to give up on pursuing Dan Realm, which caused him to feel regretful as he left gangsterdom. Now, he often grumbled that if not for his foolish young days, he would have traveled out of Xiushan and expanded this martial arts club further.

After Dai Linfeng found and dialed the number, he waited for a few rings before he heard a familiar and hoarse voice, a result of constant smoking and drinking. Zhang Mingle spoke, “Ay, what’s up for calling your senior such early morning, Junior Dai?”

“I’ve a friend who saw that fighter of Professional Ninth Pin. He’s still at Xiushan.” Dai Linfeng replied to the point.

The other end of the phone kept silent for a moment before a low voice said, “Haven’t left yet?… Where’s he now?”

“Self-training at the embankment of Tongxu River behind Emperor Pub,” reported Dai Linfeng honestly.

“Junior Dai, as a senior, I’m thankful for what you did. Also, don’t meddle with this matter, I’ll handle it.” Zhang Mingle commanded, as he exhaled forcefully.

After the conversation had ended, Dai Linfeng looked up and were welcomed by Qin Rui’s, his seniors’ and juniors’ gazes. He grinned and said, “Tao Xiaofei met the fighter of Professional Ninth Pin who had bumped into me the other day. However, our master doesn’t want us to meddle with this matter, so will let Master Le to handle it.”

Being young and vigorous, Qin Rui could not hide his curiosity as he gulped and suggested, “Senior Dai, even though we can’t meddle with it, we can go there to observe it. We can meet up with Tao Xiaofei, and hide in the car to observe how Master Le handles that fellow!”

Dai Linfeng was dazed by his suggestion. He nodded his head and said, “Alright, let’s head over to join Tao Xiaofei.”

All because of his fellow, who not only had him felt ashamed in front of the chairman, but caused the club to lose the chance of getting this year’s sponsorship!

…

Hiding at a secret spot, Zhang Mingle half-laid on the bed while grasping his phone tightly. His face distorted with fury. He was still wrapped in bandages and being on a drip.

“That bastard Third Jian, he’s still not willing to stop! How dare he still touch Xiushan. Does he really think that I’m coward?” He roared, gnashing his teeth in anger.

That fighter of Professional Ninth Pin has hidden himself in Xiushan for numerous days, and for what purpose? It speaks for itself!

That fighter must have thought of taking this opportunity to attack again while he is feeling peace and contentment!

Whenever Zhang Mingle recalled the time that he almost lost his life when he kicked his leg, he felt anger and hatred. However, when he saw Zhang Wei and He Biao walk in, he calmed himself.

His two subordinates with Vajra Body, one walked with the aid of crutches, while another was fully bandaged like a mummy. They would need another three to five months’ to recover.

He took a breath, picked up his phone and called his other men,

“Xu, come over for a while. Be careful, don’t get tracked. Let you know the details when you’re here.”

…

He called his men one by one. After 15 minutes of calling, the five men he had called were gathered at the hiding spot, with Wang Xu as their leader.

The reason why they could arrive fast was also that the traffic was clear in the early morning.

Zhang Mingle said with a serious look on his face, “We’ve found that Professional Ninth Pin fighter. He’s still at Xiushan and we can no longer tolerate this. Gonna teach them a lesson!”

As he spoke, he opened the box in front of him, revealing the five well-polished black metal guns inside the box. He then looked at Wang Xu and other four subordinates, and said,

“These are great-quality goods from the south. You guys have tried them a few times, today is the day to make good use of them.”

“Bring them along, and kill that fellow. After this, I’ll settle the aftermath and get you all to hide for a year or two before coming back. No matter what, whether you succeed in this mission, I’ll guarantee you all a fortune for the rest of your life!”

Wang Xu’s expression changed slightly as he immediately held his head up chest out in front of Zhang Mingle and said,

“No worries, Master Le. Leave it to us!”

“Very good. As for the others, leave your phones here in case any news were leaked. Should there be any changes to the plan, I’ll inform Xu.” After the pub attack incident, Wang Xu had become one of Zhang Mingle’s trusted subordinates. This time, he allowed Wang Xu to retain his phone for communication purpose.

They left the hiding spot and reached the back of Emperor Pub. From far, they indeed saw a person practicing his punches on the embankment. Wang Xu felt a twitch in his chest. He had a bad feeling about it. Though a group of five people, each equipped with a gun, might seem powerful and might have a high possibility of killing that Professional Ninth Pin fighter, but they were just gangsters. They were not police officers, nor soldiers, nor killers. They had only practiced with the guns once every two to three months, and suddenly, they needed to attack a Professional Ninth Pin fighter. Honestly, he did not have much confidence.

Not to mention that the attacks of this Professional Ninth Pin fighter was terrifying, definitely not something that he could handle!

He looked at the terrain, gestured to the other four and said, “We can’t attack directly. The view from the embankment is wide and he might notice us from far. If he were to escape, we wouldn’t be able to catch up with him. I guess it’s better for us to hide and wait for the opportunity to attack on his way back.”

“Okay, Xu’s right.” They agreed.

Seeing such situation, Wang Xu took out his phone, gestured to others and said, “I’ll report to Master Le about the situation.”

With his back facing the others, the first number he dialed was actually Lou Cheng’s!

“Hello, hello! That Professional Ninth Pin fighter is indeed at the embankment of Tongxiu River behind the Emperor Pub, but we dare not go near. Hello, hello, we are afraid that he’ll discover us. Hello, hello, no problem with the guns, we plan to sneak an attack on his way back. Hello, hello, what kind of bad signal is this!” Wang Xu pretended throughout. He hung up his phone and redialed the number, this time round to the real Zhang Mingle.

…

At a quiet place in People’s Park, Lou Cheng held his phone, his mouth in a thin line. He was worried, yet at the same time, felt furious for no reason.

Now that it involves gangsterdom, guns, and a Professional Ninth Pin fighter with secret mind discipline, do I have such great capability to meddle with it?

For goodness’ sake, I’m only a new first-year undergraduate!

You are trying to kill me, Wang Xu!

Do I owe you anything at all? What for you look for me for such matter?

If you know it’s dangerous, why didn’t you listen to my advice?

With mixed feelings, he really felt like dialing the numbers and said,

“Hello, is this the police?”

However, after thinking for a while, he gave up on the idea. This was because there would definitely be some protection rules for these gangsterdom in the police system, and informing the police about such things would result in tipping them off, which was equivalent to selling Wang Xu out.

Thus, he got to find a trustworthy police officer.

In the aspect, even though he did not have any contact, he could do so through others. One, Yan Zheke had mentioned that her grandfather had several disciples working in the police circle. Furthermore, her mother and herself often stayed in Xiushan, it would go without saying that they would know a few local police officers with real power. Two, his own master was still considered as a Mighty Ones with physical invulnerability. He had many contacts and his position in the society seemed rather high, to the extent that he could even interfere with the arrangement for preliminaries. It would be extremely normal that he had relationships, relatives, and friends working in the police circle, who had the real power to deal with any fighters.

Who should he go for?

This was the problem, but no matter what, he must not be reckless or foolish and got himself involve into this matter! Though he had a good relationship with Wang Xu, it was still unnecessary for him to risk his life for him. He was not Yan Zheke, nor his parents!