In Chang’an City, how many years had passed without the occurrence of an event of this magnitude?
The ancient city that suffered unease hadn’t been so bustling with noise and excitement for a long time.
Because it was said that a teenager Great Master defeated the Heaven Sword Martial Club.
The phrase of Great Master, in Chang’an… no… in this world, possessed unparalleled magic, needless to say it was connected with a young man, which would be even more amazing. Some people even asked on the spot what the situation was or whtether this teenager was an illegitimate child of that martial club’s owner.
In the morning, the Heaven Sword Martial Club failed, while in the afternoon before dinner time, almost everyone in Chang’an knew it.
As for the disciples of the Heaven Sword Martial Club, they felt indignant but helpless. This was definitely a shame.
In various places where crowds gathered, such as tea houses, taverns, theatres, restaurants and brothels, this thing was talked about, and a storyteller even had compiled a new storytelling in advance, which only told the story of the battle between the young Great Master and the “Heaven-breaking Legend Sword” Zhang Chengfeng. The storyteller spoke on the stage, “As bamboo clappers clap, nobody will be praised but the teenager who fought with Legend Sword…”
The entertainment of the ordinary people was usually like this.
However, the upper class of Chang’an had different reactions.
…
Xiongfeng Martial Arts Club.
“Hah hah hah, for the Heaven Sword Martial Club to be defeated by somebody. It was punched and the head of Zhang Chengfeng’s son was twisted off. But he even didn’t dare to say anything. Hah hah hah hah… How amusing…” A woman, fair as a flower and beautiful as the moon, sat on the owner’s seat without any distance sense, and crossed her legs, as she laughed unrestrainedly.
The owner of the Xiongfeng Martial Arts Club, a figure who could compete with “Heaven-breaking Legend Sword” Zhang Chengfeng, was a woman, calling herself Exploding Boxing Queen.
A pretty woman who was just twenty years old.
Although she was slender and dainty, about 160cm high, the proportion of her arms and legs, waist, breast and butt were really perfect, thus making people think her a little cute girl of about 13 years old. However, on her arms were gold boxing gloves which were larger than her head. Hence, when she waved her slim arms, people were really worried whether the gold gloves could crush or deform her snow-white arms.
“Boss, don’t laugh. Our own affairs haven’t been handled.” A bruiser, more than 250cm high, sat at the lower place, and complained with a fat and bitter face, “We will be unable to keep the pot boiling. Some disciples have already suffered hunger a lot, and threatened that they would betray master…”
“Eh… Cook Gu, do you embezzle public funds when buying food?” the smile of the little cute girl, oh no, the owner of Xiongfeng Martial Art Club suddenly froze on her face. Then, she used her gold boxing gloves to embarassedly scratch the back of her head, and said, “Changfeng Bureau just paid us our last escort commission yesterday. Was it used up so fast?”
This bruiser, with a fat face and a devil look, was a cook.
“Boss, although they paid a lot, you’ve used it up when you went to the brothel last night, and even owed the Yicui Chamber 250 ounces of silver…” A young scholar, who seemed to be a bookkeeper, swiftly calculated by means of the silver abacus in his hand, raised his head after a while, and said, “Owner…oh, no, boss, you owe the Yicui Chamber a total of two thousand five hundred ounces of silver, the Flower Chamber four thousand six hundred ounces of silver, oh, and the Musical House twenty five thousand ounces of silver…”
The young scholar, with a white and clean face, and peach eyes, seemed a bit handsome.
‘He even had no strength to complain. He serves an abnormal owner who forces others to call her boss rather than owner, and, as a woman, to like going to brothels… What’s this fucking thing?’
“Ah? Cough cough… is it true?” This owner coughed and sneered, then she replied, “I did’t control myself…What to do? We are short of food so quickly. How many times was is this month… ah ah ah, must I, the pretty owner, sell my body?”
Suddenly, more than ten middle-level personnel of the martial arts club in the hall immediately held their foreheads.
‘Using this way again?’
‘Despite other aspects, your gold boxing gloves have beaten numerous pursuers to death. Even if you sell your body, who would dare to buy it?’
“Hey hey, smart bookkeeper. Your silver abacus might be worth a lot. Might you as well sell it or pawn it? Then, we can have dinner tonight.” The owner of Xiongfeng Martial Art Club smiled.
Fear flashed upon this young scholar’s peachy eyes, then he held his abacus tightly, saying, “Boss, again? I rely on this to make a living, which has been secretly sold by you nine times. At the ninth time, I almost lost it… Boss, can you trick another person?”
The owner, with an embarassed look, replied, “Ah, is that so? I don’t remember that… We can only use that way—to organize our people to carry bricks and heavy load at the Xihe River wharf. We have nothing but much labour. Based on the rule, the more one works, the more income he can get…”
The middle-level personnel in the hall all shook their heads and sighed.
‘Since entering the Xiongfeng Martial Art Club, we feel like having jumped into a fire pit, having insufficient food and clothing. We are all the martial arts people with great strength, but now, everyone has to move bricks and big bags and to toll shamelessly. Don’t we have dignity? Don’t we want face? What the hell?’
