Martial Arts Master

The river reflected the brilliance of the stars, and the frigid winds bit into bone. Connecticut at the end of January exuded a singular beauty. When they were out of Brandon’s garden, Yan Zheke drove a little slower. In the peaceful night, the unhurried ride was relaxed and pleasurable.

“There aren’t many cars around here— how about I teach you how to drive? It’s easy to drive an automatic car!” she suggested in an enthusiastic tone.

“That would be great,” Lou Cheng replied at once. Then, after unfastening his seatbelt, he went to the car door on the other side.

He couldn’t imagine any difficulty in learning driving with his omnipotent control over his body, excellent hand-eye coordination, and instantaneous reaction speed.

He waited for the girl to be properly seated in the front passenger seat, before getting into the driver seat himself. He fastened his seatbelt and shut the car door.

“Does it feel uncomfortable?” Yan Zheke asked smilingly as she turned to look at him.

“Yes, a little…” Lou Cheng confessed.

He felt so restrained!

“You’re taller than me, so it’s only natural that the seat that is adjusted to suit me wouldn’t suit you. Cheng, this is similar to if you were to force yourself into one of my T-shirts.” Eyes twinkling, Yan Zheke pointed out the problem, then guided Lou Cheng on how to adjust the seat and rear-view mirror.

After that, she taught him the application of the various parts— the brakes, accelerator, steering wheel, signalling lights, automatic transmission, and hand brakes—with great gusto.

Driving an automatic car was relatively simple, and before long Lou Cheng was on the road. He went at a steady pace, cautiously using his Ice Mirror to dispel any nervousness or anxiety.

Satisfied at having the joy of being a coach once again, Yan Zheke made some smug comments, then picked up her phone and scrolled through some sites.

“Eh? There has been another sighting of ‘Deliveryman’ in the Big Apple,” she said gaily after a soft exclaim.

“How many imitators have there been?” Lou Cheng asked in amusement. His eyes were still fixed in front of him.

The superhero culture is deep-rooted and widespread in America!

“There’s that one, and that one… Six, seven…” Yan Zheke counted with her fingers while looking upwards. “I would say about five to nine?”

Before Lou Cheng could make a joke about her less than helpful estimation, she adroitly changed the subject. “This is good for you!”

“Right,” Lou Cheng nodded cheerfully. “If not for them, most superheroes would already have had their identities leaked.”

In recent months, there had been frequent cases in the Big Apple and Los Angeles of Deliveryman imitators exacting punishments on criminals. Some were done crudely and had their cover blown instantly, but others were so flawless in their mimicry— in both power and style— that it led many to believe that the Deliveryman had made a return. The FBI had already listed them as related cases and expanded the radius of their search radar. There were suspicious that the Deliveryman was not in Connecticut before and after the two incidents. They believed that he came from another place and fled once he achieved his goals.

This was very manageable for a Mighty One at the level of a senior martial artist, and there had been examples in the past to prove that.

The truth was hidden in lies and it was hard to tell what was real and what was fake. That’s was what America was— the land of Superheroes. Things differed from country to country, and judging another country by the standards of one’s own often yielded ludicrous results. Smith had foreseen this from a long time ago and analyzed it for him.

Whether it was in America or China, the hardest cases to crack were always the same— a random individual whimsically arrives in a foreign land, murders a random victim who is by no means related to them, and leaves no DNA, fingerprints or security footage evidence. The people assigned to such cases could only helplessly chase after a phantom and pray that their luck takes them somewhere.

The police should neither be underestimated or over glorified. There were, after all, countless Superhero-related cases in America that went cold.

“Another brutal murder in the Big Apple after the re-emergence of The Joker…” Yan Zheke recited the title of the article, then reflected, affectedly, “In comparison, law enforcement in Connecticut deserves a five-star review!”

Though there were also mafias and Danger Grade criminals over here. They were relatively scarce in number and weren’t radical enough to provoke the government on their own.

“Too bad. After all, it’s the most bustling city in America, where skilled martial artists of Physical Invulnerability State and Inhuman Stage gather. Once the amount of Mighty Ones goes up, based on probability alone, there would be more scums and perverts. Weren’t there similar cases involving skilled martial artists in places like Didu, Huahai, Huahai and Moshang? Weren’t there also serious cases of malignant nature that went cold? Even our own Ice God Sect and Shushan Study have to bring disciples to justice occasionally,” Lou Cheng comforted his wife.

Connecticut was the second largest financial hub of America and was ranked highly among the large cities. With the omnipotent Geruga Sect and its rivaling Mission Sect, under a government that wants to maintain the status quo, there were close to ten Physical Invulnerability Mighty Ones, needless to say, many more Inhumans. Until now, there had only been two Danger Grade criminals, which bespeaks the effective law enforcement of the place. Of course, that only applied to certain regions.

Similarly, places in China like Didu, Huahai, and Moshang were also teeming with Mighty Ones. The strict enforcement of law and order was what drove down the number of malignant cases.

