Martial Arts Master

The cold wind blew, and the night was peaceful. Lou Cheng stared at Yan Zheke, who sat next to him. She was pink-faced from singing a song. He became calm and very relaxed. His gloomy mood was improving.

Yan Zheke took a heavy breath and glanced at him. She lifted up her chin and hummed deliberately.

“Do you think I am good at singing?”

She hung her legs outside the building and swayed them lightly. It was cute.

“You are better than good.” Lou Cheng laughed and reached for her waist so that she would lean on his shoulder.

He looked at Weishui Lake in the distance and said in a slightly self-deprecating tone,

“People always get greedier bit by bit.”

“At first, I didn’t think I could defeat Peng Leyun. Although I told you I would win, I actually still doubted my strength at the time. I thought that by joining your brother and achieving stronger effects with my 2nd awakening of the Fire supernatural ability, that we would have more of a possibility of defeating Peng Leyun; so long as both your brother and I were filled with power. Even so, I still never would have expected that we could beat Shanbei.

“After I found that my strength had improved a lot by the second awakening of the supernatural ability and I rapidly advanced in the Dan stage. I gradually gained confidence and was no longer satisfied with my previous plan. I began to consider the possibility of defeating Shanbei. I mastered the ‘Swordsman’ Formula, the ‘Army’ Formula, and the ‘Forwarding’ Formula quickly. I became more ambitious and felt that I could fight Peng Leyun by myself.

“I know I’m undeniably weaker than him, but I still think there is a possibility for me to beat him. I won against Zhang Zhutong and Han Zhifei under similar conditions. They were both stronger than me at the time.

“Don’t laugh at me, I mean it! Even after your brother tried so hard to attack Peng Leyun, who in the end, still didn’t consume much stamina. I still held the belief I could defeat him before I entered the ring. Now, however, I clearly know the reality. Even though I tried my best, Peng Leyun could still easily suppress me. No matter what kind of movements I made, he could hold me down. By the end of the match, if I hadn’t attacked him with the abnormal Severe Warning, maybe I wouldn’t have learned his limits.

“The bigger the hope, the greater the disappointment. I learned a crucial lesson from this match. That’s why I felt so upset and depressed, and became much angrier when I received a bad evaluation from others.

“I now find that I was a little arrogant at the moment.”

Lou Cheng finished analyzing his mental state. Yan Zheke pursed her lips and smiled. She said,

“Isn’t a man usually reluctant to confess his failures or embarrassments to the girl he loves? Well, this is the so-called ego and self-esteem of men. Why would you share these thoughts with me?”

Lou Cheng let out a low chuckle and replied,

“Because you are my Coach Yan, the mentor of my life.”

“Don’t you forget it!” Yan Zheke was suddenly amused by his answer, so she deliberately acted like an elder. “So how do you feel now?”

What pleased her most was that Cheng seemed to have pulled himself out of the shadow of failure!

“My feelings now? Well, I just want to catch up to him and close the gap!” Lou Cheng replied to her sincerely and frankly. “Ke, I set a small goal, to defeat Shanbei before Peng Leyun graduates!”

Giving no time for Yan Zheke to answer him, he quickly added, “I’ve always heard that Peng Leyun likes to jump through the window instead of taking the stairs or walking through the front door?”

His words frightened her. She blurted out,

“What are you thinking?”

I know him well, he wouldn’t mention something like this for no reason! 

Lou Cheng looked at the ground below, a frightening distance from where he now stood. He smiled and said,

“I want to try, will you join me?”

Although Yan Zheke didn’t have a fear of heights, neither did she have thoughts of committing suicide. Nor did she have a habit of jumping off buildings. She looked down at the ground far-away and found how high she now stood. She was about to refuse him out of reflex.

It was at this moment that Lou Cheng turned around, looked at her, and faintly smiled.

“Trust me.”

Hearing these two words, Yan Zheke bit her pink lip softly and nodded.

