Martial Arts Master

Huacheng at the end of June was hot and humid. Traveling by foot was as uncomfortable as being trapped in a food steamer.

Though Lou Cheng could use his Ice Force to dispel the heat, he had no control over the humidity of the surrounding air. His skin felt clammy and his pores had a hard time breathing. He wanted badly to find a place where he could take a shower or a bath.

“Every apartment here comes with a private lift, and you get a lot of privacy. Plus, it’s not far from our Longhu Club. You can get there in about twenty minutes by car,” said a long-haired girl as she turned her head around. She was in a white collared shirt, light-grey suit dress, and sandals.

Her name was Auman. She was the staff from Longhu Club assigned to meet Lou Cheng at the airport. Her skin was healthy, her features were soft and beautiful, and the corner of her eyes slanted upwards naturally.

Lou Cheng shouldered his backpack and dragged along his rolling suitcase. He glanced around.

“Looks decent,” he commented with a slight nod. He then followed Auman as she tapped into the lift. A cool breeze greeted him.

Auman pressed the sixth floor button and regarded the current Heavenly Son of China with a gentle smile.

“Over here, water, electricity and other miscellaneous bills are all footed by the club, so don’t worry about them, Mr Lou. If you run into any problems, you can look for the property management, and if they can’t help you, just give me a call…”

The lift stopped on the sixth floor as they were talking. It was fairly spacious outside the door, with various furniture such as sofa, coffee table, and Bonsai placed around. It looked like a waiting room. The interior design of the house was somewhat forbidding, consisting of mainly grey, silvery-white, and black; it breathed an air of modern industry.

The house exceeded 200 square meters, had 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a dining room, a living room and a kitchen that was clean and tidy; all spaciously furnished and devoid of any crampedness.

“I’m living alone. Is there really a need for the place to be this big?” Lou Cheng pointed out in amusement.

He was initially expecting a two-roomed apartment of 70 to 80 square meters.

Auman smiled faintly. “It’s the same for everyone. You can’t ask for special treatment.”

“Everyone?” Lou Cheng asked with great interest after the realization came to him.

“I’m talking about the Inhuman Mighty Ones on the club’s reserve team,” replied Auman affably, shifting her eyes. “But there aren’t many still residing here. Some moved out after buying their own houses, some are in other cities with other teams competing in second to third-tiered professional competitions. Some switched over to industries like management when they aged. Oh, by the way, do you drive, Mr Lou?”

“I know how to, but I don’t have a license,” Lou Cheng replied frankly.

“In that case, a chauffeur will pick you up tomorrow at 8:15 at the southeast entrance. I’ll get him to contact you in advance,” said Auman. She happened to be passing by the window and pointed at an artificial garden outside. “That area is specially partitioned to be obscure, so you don’t have to go too far for your morning runs.”

“This place has everything…” praised Lou Cheng in contentment.

“As a top tiered Martial Arts association, do you really think the club will be oblivious to your needs? These all went through painstaking selections!” said Auman with a bright smile. She proffered her right hand. “Let me introduce myself once more. Auman, graduated for two years, member of the Longhu Club’s Assistant Team. You only get a personal assistant after advancing to Physical Invulnerability, and as for now, you’ll be taken care of by the Assistant Team.”

Lou Cheng took her hand and shook it gently for decorum. He then asked, thoughtfully, “Does that mean I belong to the club’s Reserve Team?”

“Right. Excluding you, there are currently 5 Mighty Ones on the Reserve Team. Two of them live here at the Sky Capital Garden. You’ll get to see them tomorrow,” Auman replied matter-of-factly.

Five Inhumans? That’s before including the ones that went to fight and train on other teams and the older ones that have no hopes for Physical Invulnerability… The amount of Inhumans in the Longhu Club is frightening… No wonder the Ice God, Hai Xi, and other Sects had to join forces to form the Wuyue Club. Even then, they could barely hold their ground against the Longhu Club… Lou Cheng staggered when he thought about it.

Auman began introducing other things until a message came to her phone. She glanced at it and exclaimed in a low tone, “It’s late…”

The last train is about to leave! Same goes for buses! Damn that plane delayed a few hours!

Raising her head again, she summoned up a smile. “It’s getting late, Mr Lou, you should rest. If anything comes up, just Wechat or call me,” she said.

“Alright,” said Lou Cheng, eager for her to leave.

Auman gave the keys, electronic keycard, and other items to Lou Cheng. She waved and walked towards the door. Right as she pulled it open, she remembered something and turned her head back. “We’ll arrange cleaners to clean and tidy up room, Mr Lou. How often do you want it, and at what time?”

“Once every two days. I’m fine with anytime as long as I’m not here,” Lou Cheng replied after pondering.

“Got it.” Auman changed into her sandals, bade goodbye with a smile, and shut the door.

When she was out of the lift, her decorous gait began gradually increasing. Moments later, she was scurrying and running like the wind. At last, she managed to catch the last train, securing herself a seat. Auman heaved a long breath, relaxing, but a sudden sadness came over her as she bent down to rub her sore calf.

At work, transport was provided, and the people she came into contact with were all Mighty Ones with extremely high incomes. It was as though she was living in a flashy upper-class society. But that changed when she was off work and no longer Assistant Au. That’s when she had to catch trains, eat fast food, and go back to her co-living life: a poky room with only a bed, a table, and a shelf.

