Martial Arts Master

Lou Cheng startled from his Master’s reaction, quickly began from the start.

“I had to buy time for Siris and his family, so I chased the Mummy for a good deal. Then, I ambushed at the East of Khukhang city to rout any pursuers and deprive them of opportunities. Afterward, I unexpectedly ran into Ren Li, who was lost. It was then when we heard an intense gunfight from the military base, so, driven by curiosity, we went to spectate. Halfway through, we ran into the Mummy, Dark Night Bat, and a Physical Invulnerability Mighty One in general uniform ganging up on Sathah. Eh, at least it should have been him…”

He gave a long and boring explanation, mainly to give his master time to recover from the shock.

“Then, Sathah self-destructed. The Mummy was gravely wounded, and afterward General Outfit left. At first, we didn’t intend on making a move, but then the Dark Night Bat mentioned Peng Leyun and my name, saying that he was interested in our blood. He even wanted to use Ke Ke as a bait to get me. You see, Master, it had to be done!”

Towards the end, Lou Cheng tried to justify his actions by a little.

Geezer Shi’s voice had returned to normal.

“And that’s why you went for the kill? The Mummy first? Tell me more about it.”

He tried to sound like it was nothing new to him, but in his heart, he was cussing: If Physical Invulnerability Experts are easy to kill, they wouldn’t be given that title! In all my years roaming the wartorn zones, I haven’t killed more than ten of them. That includes solo kills, cooperative kills, and group kills. You only made the breakthrough recently, and you already have two kills under your belt? Ridiculous! Even with Witch Qi’s disciple, that Ren brat assisting you, even if the opponent was heavily wounded after an intense fight, this is still big news!

Lou Cheng retold the whole event at length, including his self-created Cosmic Phantom, and Dark Night Bat’s revival—how he sewed himself back into one piece after being dismembered.

That drew Geezer Shi’s attention. Shocked and amazed, he said, “The black bat that popped up of nowhere. Not even the Americans figured out who he was. Heh. He’s a product of their prevalent superhero culture. In the past, we have sent agents to investigate the deaths of some murdered Physical Invulnerability Experts, and found out that the black bat was indeed powerful and not the kind who just made the breakthrough. Tsk-tsk. The Mission Sect always talked about how the Savior revived, and how his remaining blood hid the secret to life. Who would have thought a vampiric black bat would have the same abilities?”

“Smelly brat, you didn’t forget to bring the black bat’s flesh back, did you? Whether I can recuperate from my old wounds could be riding on this.”

Delighted, Lou Cheng said, “Of course not! I brought back at least two to three grams!”

“Don’t make it sound like you are buying meat!” chided Geezer Shi.

“Master, could this really be the key to curing your old wounds?” asked Lou Cheng, concerned.

Geezer Shi was silent for a moment, then sighed.

“Back then, I was among one of the best in the war-torn zones. A man with unbeatable vanity…”

He paused in reminiscence of the prime of his life.

I don’t think vanity was the word you were looking for there, thought Lou Cheng discreetly.

“Sigh. Unfortunately, I ran into a Forbidden Mighty One. Memories from that fight will follow me to my graves. I made it out alive, but not without suffering grave injuries. His mysterious strength infiltrated my body, fusing into my root pulp like a sort of cancer. If not for Elder Mei confining it in my lungs, I would be long dead by now…”

“Since then, the external ‘root pulp’ could not be removed, and has almost become a part of me. Even if we killed all cells in that area, it will appear again when new cells. Getting a new lung was also out of the option, since my mutated root pulps will drive out and kill all organs that don’t belong to me. Cough, cough. Nourishing the body with the mind has heightened my tolerance level, but I still couldn’t fully digest it.”

“If the military can discover something from black bat’s flesh and blood, it might be able to solve this once and for all.”

It was the first time Lou Cheng heard about how his master got injured. Curious, he asked, “Master, who is the Forbidden Mighty One who did this to you?”

“Heh, what now? You want to avenge me?” scoffed Geezer Shi. His tone softened. “I’ll tell you when you reach the Forbidden Area. If I tell you now, I wouldn’t be able to stop you from acting on impulse.”

Don’t make it sound like I’m a mad dog, protested Lou Cheng silently. He didn’t ask anything else and settled on a date to return.

He hung up and gazed at the waves glimmering in gold. He then made a call to Yan Zheke.

“Hello?” Her silvery and gentle tone was slightly tense.

Retracting his gaze, he stopped smiling and quickly said, “I have completed the mission!”

Yan Zheke’s tone immediately became breezy.

“Awesome! See? I told you it will be simple for you after advancing to Physical Invulnerability!”

She paused. “Are you going to the war-torn zone next to find my brother?”

“There’s no need. Master told me that your gramps—um—our gramps decided to find him himself, with the help from some other Shushan Sect members. He wanted me to return to my Sect and study the Physical Invulnerability Chapters. That would fortify my foundations in this stage,” said Lou Cheng smilingly. His expression gradually relaxed.

“That’s great! There’s nothing Gramps can’t solve!” said Yan Zheke light-heartedly. Then, rather worried, she said,

“But, my brother is really stubborn. It would be hard to bring him back unless he’s knocked out cold.”

