Uncle Li's Hesitation

With nothing but his bare fists, he had smashed apart two trees so thick they took two men to encircle, then carried them on his shoulders down the steep mountain path without changing expression. Any martial artist would know that this youth either possessed inborn divine strength or had achieved something in his cultivation. Liu Tianyuan, a scion of a great clan, naturally felt some appreciation for talent. Just as he was about to step forward and make acquaintance, however, that aged voice suddenly spoke at his ear:

"Boy of the Liu Clan, this Old Man will take the invitation. In consideration of your father's goodwill, Great Liang Village is remote and poor, with nothing worth seeing. While it is not yet late, you should leave early."

Liu Tianyuan froze slightly. When he turned his head, only an empty stool remained beside him. Where had that white-haired elder gone? As though he had suddenly thought of something, he hurriedly reached into his robes. The Phoenix Invitation personally handwritten by his father had already vanished, yet he had not noticed a thing. Cold sweat instantly broke out all over him, and he thought in horror:

This old man's skill is terrifying!

If the old man could silently take the letter from his robes, then taking his life would naturally be as easy as turning over a hand—no harder than taking the letter by even a fraction. He immediately suppressed the thoughts in his heart, called to those around him, and hurried away while the youth was surrounded by three or five carpenters. By the time Wang Anfeng had exchanged those two fine trees for a few coins of silver, Liu Tianyuan had long since disappeared. Only the man in blue stood by the table with his hands clasped, smiling at him.

"Anfeng, you came too late. A Young Hero came by just now, bringing a great crowd with him. What a grand display it was. You really should have seen it."

Wang Anfeng paused, then smiled indifferently and shook his head.

"Master of the Martial Arts School, I do not know him, and he does not know me. Since he has nothing to do with me, it makes no difference whether I saw him or not..."

The man burst into laughter. "He has nothing to do with us, but he has a great deal to do with you, boy! The greatest connection there is!"

"He has something to do with me? Could he have come looking for me?"

"Heh heh, that is something I cannot tell you."

The burly man chuckled and stopped there, refusing to say more. He turned and walked several steps back to his mat, then pulled a pointed knife from a cloth pouch. There were not many households in the village. Though he ran a martial arts school and taught the children some Fist techniques for self-defense, he also raised pigs in the back courtyard. Whenever a pig matured, he would moonlight as a butcher for a couple of days. With a flick of his wrist, the boning knife spun out a string of cold flashes. With two swift cuts, he carved a great slab of streaky pork from the chopping block, wrapped it in a lotus leaf, and tied it tightly with thin cord before tossing it to Wang Anfeng with a grin.

"Here, this is your meat for today. Your appetite is getting bigger and bigger, boy. Not bad, not bad. Being able to eat is a good thing. As for what you want to know, you might as well ask that Old Man Li. More than half this meat of yours is going to be fried up for that old man's drinking anyway, so I will not wag my tongue any further. Hahaha!"

Seeing that the Master of the Martial Arts School had already turned to greet the other villagers, Wang Anfeng smiled helplessly. He counted out some broken silver and gently placed it on the chopping block. Then he straightened his clothes, gave the burly man a slight bow, and turned to head back. As usual, he divided the meat into two portions, three to seven, put away the smaller share, and carried the rest toward Uncle Li's home.

Though Wang Anfeng was practicing martial arts, Uncle Li was addicted to liquor, and his appetite was somehow even greater than Wang Anfeng's. A pot of weak wine and a serving of pork—before the wine was even finished, the meat would already be gone. It was truly alarming. As he walked, the villagers around him looked at him somewhat strangely. He was curious, but since the Master of the Martial Arts School had told him to seek Uncle Li for answers, he did not ask. He simply went straight to that familiar house. Its wooden door stood wide open, and Old Man Li sat alone at the stone table, drinking deeply. His white hair was like a lion's mane, and his bearing wild and unrestrained.

