"Your destination, Yao Capital Station, has been reached. Please prepare to disembark!"
Wu Heng heard the navigation prompts coming from his Bluetooth headset and knew he had arrived at his destination.
He stepped out of the car, stretched the open corner of his black jacket, and then rubbed his face to soften his taut skin.
He turned around and took a look at the situation on Yao Capital Street.
This area is considered a suburban area of Beiquan City.
The streets are lined with shady trees, and the buildings on both sides have different styles, some ancient and elegant, others modern and fashionable. There are not many pedestrians, so it is quiet and comfortable.
Wu Heng checked the address displayed on his phone's navigation: No. 93 Yao Capital Street, and arrived after walking 350 meters north.
He was using Kou Kun's black brick phone at the moment.
"I have arrived!"
Wu Heng opened his phone and sent a message.
As for the dozen or so messages Cai Xueli sent last night about her fourth junior brother Zhao Xu, and the messages advising him to control his temper and not provoke the old man of the martial arts school when he met him.
Wu Heng simply chose to ignore it.
Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, Wu Heng's phone It Comes a call request.
"Second Senior Brother, I'm at the door, but I don't see you. Where are you?" A clear, yet slightly anxious, voice called out.
"A few hundred meters left."
As Wu Heng walked, he replied with a single sentence before quickly hanging up the phone, as if he were naturally averse to talking.
In just 300 meters, Wu Heng, with his tall stature and strides 1.5 times wider than others,
He walked with an air of nonchalance, easily overtaking other passersby and arriving at the martial arts gym entrance in just four minutes.
Unlike other shops with storefronts facing the street, this martial arts school has a wide open space in front of its main gate, paved with bluestone slabs that make a crisp sound when you step on them.
The martial arts school has a modern exterior that is also full of traditional charm.
The antique-style roof and walls are sandwiched between glass and tiles, and the spacious and solemn all-wood gate is carved with a pattern of dragons and tigers fighting.
Standing at the door was a pretty girl wearing a light blue long shirt and black cargo pants.
Her black hair was tied in a single ponytail, giving her a healing and comforting look.
It was Cai Xueli who had been looking around.
The moment Cai Xueli saw Wu Heng, she quickly ran from the doorway to the side of the street, and hesitated and stopped three steps away from Wu Heng.
The hand that had instinctively reached out to grab Wu Heng's arm twitched slightly before stopping on the outside of his thigh, the palm clenching slightly.
She didn't understand exactly when it started.
When she was little, I would take her shopping and buy her snacks every day. My favorite playmate, Pigsy, has completely changed.
Anxiety and anger became synonymous with Kou Kun.
He attacked his master, attacked his fellow disciples, and even injured her.
She didn't understand why all of this was happening!
Ultimately, those beautiful memories could only be buried in my heart. Now, with a mixture of trepidation and joy, I say:
"Second Senior Brother, you 'It Comes!"
"I told Dad last night that you were coming, and he scolded me angrily, saying he didn't want to see you at all."
"But this morning, he wore that silver-black training shirt he bought ten years ago, which he had always been reluctant to wear. After practicing his punches, he sat in his room and kept drinking tea."
Cai Xueli chuckled softly as she spoke, then raised her delicate face and discreetly observed Wu Heng's expression.
It seemed they wanted to discern Wu Heng's thoughts.
Wu Heng nodded and gave a soft "hmm." He could sense the fear Cai Xueli felt towards him.
However, this feeling was very weak and seemed likely to disappear at any moment.
In order to solidify this second identity, Wu Heng abandoned his idea of intimidating the other party and training Cai Xueli to become a person with deep phobias.
Seeing that Wu Heng's expression had softened slightly, Cai Xueli hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Second Senior Brother, now that you're no longer fighting over that thing, can't you have a proper talk with Father?"
Wu Heng nodded calmly, seemingly taking Cai Xueli's words to heart.
Upon seeing this, Cai Xueli instantly broke into a bright smile, then stepped forward and took Wu Heng's forearm with her fair hand, "Then let's go in quickly. Father has actually been waiting inside for a long time, but he just can't bring himself to do it."
Her seemingly natural pulling motion,
In Wu Heng's view, it was like a puppy that had been beaten, cautiously approaching and rubbing against its owner, testing whether it had been forgiven and whether it might be beaten again.