“Ok.”

The moment she finished her words, she felt herself being pulled into his arms. He was cradling her.

“Why are you holding me like this!” Yan Zheke felt so shy that she hit her fist against him gently.

This is the first time I’ve been hugged like this. It’s a ‘Princess’ Hug. 

No, it shouldn’t be like this. How can he hug me like a princess now?

Lou Cheng chuckled and answered,

“If something goes wrong, it’ll be easier for me to throw you out of the way from this position.”

Anyway, I cannot let anything hurt my fairy! 

“What?” Yan Zheke was still wondering what he meant, when Lou Cheng suddenly leaped forward. Yan Zheke heard the wind suddenly become fierce.

She fell rapidly downward. Her hair blew into a mass as the ground got closer and larger. It seemed like it was about to slam into her face. As a girl who was always praised for her rationality, Yan Zheke shuddered. She wanted to scream instinctively. She felt as if she’d heard the coming of death.

Is this why people are crazy about Bungee jumping? 

But what I’m experiencing now is much more horrible than Bungee jumping. I don’t even have a rope tied to my waist! 

Is this the feeling of walking along the edge of life and death? 

She subconsciously hugged Lou Cheng tighter and pressed her face to his chest where she could get a sense of security.

Just before they landed, Lou Cheng suddenly condensed his qi and blood and suppressed his spirit. He first tightened his muscles, then released all his power.

His body seemed to expand. It helped him decrease the friction with the airflow, so that he glided within a limited distance.

Bump!

The moment he stepped onto the ground, it felt like a small earthquake.

He straightened his waist to exert force into his spine, then he strode forwards as leisurely as an immortal sage. He was still holding Yan Zheke in his arms.

One step, two steps, three steps, he finally relieved all the rebounding power, allowing the girl in his arms to feel no discomfort.

“We have successfully landed?” Yan Zheke’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. She looked around and narrowed her eyes into a slit.

She dared not close her eyes; she looked straight at the ground,

“Yes, Coach Yan. It’s a safe landing!” This jump had helped Lou Cheng relieve all his negative emotions, so he answered her in an excited and humorous tone.

Amused, Yan Zheke struggled to stand up straight. She fixed her long hair and looked around with her bright eyes. Her cheeks had become pink from the excitement. She behaved like a kid who’d just played a fun game.

“Was it fun? Was it exciting?” Lou Cheng asked her with a smile.

“Yes!” Yan Zheke nodded honestly.

Cheng is always leading me to do things that are wrong! 

Suddenly, she thought of something. She frowned and said, “You still have internal injuries! How can you jump from such a high building? Aren’t you afraid that your injuries will become more serious?”

“I’m fine.” Lou Cheng moved his body to show that he was okay. He smiled. “We have to do crazy things when we’re young.”

“Well, anyway, I’m not the one who has injuries!” Yan Zheke knew that her boyfriend mostly just wanted to get rid of his negative emotions. Once she found he was fine, she just stopped criticizing him.

Lou Cheng was still excited about the jump. He turned around and squatted down in front of Yan Zheke.

“Come on, Ke, let me carry you!”

“Ah, no. I’m well energized. Also, my legs feel fine,” Yan Zheke answered with a dumbfounded look.

“What’s the relationship between the two? As your boyfriend, do I need a reason to carry you?” Lou Cheng laughed, still squatting.

His words persuaded her. She pursed her mouth and turned around, cursing him in her heart. She moved toward him briskly and bent down.

Carrying the girl on his back, Lou Cheng strolled through the west district; there were few people around. Listening to her melodious humming, he leisurely chatted with her from time to time.

“In fact, my brother seems able to take a more crucial blow than you.”

“I thought so, too… ”

“But he doesn’t need any sympathy or comfort.”

“This attitude is so Lin Que.”

“I believe he will eventually catch up to the genius. The man who has fallen behind now won’t remain stuck behind others forever.”