To the residents of Connecticut and the Big Apple, super criminals weren’t considered the greatest threat. In a modern society, criminals would indubitably be arrested and dealt with once their crimes were brought to light with sufficient damning evidence pointing towards them. Twisted psychopathic killers dared not commit crimes indiscreetly, so they usually went by two methods. The first type, like Maszewski, lured and slowly corrupted their victims. The second, like The Butcher, committed their crimes in places with insufficient surveillance coverage. As long as people didn’t go to places where they shouldn’t be and remained level-headed in the face of temptation, the risk of becoming a victim was actually very low. Of course, after Lou Cheng’s interference, that number was nearly reduced to zero.

To an average person, the biggest threats were terrorists, people who wanted to exact revenge on society, and amateurs who turned criminal on a whim and thought that they could easily get past surveillance. Yan Zheke could handle the likes of them on her own, not to mention there was her full-time bodyguard Aunt Du.

“I was just saying~ My monotonous life only consists of being at the classroom, library, home, and supermarket. I almost never attend any parties or gatherings. Who would target me out of the blue?” said Yan Zheke. Looking ahead, she suddenly frowned. After a momentary pause, she said, “Cheng. Don’t tell me you don’t know the way…”

It seemed like they were going in the wrong way…

Lou Cheng replied, philosophically,

“Indeed, but I have every reason not to know it— firstly, it’s my first time driving here. Secondly, even if I had passed by here before as a passenger, you can’t expect a passenger to make the effort of memorizing the road.”

He’s acting like he’s in the right… Yan Zheke stared dumbly for a few seconds.

“When did we start going the wrong way? We should have turned left at the intersection with the bridge.”

“We passed that intersection before you mentioned The Joker,” Lou Cheng recalled with an odd expression.

“Was it when I was counting the number of Delivermen?” Yan Zheke asked nonchalantly as she accessed the map application and turned on GPS.

“No, even before that…” Lou Cheng confessed.

“At the time when I told you about the re-emergence of Deliveryman in the Big Apple?” Yan Zheke asked with a blink.

“Even before that…” Lou Cheng hinted timorously.

“Even before that?! That would be when I was teaching you how to drive!” Yan Zheke was taken by a sudden laugh. If she could use emojis in real life, she will be using “flips table” without a doubt.

“Even-even before that,” Lou Cheng replied while driving with studious solemnity.

“Even before—? Wasn’t that when I was dri—” Yan Zheke paused. Then, holding her phone high up, she cheered. “Actually, wouldn’t you agree that it has been a great ride?”

But I’m starving… Lou Cheng thought as he nodded his assent.

…

At the lakeside manor, Brandon put on a lively front to entertain his guests. Though he didn’t know the Chinese proverb “victories and defeats are both staples of war”, his behavior aptly expressed the sentiment of the adage.

After going through the formalities, he excused himself to get changed. When he returned to the second floor, he saw his father Adri standing at the balcony at the end of the corridor, gazing at the quivering ripples.

“What do you think about him?” Adri asked, wheeling round.

Adrian drew a breath, then heaved it out slowly. “He’s stronger than me.”

Adrian nodded gently, and said, placidly, “And it seemed like he was experimenting and practicing a new Ice Sect technique on you.”

Brandon hated to admit it, but he still gave an honest reply.

“Yes…”

A faint smile crept onto Adrian’s face. He said, calmly,

“Remember, among the few lifelong ‘enemies’ of martial artists, arrogance and vanity always has a place.”

…

It was a Sunday afternoon on February 1st. When Lou Cheng was done with his daily training and Yan Zheke had completed her assignments and reports, they drove down to the nearest supermarket to purchase daily necessities and food ingredients for the New Year.

They stopped at the checkout with two trolleys full of items. One by one, he took the items out for the cashier to scan.

Yan Zheke seemed carefree and relaxed as she watched, occasionally helping, her husband busily moving the items. She even began to think about what dishes to make during the New Year’s Eve feast.

At that moment, she caught a glance of Lou Cheng digging out six packaged boxes and handing them to the cashier. Condoms of unknown quantity per pack.

When did he grab those…? And how could he buy it just like that…? Yan Zheke went blank, her cheeks burning. She quickly turned her head and shifted her eyes elsewhere, pretending not to know him.

C—can’t he sneakily buy those by himself like how he used to do?

When they were out of the supermarket after checkout, Yan Zheke shot Lou Cheng a pouty look.

“Aren’t you getting a little too comfortable with that?!”

“With what?” Lou Cheng asked with a blank face.

“That, and that!” Yan Zheke said, pointing to packaged boxes at the top of the items.

Lou Cheng laughed, then said, composedly,

“It’s not my first time buying them. Plus, it’s absolutely normal for a married man to buy these, especially with his wife beside him. What’s there to be awkward about?”

That’s not what you said before! You told me that you were helplessly awkward when you bought them for the first time! To her woe, Yan Zheke realized that men were creatures that could easily lose their sense of shame!

They talked and laughed for a while before packing their “spoils of war” into the car. Right before Yan Zheke turned on the engine, her phone suddenly rang. An incoming call.

After talking for a while, the girl pressed her hand over the microphone and tilted her head to Lou Cheng.

“The consulate and international student association have organized a New Year event for everyone. Do you want to go? ”

“But my birthday falls on the New Year…” Lou Cheng protested openly.

Of course, I want it to be only the two of us!

Yan Zheke smiled cutely. Without saying more, she turned down the invitation.