Martial Arts Master

When he finally realized it, Dong Shaoyang’s face turned bright red and his throat rattled as if he were stuck with old phlegm, which made his scalp tingle and his teeth sour.

With a popping noise, he spat out blood, bleeding on his pillow.

With the release of Qi, he felt relief in his chest and recovered from the internal injuries caused by Lou Cheng. His head cleared instantly, and he realized that his arrogance and ego had inflated in the last year.

“I see…” He took a deep breath and said, eyes determined and strong, “I will find the gap and improve myself!”

Admittedly, Lou Cheng did have a gift for fighting and a quick mind. When he didn’t take the advantage of a favorable environment to beat him and instead was forced to compete for endurance with his opponent, he was doomed to fail.

“Good.” Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame nodded slightly, saying, “Unruly commanders and soldiers were not coined by inventing or imagining them. When one has experienced life and death fights, he or she is likely to have an inflated ego. But they should stay alert and well-prepared for incoming fights all the time. It’s a lifelong learning process.”

He said so many words in a single breath and then turned to Monk Wenguang, saying, “I brought him back. Shi Jianguo might come to us soon.”

Upon hearing that, Monk Wenguang froze for a moment and turned pale, stammering, “You, you didn’t inform Coach Shi before?”

Testing another master’s disciple without asking permission from his master?

Namo Amitabha Buddha, I almost cursed!

Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame and Shi Jianguo have physical invulnerability of the same level. Both were evenly matched, and I’m just a tiny Six Pin!

“No,” the Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame said with a straight face, “Shi Jianguo is firm in speech but soft-hearted. He always tells his apprentice to just push the boat with the current and let it be. If I had told him in advance, he would have told me to respect the will of the apprentice himself and so on.”

When referring to Shi Jianguo’s firm-in-speech and soft-hearted manner, his stony face seldom gave a smile.

“Since Coach Shi doesn’t agree, then there is no need to test Lou Cheng…” Monk Wenguang had thought that this task was a request from Shi Jianguo, or at least that he had been informed of it.

Now that he knew the truth, he nearly shed tears.

“It’s true that fighters who emerge from life-and-death struggles cannot look down upon those who participate in the Challenge Tournaments; however, this does not mean that the Challenge Tournaments can temper a fighter to perfection. Without the kind of pressure that arises from life and death circumstances, how can we get a fighter to tap into their full potential and enhance their willpower?” Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame said calmly.

But it’s their own business. It’s none of our business! Monk Wenguang almost failed to keep his temper.

Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame glanced at him and said curtly, “Some things must be planned ahead of time. Both the Dragon King and the Warrior Sage have a chance to go further and step into the forbidden areas, but they are only hopeful and not 100% sure. Of course, we need to sharpen and cultivate more of those who have potential and are friendly to each other. If not, who will compete with the ‘apostle’ and ‘Pharaoh’ in the future?”

Monk Wenguang’s face changed and he lowered his voice immediately, saying,

“Is Elderly Mei’s health failing?”

Dong Shaoyang held his breath with a severe look on his face.

“Masters in the forbidden area can’t have ill health. We’re just planning in advance.” Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame waved his hand, grabbed Dong Shaoyang, pushed open the door, and drifted away.

…

After checking the address, Yan Zheke took off her housecoat in a hurry and soon got changed. Then she rummaged around the other room for some medicine, gauze, and some bandages and put them into a bag.

Then she went back to her bedroom, took the other bags, and hurried downstairs, running towards the gate.

——After the talk with her mother during their afternoon and evening shopping spree, she decided to throw caution out the window and bought Lou Cheng a shirt, pants, socks, and two new outfits. She was going surprise her boyfriend during the morning exercises; otherwise, she’d have to sneak out dad’s old pants.

After changing her shoes, Yan Zheke said loudly,

“Mom, Dad, Jingjing is looking for me. I’ll be back soon!”

In the study, Yan Kai leaned out the door, saying,

“It’s late. I’ll drive you there.”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the door close and his daughter was already gone.

“Why is she in such a rush, what happened?” His daughter was already a Professional Ninth Pin, so he wasn’t worried about her, but he said it with much affection.

Ji Mingyu came closer to her husband, looking at the door suspiciously.

Hasn’t your daughter always been in a rush ever since she was a high school student?

Well, only when it comes to that boy!

She arrived at the Old Liu Barbecue by taxi. Following the GPS, she walked into an old neighborhood, finding the familiar figure in a dark corner.