“Are you trying to encourage me by saying this?”

“You can interpret my words however you like.”

“But can you stop blowing in my ears when you talk?”

“What’s wrong with blowing into your ears? You even kissed my ears!”

“You can kiss mine too, I don’t mind at all.”

“Pervert!”

In the gentle moonlight, the desolate campus looked very beautiful.

…

The next morning, Lou Cheng got up early, despite his internal injuries. He came to the shore of the Weishui Lake. Touched by the cool breeze, he began to practice the “Zhe” Formula. He fixed the problems in his body bit by bit relying on his inward vision ability. Since he had completely mastered the meditation and ability for controlling nuances, which were specifically mastered by fighters of Dan stage, he could now perform this ability.

Geezer Shi stood next to him, crossing his arms. Casually, he said, “The ‘Zhe’ Formula has a rather decent healing effect. I will teach you the Ice Sect healing method if time allows. How long do you think it will take you to completely recover?”

“It will take me eleven or twelve days as long as I do not fight fiercely with others,” Lou Cheng said, feeling a little guilty. If not for him experiencing his crazy youth last night and jumping from a high building, he might have been able to recover in less than ten days.

Because he had the ability of inward vision, he could make a rather accurate judgment about the recovery of his injuries.

Geezer Shi was surprised. “That’s a bit longer than I thought. Can you fight in the next match?”

“Yes, my body state will become stable in seven days. If I don’t fight like I did in the last match, my injuries won’t be aggravated.” Lou Cheng answered without any hesitation.

Although I can only play at seventy to eighty percent of my strength, it is still enough for me to teach any guys who want to take the opportunity to defeat us a lesson! 

…

After finishing the morning exercises, as usual, the members of the club began their special training. However, instead of looking in on the members and just instructing them casually, this time Geezer Shi stood in front of the team and looked around. He laughed.

“Yesterday when I saw that all of you were as depressed as a frosted eggplant I wanted to say something to you. But I thought it over and decided that it would be better to give you a night to experience it so that you would have a much more profound impression.”

Watching Lou Cheng and Li Mao feel ashamed again, Geezer Shi waved his hand.

“It’s normal for you to experiences pain and sadness, or feel unhappy, after you lose a match. Or, I think, it’s good for you to feel that way. This doesn’t mean you are weak. This only proves that you care about the match, a lot. This indicates that you still have desire and momentum.

“As for those people who can immediately calm themselves and feel happy after they lose a match, this doesn’t mean that they are mature enough to take the result. They can take it only because they are numb and they care less about it. They are apathetic to failure and to martial arts. They have even lost their desire for victory. They don’t care about it at all.”

“I dare not talk about other careers. But on the road to martial arts, fighters like this often lose their desire and motivation to improve. They can easily compromise and deal with failure. They are also willing to give in in front of the mighty ones. So you guys are good. You still tried your best even when you were confronted by Shanbei.

“You know the Dragon King. No matter what the reason is, if he loses an important battle, he will be very angry.”

“But, well, he is good at turning these painful feelings into motivation for advancement. You guys need to learn from him. Do not feel depressed about your failures and never trap yourself in these kinds of emotions.”

As he spoke, the members of the club nodded frequently. They were all inspired.

At this moment, Geezer Shi asked seriously, “Yesterday, did you feel sad?”

Lou Cheng and the others were stunned for a moment and then answered in unison, “Yes”.

“Did you feel pain?” Geezer Shi asked further.

“Yes.” Lin Que hesitated but he still joined the other members in answering the question.

Hearing their answer, Geezer Shi let out a roaring laugh,

“Since you have already known sadness and pain, go practice your martial arts as soon as possible!”

“Yes, Sir!” Their morale was again lifted.

As he watched all of them start practicing and curing their injuries, Geezer Shi let out a laugh and took out his wine pot. He took a sip of wine.

What words do young people always use to describe my present feelings? 

Holy Awesome!