Martial Arts Master

“The man in black, and then the dude I encountered earlier… Li Wanquan didn’t lie about the two groups…” Lou Cheng ran away from Wanhe Street towards the desolated corner he had discovered yesterday while pondering. Then he put everything else aside and began to practice the Swordsman Formula and the Unique Skills of the Ice Sect, improving himself.

He finished his morning exercises by eight o’clock and returned via the same route. On the way back, he stopped at a breakfast restaurant and bought four big meat stuffed buns.

Snap!

He took a photo and sent to Yan Zheke with a sneer.

“I read good comments about this stuffed bun restaurant online. After two bites, I’m positive it is very good indeed, but I can’t buy too many, or the owner might get terrified. I will have to get several small breakfasts from different vendors.”

It was around dinner time for her. She instantly replied with a photo of her dining table with many chinese and western fusion dishes, including steak and beef stew with potato. The food was very nicely plated, but the flavor were hard to tell.

“Come on! Let’s hurt each other with food!” Yan Zheke flipped the table.

Lou Cheng was delighted and his appetite got bigger. He returned to his hotel room satisfied after visiting seven breakfast places.

Over one hour later, Yan Zheke finished her work during their messages back and forth and sent a video call request, which Lou Cheng had been waiting for. He picked up happily.

After a split second, her image appeared on his screen in a nightie under a floral duvet, her collarbone exposed, hair down on her shoulder, and eyes shining without glasses. Her beauty completely captured Lou Cheng’s attention.

“Talk. What are you gazing at me for?” Yan Zheke raised her chin and tilted her head slightly with a gentle chuckle.

“Because you are too pretty,” answered Lou Cheng sincerely in a joking tone.

Yan Zheke’s eyes curved and she replied,

“Dramatic…”

They trifled with each other until Yan Zheke showed her concern about Lou Cheng’s task.

“Cheng, did you find anything in Old Nanny Qiu’s?”

“No, I met a fellow in the yard and we fought a bit. The noise was loud enough to alert the neighbors, so I left. From what I saw in the yard, Old Nanny Qiu is pretty odd, mysterious, and spooky, as peopel said…” Lou Cheng described everything honestly to his wife.

“You had a fight…” Yan Zheke muttered the part that concerned her the most.

Lou Cheng coughed. “No big deal. We are living in a society governed by law, and no one dares hurt others at will. We just exchanged a few moves with no wicked intentions… After all, a secret martial-arts style isn’t worth the risk of one’s life.”

Especially as they were both in the Dan stage, and very likely the backbone of their sects, any severe injury would lead to a serious conflict between two sects.

A secret discipline was precious, but not worth lifelong jail time. Lou Cheng might not have been interested in it at all if it wasn’t related to the jindan in his body. It was just something decorative, like the icing on a cake.

He could tell that the shadow’s first punch was very restrained.

“That’s true.” Yan Zheke nodded slightly, her eyes rolled up thoughtfully. “Cheng, yesterday you said your master didn’t care about the Nine Words Formula and chose to train you with this task despite wasting precious time. I’ve been thinking, and it doesn’t seem right… It’s possible your master doesn’t care about the formula, but what about the military? Aren’t they looking for the Nine Words Formula for their own study? Why would they take the risk of losing the Fighting Formula to wait for you?”

“Err…” Lou Cheng was stunned by the question, and the puzzle in his heart suddenly became bright and clear.

“Yes!

“The Queen of Thought and the Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame do care about the Nine Words Formula a lot!

“The military wouldn’t risk losing the Fighting Formula to satisfy my master’s request for training a disciple. They didn’t interfere because things are still under their control.

“Maybe those two groups are not big forces and the military is confident they can take them down easily?

“But shouldn’t the key be Old Nanny Qiu? If this important figure is missing, will the military panic?

“They haven’t made any moves because they’ve been monitoring closely, are aware of Old Nanny Qiu’s whereabouts, and are confident about my safety. Are they showing respect to my master by allowing me to practice as long as things are still under their control?

“Phew… In this case, they are probably waiting for me to cry for aid so they can take part in it and finish it once and for all.”

Lou Cheng suddenly understood everything.

“I’m like a child playing an exciting yet extremely safe game under my parents’ watch, and they are very pleased with themselves, waiting for me to seek help.”

Lou Cheng’s, the child’s, desire to excel was suddenly aroused. He was determined to complete this task perfectly and get the Fighting Formula before the military got involved.

“Don’t look down upon me! I can’t let the parents get what they want.”

Lou Cheng swept off the laziness and told Yan Zheke his speculation.