“Eh, now that you have no other opinions, we can leave. Deal.” the owner of the Xiongfeng Martial Arts Club tried to muddle through this matter with laughter.
“Owner, you shouldn’t always be like this, since we might be forced to eat dirt.” A man, looking as simple and honest as a farmer, spoke.
“Yes. Boss. We have to find a way to change all of these facts,” an old and grey-haired woman, in large and dark green gown, said, who seemed 90 years older than the owner.
“I think Crane fairy and Ghost mother are right.”
The honest farmer was Crane fairy, while the old and grey-haired woman in dark green gown was Ghost mother.
“I second that.”
“I agree.”
Everyone else said.
The owner buried her head. As she felt she couldn’t muddle throught this matter, she became indignant immediately, roaring, “I quit! I quit! You must cheat when drawing lots for owner. I quit this owner post. Let’s have a meeting again to draw lots for a new owner.”
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Every time she used this trick.
The young scholar showed a bitter smile in his eyes, saying, “Attention, our topic today seems to be a partial bias. Isn’t it a matter of discussing the failure of the Heaven Sword Martial Club?”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s talk about the reelection of owner on another day.”
“What did you say? I think the boss does a very good job.”
“Yes. Whoever talks of replacing the owner will be hacked by me.”
“What if the boss said it?”
“Impossible, the boss can’t say this stupid thing.”
There was another quarrel in the hall.
The owner of the Xiongfeng Martial Art Club bore this for a while with an irritated expression, and then stood up, shouting, “Stop quarrelling. I have decided to have a big deal… Hah hah hah, if I succeed, our Xiongfeng Martial Arts Club will be able to stand up.”
…
…
“Great Master?”
In the study of the Li Mansion, Li Gang, magistrate of a prefecture, was unperturbed, but in his eyes glittered a kind of beyond-apprehension light.
“Heartless Scholar” Zheng Cunjian stood at one side, nodded and then said, “Yes. It is strange that I didn’t perceive it when in Taibai County. This man is at the level of Great Master Realm, and he might have deliberately concealed his strength,” just now, he had already reported to the prefecture magistrate, Li Gang, what had happened in central Taibai County in detail.
“Interesting.” Apparently, Li Gang wasn’t shocked or fearful when hearing that Li Mu was a Great Master.
However, on his face appeared a hint of a smile.
“Your honor. Do we need to take action?” Zheng Cunjian exploratorily asked.
“What do you think?” Li Gang asked.
Zheng Cunjian said, “It is better to wait and see.”
Li Gang nodded and replied, “OK. I’ll follow your advice… yes, now that he has already met his mother in Pig-Herding Alley, why doesn’t he return to Taibai County? However, he asked you to build that courtyard. Will he stay here for a long time? Do you know his thoughts?”
Zheng Cunjian answered, “Perhaps, he wants to temper himself. After all, a young man, who is ambitious and has excellent martial arts, can stay in Chang’an to compete with masters in the world… This man is not only obsessed with martial arts, but also cultivates his magic arts. Both aspects have reached the supreme realm. He is crazy for martial arts, but I still don’t know his master.”
“Compete with masters in the world?”
Li Gang’s face, with a bit of playfulness and smile just now, soon became serious.
‘This sentence, when did I hear it? Who said it?’
It was so long ago.
…
…
The back part of the Li Mansion.
In the underground technological dwelling.
The wife of the prefecture magistrate, full of sarcomas on her face, put down the notice in her hand, and kept silent for a long time.
For a long while, in her gap-like eyes, between sarcomas, flashed a kind of devilish look.
“Xiong’er, it seems that things I prepared for you are not enough. I have to add more… I hope you can stand. Whether you become a dragon or a bug is up to you this time.”
She got up and walked toward the room whose door was closed.
…
In an ordinary house.
“Li Mu also came to Chang’an?” Princess Qin Zhen slightly frowned.
‘Why did he also come?’
“He turned out to be a great master? My God…” Wind Gentleman, Wang Chen looked at Qin Zhen with hidden bitterness. “I had advised that we should draw Li Mu to over to our side. Rope him in to stand on our side. But you did not listen; now, unluckily, we’ll miss a Great Master Realm master, which is a really big loss.”
Paying attention to Wang Chen’s expression, Qin Zhen shook her head and said, “Is it easy to draw a super master of the Great Master Realm over to our side? If Li Mu is really a Great Master, his mind must be as firm as a massive rock. Can it be moved by petty favors? Besides, all parties will fight for masters of the Great Master Realm, and pay them a great deal of rewards. What can we give him?”
After hearing this, Wang Chen was shocked. After meditation, well, he found that he had though the thing as too simple.
Nevertheless, he was also dubious about one thing. In the battle against the flood dragon in the pool of the Nine-dragons Fall, why didn’t Li Mu show the strength of the Great Master Realm? If he had displayed those skills at that time, he should have been able to defeat the flood dragon. As for people like Wei Chong, they were more unlikely to injure him.
Was it…?
An incomparably amazing and bold idea shimmered in his mind.