Paying Respects to the Master's Wife

On one hand, it was because the sincerity of Principal Zong had moved him—not just the words spoken today, but everything the man had done for him previously.

From constantly advising him when he mistakenly thought he was hitting a dead end with the Guoyi Fist, to personally driving him to and from the Martial Arts Association, to paying for his bonuses out of his own pocket—all these things made him truly feel the principal's kindness toward him.

On the other hand, whether it was a professional high school Martial Arts School or the Martial University preparatory class, both utilized closed-off instruction, meaning students could not leave campus during the week.

He would only be able to return home on weekends and during holidays, which would hinder his ability to go find Master Luo to practice his fist techniques.

"Meng Chuan, I really didn't misjudge you, kid. Come, have some tea, drink up!"

After Meng Chuan clinked cups with Principal Zong, the old man and the young man shared a smile.

With everything settled, Meng Chuan stood up to bid him farewell and left.

February 6th, New Year's Eve.

Wearing the new red sweater his aunt had bought him, Meng Chuan finished his final set of Pao Fist and withdrew his energy to regulate his breathing.

The weather was freezing, and as he regulated his breath, the sweat all over his body turned into white mist, evaporating into the air.

[Pao Fist: Great Success (77%) → (78%) Awaiting Limit Break]

Looking at the proficiency increase on his panel, he felt very reassured; although the gain was small, it was rising steadily.

As he drew closer to perfection, the speed at which his Pao Fist improved was slowing down, taking a long time to gain even one percent of proficiency.

Meng Chuan took out his phone to check the time: 8:30 AM.

"Master should be up by now. I should give him a call to send my greetings."

"Beep, beep, beep."

The call connected.

"Happy New Year, Master."

"Happy New Year. Did you practice your fist this morning?"

Luo Guanyun was the same as ever, strict as always.

Meng Chuan was familiar with his master's temperament and had expected the question.

"I've been practicing for over two hours. I feel like I'm very close to perfection."

Hearing that Meng Chuan was progressing at such a rapid pace, Luo Guanyun was very pleased:

"Hahaha, good! Once you reach perfection, Master will teach you a new fist technique."

Afterward, Luo Guanyun gave Meng Chuan some pointers regarding the precautions needed to break through to the Nine Echoes in Pao Fist.

Finally, he added:

"Come over to my place for lunch today. Your mistress has cooked a table full of good food."

Meng Chuan was astonished:

"Mistress?"

He had always assumed his master was an old bachelor who had achieved his current martial arts success by focusing solely on training.

He never expected Master Luo to have a wife; he had been to Huayun Mansion so many times and had never seen a woman in the house.

However, he didn't ask any further questions; he would find out soon enough when he arrived.

"That's right. You didn't think your master was still a bachelor at this age, did you?"

Meng Chuan gave an awkward laugh:

"No, no. I'll head out in a bit."

After hanging up, Meng Chuan went downstairs to take a shower.

He was covered in sweat from his training, and since it was his first time meeting his mistress, he wanted to look clean and tidy to leave a good impression.

Huayun Mansion villa area.

Half an hour ago, Ren Ping, Luo Guanyun's wife, had returned.

Even on New Year's Eve, the graduating class at Northern United University did not have the day off; Luo Meng was still at school teaching students during the day and wouldn't be home until evening.

Ren Ping had spent time at Luo Meng's home thinking things over, and she finally decided to come back to check on that stubborn old man, Luo Guanyun.

Standing at the entryway, she had already steeled herself to face Luo Guanyun's sour face.

Don't get angry. Don't bicker with this stubborn old man.

To her surprise, the moment she opened the door and walked in, she saw that not only was Luo Guanyun not sulking, but he was actually smiling as he reached out to take the groceries she was carrying.

"Wife, you're back? What kind of food did you buy?"

Ren Ping looked at him suspiciously, wondering what kind of trick Luo Guanyun was up to.

"Old Luo, you seem to be in a good mood."

