Embodying Myriad Traits, I Will Ultimately Become Immortal — Episode 7

"Hm? Why are you such a stubborn kid?"

"Fine. Since that's the case, I'll teach you the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art today. But before I teach you the form, I need to explain the principles behind it."

Meng Chuan listened attentively. The principles taught by a Martial Arts Grandmaster might just clear away the fog for him.

"I'll tell you—might makes right!"

Before passing out, Meng Chuan vaguely saw a hook swing toward him. Then he lost consciousness.

"Get two people to carry him aside. Liu Ru, he should wake up around three or four. Have the kitchen save him some food. Once he wakes up and eats, bring him to my training room."

"Don't want to practice? I'm making you practice today."

At four-thirty in the afternoon, Meng Chuan slowly came to. The first thing he did was touch the back of his head, only to find that it did not hurt much.

"The master held back. If he'd really put strength into it, wouldn't he have smashed you up? Stop touching it. Get up and eat first, then hurry to find the master, or you'll get beaten again."

Seeing that Meng Chuan had awakened, Liu Ru reminded him as Luo Guanyun had instructed.

Meng Chuan saw Liu Ru beside him, pushed himself up, and asked:

"Instructor Liu, is the master always like this? A zero-frame opening, without even a moment to prepare?"

"I only recently became an instructor myself, so I'm not too sure. But from what I've seen these past few days, you're the only one in the entire martial arts hall who dares to talk back to him."

"..."

"But that may not be a bad thing. The master is one of Yong'an City's most renowned experts. He saw your courage today. Being remembered by someone like him is a skill in itself."

Liu Ru covered her mouth and chuckled.

Meng Chuan shook his head gloomily and got up to eat. Martial arts training consumed a great deal of physical strength. How could he manage without filling his stomach?

After dinner, Meng Chuan asked Le Ping for directions.

"Not bad, Little Meng. You performed Child's Fist so well—your future looks bright! You've got guts. You're the first person in our martial arts hall who's dared to defy the master."

"It's over there. Just walk straight to the end. The five o'clock appointment the master gave you is already due. You don't need to knock; just go in."

Le Ping pointed him in the right direction with undisguised schadenfreude.

Inside the training room, Luo Guanyun was still dressed in that purple-black training outfit. His bulging muscles stretched it taut as he sat cross-legged and barefoot on the floor, sipping tea.

The sight of a muscular brute enjoying tea was somewhat out of place.

"You're here? Sit here."

Following the master's gesture, Meng Chuan sat cross-legged opposite him.

Luo Guanyun said nothing, merely lowering his head to sip his tea.

When the master remained silent, Meng Chuan hurriedly said:

"Master, let's begin. Every second is money. Let's not waste any."

"Pfft."

Luo Guanyun nearly sprayed out a mouthful of tea.

"I gave you an extra hour today, kid. When you're with a martial artist, don't you have any reverence?"

Luo Guanyun asked curiously. Meng Chuan was the boldest student he had ever taught. There had never been any fear in his eyes, and Luo Guanyun greatly admired that.

A martial artist should be like this—unafraid of drifting clouds, bravely scaling lofty peaks.

"Master Luo, you are indeed very strong. Although I haven't even crossed the First Blood Qi Threshold, and the gap between us is like heaven and earth, I only admire you. I don't fear you."

There was respect in Meng Chuan's eyes, but no fear. Sitting upright, he met the other man's gaze directly.

Luo Guanyun's aura gradually rose, and the room slowly became hot and humid. Signs of mist gathering appeared again.

Meng Chuan remained completely fearless and continued to stare him down. The atmosphere in the room became strange and turbulent.

Beads of sweat the size of beans streamed down his forehead. Even drenched from head to toe, Meng Chuan still forced himself to hold up and meet Luo Guanyun's eyes.

Luo Guanyun's gaze gradually shifted from sharp to amused. Seeing that Meng Chuan was struggling to hold on, he immediately withdrew his aura.

"You're no ordinary kid."

"Lots of people think they've got guts because they dare to kill, or because they've killed before. But when faced with an expert stronger than themselves, they're like mice seeing a cat. They only dare to tuck their tails and run away in disgrace."

"I think only someone like you truly has guts. You're a born martial artist.

"Meng Chuan, right? I'll remember you. You're a solid kid, not bad at all!"

Hearing the praise, Meng Chuan smiled shyly and scratched his head in embarrassment. The taut string in his heart finally snapped.

Having lived two lives, Meng Chuan had always been especially steady in both words and conduct. But this was the first time he had been praised by a Martial Arts Grandmaster, and he could not help feeling a little buoyant.