Lou Cheng expressed his thoughts without mincing his words. “I think they’ll probably allow him to stay there in the end. But, they’ll get the military or Shushan Sect Physical Invulnerability Experts to secretly protect him. With brother-in-law’s disposition, I don’t think he’ll come home before reaching Physical Invulnerability.”

“Sometimes my brother pushes himself too hard,” sighed Yan Zheke.

They went on about Lin Que for a while. Then, amused and sentimental, Lou Cheng said, “Ke Ke, our summer trip got interrupted right after it began…”

“It’s alright! The encounters we had this time beats ten trips! Plus, we saw the Northern Lights and the pyramids! It’s good enough for me~” comforted Lou Cheng.

“I’ll be training at Mount Yanbing next. Why don’t you come over too? Just treat it as a vacation. I can’t be training the whole day after all. Physical Invulnerability Secrets Arts take a toll on one’s mind,” suggested Lou Cheng, grinning.

“That sounds great!” replied Yan Zheke, delighted.

After confirming the details, Lou Cheng began bragging. “Ke Ke, I bumped into Ren Li yesterday. She was lost. Then, we killed two Physical Invulnerability Mighty Ones together.”

Yan Zheke froze in astonishment. “No way…” she murmured blankly.

Good reaction! Lou Cheng felt pretty smug. He then retold the entire story, emphasizing on Dark Night Bat’s ill intentions. Yan Zheke listened with intervals of being shocked and touched. To her, the enemy’s supernatural ability sounded unworldly.

The wind was extremely loud on the deck, and Lou Cheng was alone. They stayed on the phone for a long time. Lou Cheng even had to generate frost to cool down the satellite phone.

When the call ended, the ferry was almost at bay. That’s when he began to seriously consider claiming call reimbursement from the military…

….

In Tignes City.

Lin Que punched at the chest of his restrained enemy, crushing his heart.

Bam, bam, bam! He punched and kicked continuously, mutilating his body.

After all that, Lin Que doubled over, breathing heavily with his hands on his knees. His hair, which he hadn’t groomed in a while, streamed down, nearly covering his dark and untelling eyes. He was basked in sweat.

There were glaring wounds on his body. A slight amount of blood seeped from the corner of his lips.

A few seconds later, he made himself stand. He gazed at what remained of his enemy.

A mafia—that abducted adults, traded children and harvested organs for the rich—had easily sent out an Inhuman Mighty One.

Is this what it’s like in the war-torn zones?

Retracting his gaze, Lin Que veered into a shabby street. The people guarding the entrance were merely children of about ten, armed with real guns and real bullets.

Walking unsteadily, Lin Que’s silhouette disappeared at the end of the street.

…

Wuyue Province, Shanggao Airport.

Lou Cheng unboarded the plane. He traveled light, only carrying his phone, wallet, and souvenirs bought from Wei City. They were milling people around him, so he didn’t have to worry about missiles and explosions. All around him was peace and smiles.

As he walked, he tapped on his phone and chatted with Yan Zheke. He sent a text to the driver he contacted before boarding the plane.

“I’m here.”

The driver replied quickly. He said he was standing by a pillar across the entrance of the departure hall.

He didn’t describe his clothing since he trusted he could be recognized: Lou Cheng, the former Heavenly Son of China.

It’s almost been a year since he left the martial arts scene due to injuries. Now that he’s making a re-entrance, I wonder if he’s in a good state, thought the driver. After a few minutes, he recognized Lou Cheng walking out at first glance. He wore an outlandish white T-shirt, casual ankle-length long pants and dark colored running shoes. He looked calm and peaceful. It was hard to tell that he was recently at the lowest point of his life and went through a lot.

“Hello, Martial Uncle Lou,” said the driver, approaching with a smile.

He was somewhat an Ice God Sect disciple after servicing them for almost ten years.

“Hello.” Lou Cheng smiled and nodded amiably, but it was obvious that he didn’t have any intentions for small talk.

The driver remained tactfully quiet as he led Lou Cheng to the carpark. He pressed the car key and opened the door, then waited for his passenger to board first.

Lou Cheng sat in the backseat and leaned back comfortably. Sometimes he chatted with his wife, sometimes he closed his eyes and meditated.

The driver stole occasional glances at him through the rearview mirror. He sensed a scholarly air empty of haughtiness or insecurity that befitted a grandmaster.

Looks like the injury has matured him a lot, thought the driver. He began driving more steadily.

After a while, the car drove by Mount Yanbing. The scenery made Lou Cheng rather sentimental. The last time he came was when he just recovered from his sequela and underwent treatment. At that time, he felt a little uneasy despite being mainly relaxed. But now, he was healthy, at ease, and enjoying life.

Physical Invulnerability Experts are considered upper-class wherever they go.

Lou Cheng got out of the car when they reached the Sect. Smiling, he crossed halls and rooms, amidst greetings from other disciples and helpers. He stopped at the Ice Queen Pavilion.

Inside the Pavilion, Geezer Shi was tipsy on wine. He Yi, with scarce white hair, walked towards the entrance. He took a deep look at Lou Cheng.

“The younger generation is to be reckoned with…”