The basic manager position in the Longhu Club paid decently well, but it was only enough to afford the cost of living in a large city. She had to save up, slowly…

When will a life like this come to an end…

…

In the spacious room, Lou Cheng recorded his new space with his phone, and then gave his wife a live-stream.

“Not bad, is it?” he asked in a slightly smug tone.

On the other side of the screen, Yan Zheke was in a white martial arts suit. She set down her glass of milk and smiled with her lips pursed. “The design is alright, but the style is a little unwelcoming.”

“Yup. We’ll go check out some places when you are here during winter break. I’ll most likely be staying in Huacheng for the next five to ten years, so the sooner we buy a house, the better. We can have our own home sooner,” Lou Cheng said, half-fantasizing, half-goading.

“Why wait for me before buying it?” Yan Zheke blinked, her dimples vaguely visible.

“Such matters obviously had to be decided by the head of the family!” Lou Cheng replied without hesitation. He had learned that from other’s mistakes! Dad made the final call for the current house, and at that time Mom was fairly pleased with it. Yet, nothing is perfect in this word, and whenever something went wrong, Dad would never hear the end of it. On the other hand, the design was mainly Mom’s idea, so she had no one to complain to even though she found certain parts unsatisfactory later on. All she could do is occasionally grumble about it.

Not knowing the intricacies behind his statement, Yan Zheke was all smiles. She nodded solemnly, and said, “Your taste does worry me!”

“What’s wrong with my taste? My little fairy is so beautiful!” Lou Cheng expertly began flirting once he saw the opportunity.

“That’s called ‘A fool gets something right every thousandth decision!’” Yan Zheke giggled and pursed her lips, tilting her head to the side.

“What about you then, Ke Ke? Is it a case of ‘A wise person gets something wrong every thousandth decision?” Lou Cheng mocked himself smilingly.

Yan Zheke glanced around. Seeing that Aunt Du had gone to the garage, she raised her chin and refused to play along.

“Of course not! My Cheng is so awesome~!”

I have an excellent eye for people! A wise person like me never makes any mistakes!

The words brought more smiles to Lou Cheng’s face. After flirting for a while longer, Lou Cheng switched gears. “From what I heard from the assistant, the club has specifically assigned me a chef that specializes in dishes from the Xing Province. In the future, I’m going to eat all three meals there so I don’t have to trouble myself again.”

“Huh? I thought you liked to cook?” Yan Zheke tittered with her hand over her mouth.

“I like to cook with my little fairy,” Lou Cheng laughed in a heh-heh way. “If I’m alone, I have to spend two hours cooking and half an hour washing the bowls, just for ten or so minutes of eating! What a waste of time!

“You have a point there—” Yan Zheke nodded in agreement.

Her eyes shifted before she finished her sentence. “With your huge appetite, how is ten or so minutes enough for you? You liar!” she blurted.

“…” Lou Cheng was rendered speechless. After a while, he replied, “I’m just making an example… Focus on the main point, focus on the main point…”

At that moment Aunt Du entered the room, hurrying the girl to change out of her clothes. Yan Zheke quickly drank the last mouthful of milk, ended the video call, and walked up the second floor in brisk steps. She didn’t have classes in the morning, but she had to go to the lecture room for a group report discussion. Lou Cheng buzzed his Mom to update her on his living conditions, then freshened up and laid on his bed.

Before sleeping, he sent a message to Fatty Jiang. “I’m in Huacheng!”

That bloke is currently in a university in Huacheng, Guangnan!

“I went back to Xiushan!” Jiangfei replied with a snickering emoji. “Just kidding. I have been waiting for you to come over and treat me to a good meal. When do you want to go out? My high-speed rail ticket is set for me to leave in two days.”

“I’ll tell you tomorrow. I haven’t reported yet. Not sure about the club’s arrangements,” Lou Cheng promised carelessly.

He ended the chat and bade Yan Zheke goodnight. The master bedroom sunk into darkness after he locked his phone screen. There was not a sound to be heard, and dim light spilled in through the window. It brought him peace, but also loneliness. It’s not as though Lou Cheng had never gone to foreign places, but other than Xiushan and Songcheng, he clearly knew that he was only going to stay at those places temporarily and leave shortly after. But this time, he was going to take root here. He was going to sprout and grow here. The next five, ten, or twenty years of his life would belong to this city. He found no sense of belonging, and the future road was long. Lou Cheng felt strangely sentimental and melancholic. None of it felt real to him.

Is this my ‘hometown’ for the remainder of my life?

He had similar sentiments on the first night in Songcheng, but he wasn’t the only one in the dormitory room and the liveliness soon washed away everything. Presently, however, he was alone.

A stranger in a strange land.

…

Early the next morning, Lou Cheng woke up on time and headed for the specially partitioned venue. He found a relatively obscure spot and began his training.

At 8:10, he shouldered an ordinary-looking backpack and went to the Southeast entrance. He saw the silver-grey multipurpose vehicle that had come to pick him up. Auman was waiting there too, her eyebags visible. It was roomy in the vehicle, with seats situated opposite each other. There were a mini-fridge and bar in the center that came with their own table tops.

A man and a woman sat opposite Lou Cheng, regarding him with seemingly tangible gazes.

“Let me introduce you. From now on, you will be teammates on the Reserve team,” Auman said with a glowing smile.