Seeing his pants ripped wide open, including the crotch area, she turned her head immediately and thought it a little amusing.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing, saying in a low voice,

“Very artistic.”

“A performance artist?” Lou Cheng said belittling himself.

Yan Zheke chuckled and thrust the bags into Lou Cheng’s hands, saying, “Good. Get changed now!”

“Huh, new clothes? It doesn’t look like my father-in-law’s style. Are there stores still open this late?” Lou Cheng looked at the bags.

“I bought them for you today. Are you touched and happy?” Seeing that Lou Cheng looked good, Yan Zheke felt relieved and her tone also relaxed.

“Touched! Happy!” Lou Cheng looked down slightly, eyes smiling.

Did I go through such a life-threatening situation just for this moment?

Does my strong will for survival and faith in dangerous situations all come from such moments in daily life?

He turned, hid behind a tree, and got changed.

At this point, Yan Zheke exclaimed suddenly, eyes wide open in astonishment,

“Your back…”

She thought Lou Cheng’s ‘cuts and bruises’ weren’t as severe, so she hadn’t urged him to treat them. As her boyfriend turned back, the first thing she saw was the bruises from the torn flesh and several deep cuts.

As Lou Cheng moved his muscles and stopped himself from bleeding, the injuries did not look as horrible.

“Not a big deal. Just some scrapes. Tie them up and I will be fine after I get some rest.” Lou Cheng comforted her.

“You liar! These cuts are deep. How can you call them minor injuries?” Yan Zheke said, concerned and a little mad. “Sit down. I’ll help you with the wounds.”

She was not mad at Lou Cheng but at that bad guy who launched a surprise attack on her boyfriend!

No one would like to get involved in life and death fights! We love a peaceful and stable life!

“Okay.” Lou Cheng wasn’t in a hurry to change pants in case they got stained with blood.

He wanted to hide what happened from his dad and mom in case they got worried.

In the dim light of the streetlights, Yan Zheke grabbed the cotton, dipped it in alcohol with a pair of tongs, and cleaned and sterilized the wounds on his back. Lou Cheng felt a sharp sting of pain.

Even a master feels pain.

Looking at the weeds, rubble, and the dull, yellow lights, he listened to the girl nagging and felt her small movements. He felt warm and the pain subdued. Even the wind wasn’t blowing as hard and the cold didn’t bite as much.

As Yan Zheke tied him up like a mummy, Lou Cheng hid behind the tree and got changed quickly.

“I can play Pharaoh,” he said jokingly.

“Luckily I brought enough gauze and bandages,” Yan Zheke moaned. “If you had just gone back like that, people would have called the police!”

“Which is why you came here rather than I go to you.” Lou Cheng came from behind the tree with a smile.

“Remind me to change your bandages every day. Take this bottle of pills. Take them thrice a day, two at a time. They will help you to heal faster. For now, they seem like just some cuts and abrasions, but there might be internal injuries…” Yan Zheke handed the rest of the stuff in the bag to Lou Cheng.

While hearing her continuous urging, Lou Cheng looked at her with a smile in his eyes.

Then Yan Zheke asked curiously,

“Where did you fight? Did you win?”

After a tough fight between two Six Pins, there must be some obvious traces left.

Lou Cheng pointed out, not far ahead, saying, “See? Over there.”

Yan Zheke looked up with her mouth wide open, saying in bewilderment,

“When I passed by during the day, there was a building there…”

…

After two days of treatment, Lou Cheng’s skin scabbed over and healed gradually.

Yan Zheke was right. He did suffer some internal injuries and would take three to four days to heal, but it wouldn’t prevent him from having his regular training, though he did he look pale.

At the same time, the date of honoring their ancestors was coming.

After negotiations, they decided to leave on that day, not staying over at Qing Fu for it only took half an hour’s drive there. If their parents wanted to stay at their relatives’ home for a couple of days, he could bring them home any time.

At 9 o’clock in the morning, Lou Cheng got in a van with his dad and mom, feeling refreshed after the morning exercises. He sat in the back seat with his cousins—Lou Yuanwei and Ma Xi. At the front row were his aunt, Wang Lili, and his parents, while his uncle Lou Zhiqiang sat in the front seat.

Lou Cheng’s uncle, Ma Guoqin, drove the other car with Lou Zhixian, Ma Jiale, and Lou Debang.

Outside, the air was chilly. Lou Cheng was playing with his phone when the van started and they were off to Qing Fu County of Le Ning.

It was his ancestral home, but he had no attachment to it and felt like he didn’t belong here.