“Yes, Brother Cheng, come on! Don’t give the military an opportunity to shine!” Yan Zheke made a fist and encouraged Lou Cheng in an affectionate and sweet tone.

“Heheh. I am the smarter one of this family indeed!”

She felt completely relaxed when she learned that the military was watching him.

When Yan Zheke had to say goodnight and join her mother in bed, Lou Cheng felt disappointed. He took a moment to calm himself and opened a notebook to organize his thoughts.

“My advantages include a new pair of glasses and shorter hair for camouflage. Even those who watched the national tournament won’t be able to recognize me unless they are acquaintances of mine.

“The two groups either don’t know about my presence or are not aware of who I am. I should make use of this situation to fish in troubled waters.

“And my biggest disadvantage is fighting solo in the dark without the military’s resources. I won’t be able to gather information as fast and extensively as the other two groups.”

Then Lou Cheng began to list possible ways to look for Old Nanny Qiu.

” First, seek help from the authorities and the police.

“Second, in contrary to good, the ancient city also has its evil side, which might be better informed. Several locals mentioned Zhou Wei, who apparently suffered thanks to Old Nanny Qiu. He sounded like an unusual figure and might be a valuable thread.

“Third, I can follow the other two groups and use their intelligence as my own. They are from some sect, and I bet they will make full use of official resources. The first one can be merged into this one.

“Fourth, explore Old Nanny Qiu’s home one more time tomorrow at five o’clock to look for clues.”

Lou Cheng read it through, putting these ideas together and developing them into three things to do today.

“First, inquire about Zhou Wei and look for him in the dark.

“Second, of the two groups, one seems mysterious and clueless, but the other led by the man in black is out in the daylight. While working on the first one, look for him and those martial artists with him yesterday. If I can’t find them, follow the two girls that sat behind us on the bus. The man in black appeared very interested in them. They might stay in touch.

“Third, explore 15 Wanhe Street again.”

Upon the completion of the plan, Lou Cheng left the room with his mobile and wallet for lunch.

To hide his identity, he stuck to the style of eating less but often, separating his lunch to different vendors like yesterday so his appetite wouldn’t look too abnormal.

…

After requesting aid from the sect, Hou Yulin took a nap and finished his routine exercises before heading to the Li Family’s Silverware Shop under the bright sunlight.

“The elders can’t set out right away; they will have to take an express train and a bus. Tomorrow morning will be the earliest they can get here. I can’t just sit and wait.

“The expert I encountered last night can’t be a member of that force, or it wouldn’t be necessary for him to investigate at night. He made it to Old Nanny Qiu’s place most likely through Li Wanquan. I should be able to get some information on him from the silverware shop. It’s better to drag him out of the dark so I can be prepared.”

Just thinking about the expert he had met in Old Nanny Qiu’s yard, Hou Yulin felt a chill run down his spine. That was like a nightmare carved into his brain, very vivid and terrifying.

“That was an awfully capable martial artist… I better stay away from him if possible…”

Hou Yulin looked up at the board of the Li Family’s Silverware Shop before entering.

Li Wanquan glanced at him with his triangle eyes and welcomed him warmly, high in expectation. “What do you want to know today?”

“These outlanders have nothing but generosity!”

Hou Yulin took out his wallet and handed over a stack, making a silent judgment about how old-school this shop was for not accepting mobile payment nor having a CCTV system. He kept his tone flat. “Anyone else come for Old Nanny Qiu recently?”

Li Wanquan answered gladly while counting the bills, “Yeah, a young fellow of 23 or 24 in a white shirt, jeans, and a big black-framed pair of glasses. He seemed friendly.”

“A young man of 23 or 24 years old… The terrifying strength last night… Which sect could this young talent be serving? ” Hou Yulin pondered and asked a few more questions for details before heading out.

He looked about casually on the street in search of kind-looking young man in his early 20s wearing jeans, a white shirt, and a black-framed pair of glasses.

“Hmm… There is one. Another one over there… Err… A third one… And a fourth…”

Hou Yulin saw five guys meeting the description after two streets.

“A Mr. Average…” Hou Yulin poked fun of the unknown young man and quit searching. He began to doubt the man Li Wanquan had talked about was the expert he encountered the night before.

“He must have hired an average-looking young man to ask on his behalf so he didn’t have to expose himself.

“Very possible!

“That sounds more like the awfully terrifying expert I met last night!”

Hou Yulin withdrew his eyes from the rice noodle soup restaurant where Lou Cheng was sitting and sipping on a bowl of tasty soup quietly.