When Cai Xueli grabbed Wu Heng's forearm, her whole body stiffened for a moment.
But she used to hold onto her second senior brother like this, just like she would hold onto her own brother.
She seemed to be trying to restore everything to its previous state in this way.
Unfortunately, she's not the only one who longs for this; how many people yearn for the family and friendships of the past?
When you finally meet someone you've been longing for again after many years, you realize that everything has changed, and that person from your memories has long since died in your memories.
That's too naive.
Wu Heng did not resist and followed them through the wooden door.
What comes into view is a spacious training ground, with soft carpets on the ground and various cold weapons placed in the corners of the walls.
The residential area is located behind the training ground, and its layout is somewhat similar to a traditional courtyard house.
The house is divided into nine rooms, with the ancestral tablets enshrined in the very center.
The main house on the north side is in a rustic, tea-colored wooden style.
Inside the room,
A mahogany tea table is placed against the wall, with two armchairs on either side. Above the table, on the wall behind it, hangs a plaque that reads " Red Pine Fist Orthodoxy ), with the seal in the lower right corner bearing the signature " Cai Baosheng ".
On the armchair to the right of the table,
Sitting there was a thin-faced old man, about 1.6 meters tall, with sparse, parted hair, wearing a silver-black training shirt.
The tea pets on the table had been completely discolored by the tea.
He got up at 5 a. m. and started drinking tea here. He drank for two whole hours. The old man, who had already had his fill, heard the noise in the courtyard, quickly straightened his clothes, and poured himself another cup of tea.
Then he sat up straight, held the teacup, and took a gentle sip, seemingly expressing his composure and calmness.
The wooden door creaked open.
"Dad, look It Comes!" Cai Xueli grabbed Wu Heng's arm and led him into the house.
The old man didn't say anything, but slowly drank the tea he brought to his lips, then placed it on the table. The moment he put it down, he suddenly exerted force, gently touching the teacup on the table with a 'clang'.
"Hmph, at least you know how to come back!"
The old man squinted and glared at Wu Heng angrily.
"Daddy~!" Cai Xueli drawled out, acting coquettishly, while her slender hand gripped Wu Heng's sleeve even tighter, as if afraid he would turn around and leave immediately.
"Second Senior Brother just got back; you've been waiting for him the whole time."
Seeing that his actions had been exposed by his children, the old man's eyes flickered, but he still maintained an angry expression, glaring intently at Wu Heng and saying:
"If you can pull back from the brink and return the items, there's still hope for you. But how do you explain injuring Lili?"
"I, Cai Baosheng, have taught you for thirty years, and all I've taught you is how to hurt your own family members?"
Wu Heng knew that the old man was referring to the dart that Kou Kun had shot at Cai Xueli's thigh.
"Given the circumstances, I acted with restraint. As I said before, my junior sister can repay me tenfold. I'll have her stab my leg ten times in a moment, how about that?"
Wu Heng said, based on Kou Kun's chat history.
" Lili wouldn't do that to her own family. We'll talk about it later, let's not bring it up now." Old man Cai Baosheng seemed satisfied with Wu Heng's answer.
Then he looked at Cai Xueli and said, " Lili, you go out first. A-Kun and I have something to talk about."
Cai Xueli ignored her completely, standing motionless like a wooden statue, pretending not to hear.
"Listen to Master, you go out first. There are some questions I'd like to ask you too," Wu Heng said, turning his head.
"Then promise me you won't do what happened last time, where you started arguing and even started fighting as soon as I left!"
She shrank her swan-like neck, staring at the two men with a conflicted expression, until they both nodded, before turning around and walking out with a slight sense of relief.
After the door closed, Wu Heng locked it and returned. Cai Baosheng then spoke:
"I know you are proud and ambitious, unwilling to stop at the limits of human potential, and unwilling to accept your fate."
"But your senior brother went and never returned, but he It Comes us a spot on the ship. Your third junior brother, who reached the limits of human potential before you, also went and never returned, but he It Comes us enhanced Blood-Boiling Worm."
"My health can only last another year at most, after which the lesions will flare up."
"This time, I'll go, and with the savings of the three of us, we can exchange them for exemptions from conscription. Then, you, Zhao Xu, and Lili can stick together, increasing our chances of survival."
"Tell me, why are you arguing with me about something so suicidal?"
Wu Heng finally understood after hearing this.