"What, did you hide a mistress in the house while I was at our daughter's place?"

Luo Guanyun placed the groceries in the kitchen before sitting on the sofa and saying indifferently:

"I've taken on a student."

Ren Ping expressed that she didn't believe him.

Luo Guanyun's standards were too high; he didn't care for things like superior bone structure or exceptional comprehension.

His requirements for taking a student were, at the very least, that they couldn't be too far behind his daughter Luo Meng in terms of aptitude.

Furthermore, since he was only taking a student to pass on the Thunder Method True Art, Ren Ping didn't believe he could find a student who was both exceptionally gifted and not afraid of the Thunder Method.

"I'll have him come over for dinner in a bit; you'll see for yourself once you meet him."

Only then did Ren Ping believe him slightly, though she began to tease him:

"Which Martial University did you run off to and kidnap a genius from?"

Luo Guanyun was furious:

"Where would I go to kidnap anyone? He was a student at the martial arts gym, and I saved his life before he apprenticed under me."

"Hmm, so it's repaying a debt of gratitude through coercion."

After tidying himself up, Meng Chuan took the tram to Huayun Mansion.

After he knocked, the door was opened by a middle-aged woman with short hair, and he thought to himself that this must be the teacher's wife he had yet to meet.

"Hello, Teacher's wife."

Ren Ping took one look and felt that Meng Chuan was quite decent.

Ever since his last marrow cleansing, Meng Chuan's skin had become increasingly fair.

Paired with his neat short hair and the well-proportioned muscles he had built from years of practicing punches, he looked very stylish in his clothes.

At first glance, he was a handsome young man who could easily win people over.

"You must be little Meng, right? Hello, come on in."

While Meng Chuan was still on his way, Luo Guanyun had already told her the basic information about him.

"Go sit on the sofa and chat with your teacher first; dinner will be ready soon."

Meng Chuan was very polite:

"Thank you for your hard work, Teacher's wife."

At the dinner table, Luo Guanyun was in a good mood and specifically opened a bottle of expensive red wine.

"Wife, let's drink this. Chuan'er, you can't drink alcohol yet, so just have some juice."

Ren Ping took the red wine and poured it for old Luo and herself, then spoke up:

"Old Luo, you're really something. You took on a student without even telling me, leaving me completely unprepared."

Meng Chuan wondered if the teacher's wife worked out of town and only came home every so often.

"Little Meng, we also have a daughter, who is your senior sister. She is currently a teacher at Northern United University. If you have any questions, you can ask her for advice."

"Teacher Luo actually has a daughter?"

Meng Chuan couldn't see any trace of her in this house.

"Alright, Tea..."

Just as Meng Chuan was about to speak, Luo Guanyun slammed his glass onto the table with a loud bang.

"Ren Ping, I'm happy today, so let's not talk about certain things."

"Fine, fine, fine, I won't say anything. Come on, let's toast."

Meng Chuan raised his glass, harboring some guesses in his heart.

It seems Teacher Luo's relationship with his daughter isn't very good; he had never heard his teacher mention her before.

Ever since the teacher's wife mentioned their daughter, the atmosphere at the dinner table had become a bit off. Teacher Luo still appeared to be smiling on the surface, but it felt like he was hiding something.

After dinner, Meng Chuan volunteered to wash the dishes.

Luo Guanyun and Ren Ping hadn't seen each other for a while, so they sat on the sofa chatting.

Ren Ping placed her hand on Luo Guanyun's chest and rubbed it gently, a cyan-green true qi flickering and appearing in her palm.

Ren Ping was a rare medical Martial Artist, and the true-level martial art she studied was called the [Qingming Medicine Pouch Scripture]. The pale green true qi she channeled could not only heal external injuries but also allow her to check a Martial Practitioner's internal condition upon contact.

After a dozen breaths, the true qi in Ren Ping's palm dissipated. She withdrew her hand, her expression complex:

"The color of the Thunder Seed inside your body has deepened. It was navy blue before, but now it has started to turn black."