Autumn had already arrived, and leaves fell like rain. Yet within several yards around the old man, not a single fallen leaf could be seen, forming a striking contrast with the surroundings. Wang Anfeng was slightly startled, but did not think much of it. Carrying the pork, he stepped forward with a smile. "Uncle Li, how are you today? I brought you some meat—freshly slaughtered fatty pork, perfect to go with wine."

Old Man Li raised his eyes and glanced at Wang Anfeng, but said nothing. He merely took another sip of wine. After a long while, he slowly said:

"I have seen you going up the mountain every day. Your Fist techniques have improved considerably..."

Not understanding what he meant, Wang Anfeng scratched his head and answered honestly:

"I do not know either. Master says my Fist techniques are not at a high enough level yet, so he cannot teach me the next part of the Arhat Fist."

"Arhat?"

"Yes. Master says that one who slays every last affliction is an Arhat."

"Slays every last affliction?!"

Old Man Li was slightly startled. Dispelling afflictions was originally meant to cleanse the heart, yet the words "slay every last affliction" faintly contained an immense killing intent. It was killing intent, yet upright and magnificent. His estimation of that so-called master whom he had never met rose even higher. He looked at Wang Anfeng's fists and mocked himself inwardly. With such a master and such talent, entering the martial world is almost inevitable. Li Qidao, Li Qidao—after all your slaughter and strife in the martial world, can you not even see this clearly...?

Unfortunately... he would never again be able to live as a carefree villager in the mountains.

With a sigh in his heart, Old Man Li's eyes cleared once more. He gave a heh-heh laugh, fumbled something out of his robes, and casually handed it to Wang Anfeng. Grinning broadly, he said, "Your Fist techniques are good? Then I need not worry. Run an errand for me, boy. This was sent by an old friend. Deliver it to the manor north of Wangxian County's county seat. There will be something in it for you when you return."

"Deliver a letter?"

Wang Anfeng curiously accepted the letter. It felt smooth and fine in his hand, while a faint, elegant fragrance drifted into his nose. There was not a single written word upon it, only a phoenix. With but a few strokes, its poised wings seemed ready to take flight from the paper. Even Wang Anfeng, who knew nothing of calligraphy or painting, could tell that the phoenix had been rendered with extraordinary skill. He praised it, saying:

"What a painting! I never imagined Uncle Li had such superb skill with the brush!"

Old Man Li was tipping back his head to swallow wine. Hearing this, he secretly rolled his eyes, then slammed the wine gourd onto the stone table. Wiping his mouth with one hand, he raised his voice and slapped the table. "Enough, enough. There will be plenty for you to look at on the road. One question: are you going or not?!"

Wang Anfeng rubbed the letter between his fingers. He thought that although the journey there and back would affect his cultivation somewhat, it would not take too long. Thus, he smiled and agreed. "What is there to it? It is only a letter. Just leave it to me, Uncle Li."

"Good. It is now the beginning of the eighth month. You must deliver it on the night of the full moon, the fifteenth. Not early, and certainly not late. Here is a jug of wine. Go to the county town near that manor, find a physician surnamed Li, and stay at his home for a couple of days first..."

Seeing him agree, Old Man Li nodded slightly. From who knew where, he casually produced a pitch-black wine jug and tossed it to Wang Anfeng. It was astonishingly heavy and ice-cold to the touch, forged entirely of iron. Dense, intricate patterns covered its surface, and before he had even brought it close, an intensely rich aroma of wine rushed at his face. After merely taking two whiffs, a flush of crimson rose onto Wang Anfeng's cheeks.

"All right, brat, since you now have some skill, figure out for yourself how to get to the county seat. This Old Man is going to deal with the pork. Come over and lend a hand."

Seeing the youth's shocked and flustered expression, Old Man Li could not help laughing smugly twice. He casually picked up the rather weighty pork and began ordering him about without the slightest courtesy. Wang Anfeng steadied himself, hung the wine jug at his waist, and followed the old man into the house. Before long, waves of meat fragrance drifted out with the cooking smoke.

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