"We're both men. If you want to smile, smile openly. Don't be embarrassed!"

"By the way, how's your aptitude?"

Luo Guanyun had always wanted to find a disciple to inherit his Thunder Arts legacy, but unfortunately, he had never found anyone suitable.

"Below average."

"Not quite good enough. Never mind, let's start the lesson. Don't say I'm not generous. Time starts counting now, including the hour I gave you."

"Thank you, Master."

Meng Chuan felt that although Luo Guanyun spoke like an asshole and had even hit him, he was actually quite a good person.

"I heard from Liu Ru that you only recently learned the Three Powers Stance and haven't even gotten started. Then you can't practice Cannon Fist yet. Today, I'll mainly teach you stance work and try to get you started as soon as possible."

"If you have any questions during the lesson, ask them immediately. Don't pretend to understand when you don't."

Inside Luo Guanyun's private training room.

Two hours passed, and Meng Chuan benefited greatly. Luo Guanyun truly deserved to be called a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Though he spoke in Xilu Dialect, he could explain complicated and profound stance work in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Listening to a little dialect was no big deal.

But Luo Guanyun was close to breaking down. During the lesson, he had repeatedly wanted to beat Meng Chuan up. Meng Chuan kept interrupting to ask about this aspect of the National Obligatory Basic Fist Art and that aspect of it. He had already explained it, yet the kid was still so stubborn. What a damn little brat!

It was already seven in the evening when he left the training room. Remembering his uncle's warning that it had not been safe outside lately, he hurried to the cafeteria, finished dinner, and rushed home.

At dusk, the evening glow accompanied the setting sun along the way.

The weather had grown somewhat colder, and Meng Chuan's Blood Qi had yet to cross the First Blood Qi Threshold.

As the autumn wind blew against him, Meng Chuan felt threads of chill and could not help tightening his collar.

And that autumn wind also blew over the corpse lying in the street.

When he reached the platform at Greenland Square Station to wait for the train,

Meng Chuan noticed an open area several dozen meters ahead on the left, cordoned off with police tape.

Several fully armed police officers stood around it, dressed in the same uniforms as his uncle. The tall, sturdy officer leading them appeared to be an official. His vicious-looking face was intimidating.

Meng Chuan had possessed excellent eyesight since childhood. Through the gaps between the officers and the police tape,

he vaguely saw that the corpse stuck to the ground was also wearing a blue-and-white uniform.

"No way... Don't tell me it's..."

Meng Chuan's heart pounded, and a sense of foreboding rose within him.

From its vaguely visible build, that person looked somewhat like...

In a panic, he pulled out his phone and called his uncle. The thing he feared most had happened.

Meng Chuan called several times, but no one answered.

Why couldn't he get through? Meng Chuan's heart lurched, and he hurriedly tried to get closer to look at the corpse.

He stepped off the platform and approached the police tape by a few meters. The officers nearby immediately moved toward him warily.

"Stop looking! Go home now. You're so young, yet you're this curious all day. Why are you sticking your nose into this?"

The leader, a tall, sturdy officer with a gleaming bald head who held his cap in one hand, walked up to Meng Chuan and drove him away.

With no other choice, Meng Chuan waited for the train while continuing to call.

After he left, the bald officer put on his cap, returned to the police tape, and crouched down.

One hand supported his chin as he frowned deeply at the horrific corpse before him.

The uniform and flesh had twisted together, stuck tightly to the ground as if a semi-truck had run it over.

"Little Li, come over and tell me. Give me your assessment of the scene."

Hearing the burly man testing him, the young officer beside him hurried forward.

Although he had handled cases of death and injury both large and small since joining the bureau as a criminal investigator, this was the first time he had encountered such a gruesome corpse.

Little Li frowned, analyzed the situation in his mind, and gave his assessment:

"Chief Long, I'll first determine the victim's identity. Judging by the clothing, the deceased... was one of our colleagues. Because the body is severely damaged, neither the face nor the clothing can identify exactly who it was. The police branch also cannot be confirmed."

"As for the cause of death, my knowledge is limited, but I infer two possibilities. Based on the scene, the first is death caused by crushing with a heavy instrument. The body was flattened, and there are spray-like bloodstains near the ears, nose, and mouth, as though they were left by a sudden and violent impact."

"The second possibility, which I believe is highly likely, is that it was the work of a Heavenly Demon. A solid-type Heavenly Demon possesses immense strength, is extremely cruel in temperament and methods, and enjoys torturing its victims to death. The conditions at this scene all fit.

"It doesn't seem to have been done by a human martial artist. Personally, I believe that even someone of the demonic path would not use such brutal methods."