This old man somehow learned about the Land of Absurdity and the real-world calamities. You should know that even among the people of Dark Snow Company, probably only Wu Zhan, a high-ranking member, knew about it.
And yet, he was just an old man practicing martial arts, but he knew this secret.
Seeing this, it's clear that Kou Kun himself was also informed, which is why he became irritable and resentful.
After all, no one can remain calm in the face of a cataclysmic disaster.
"The essence of competition is winning. Giving up means admitting defeat. You can't place your hopes on others; you can only rely on yourself."
Wu Heng, however, did not agree with this statement, and instead said calmly,
"To fight is to risk death, to not fight is to certain death. All I ever wanted was to live a peaceful life!"
When the old man Cai Baosheng heard this, his face turned red, and he even trembled slightly with anger.
"To live peacefully?"
Who doesn't want to live a peaceful life!
His eyes instantly reddened, and he became agitated. " A-Kun, what you're saying, I've already risked my life to try."
You have no idea how difficult and arduous it is!
"For fifty-eight years, I have practiced boxing diligently every day, stealing secrets from the heavens and fighting to the death. I have endured countless life-and-death trials without ever slacking off. But in the end, I am no match for swallowing a disgusting worm, and no match for someone else's instantaneous mutation."
"Do you think we joined those people to be treated as honored guests?"
"Let me tell you, if you go to be a dog, a scout dog, you won't even get a second glance from those people. A lackey will always be a lackey!"
"Now that I'm old, I only hope to use the rest of my time to ensure that you all live well, survive, and don't lose your lives."
Cai Baosheng seemed to realize that he was being too emotional.
With a helpless sigh, he picked up the sizzling silver kettle that was boiling on the stove and poured the tea into two teacups.
"Have a seat, I'm not waiting for you to treat me. Come on, have a drink."
He took out two teacups, filled them, and took a big gulp.
He inhaled the boiling water, which was nearly 100 degrees Celsius and steaming hot, seemingly unfazed by the heat.
Then he looked at Wu Heng, as if to say, 'See? You're no good, kid. You'd better relax.'
He wouldn't have dared to do this if he hadn't already used the Blood-Boiling Worm, which could slightly repair his physical injuries.
Wu Heng, however, noticed that
Cai Baosheng's tongue was moving rapidly in his mouth, constantly stirring the water, before he swallowed it after ten seconds.
Seeing Wu Heng staring blankly at him, not daring to drink, the old man took another sip as a show of defiance.
Wu Heng even noticed a slight moisture in the old man's eyes, and said speechlessly:
"It's too hot. If it's too hot, don't drink it."
Then he picked up the teacup in front of him and drank it all in one gulp. After that, he picked up the creaking silver teapot, tilted his head back and poured three large mouthfuls into his mouth, but his expression remained unchanged.
He burped, exhaling a burst of hot steam, which seemed to quench his thirst.
Then he looked down at Cai Baosheng.
The old man was completely dumbfounded, and the porcelain bowl in his hand clattered to the ground.
"You... you succeeded?!" he asked, his voice trembling.
Then, as if remembering something, he said urgently, "Then I should go even more. There are still half a month left before your third junior brother's death."
"You're going to your death, I'm joining the organization to become stronger, we're different." Wu Heng said bluntly, "If you want to fill a spot, fine, I'll definitely go anyway."
Wu Heng came here to inherit this identity.
It was all so I could join a psychic organization.
When the time comes, I'll walk in the real world as Kou Kun. Even if I'm exposed someday, I can just make that identity disappear.
Being a first- or second-order being is enough to solve all sorts of real-world problems.
He didn't want to be constrained by reality, like a rat on the ground.
They didn't want to reveal their identity, like a dog on a leash.
"Alright, let me test your strength first." Cai Baosheng rolled up his loose sleeves, revealing his withered and thin arms with muscles as knotted as steel bars.
These muscles do not bulge, but are extremely hard and have a very high density.
"Please!"
Wu Heng didn't say anything, but stood up directly.
Wearing a training shirt, Cai Baosheng, whose body was as thin as a monkey, locked his eyes on Wu Heng like a hawk. With a change in his breathing, he twisted his waist and took a step forward.
The fist traced a perfect arc in the air, accompanied by a whistling sound, and struck Wu Heng's chest.
Thump!
It sounded like a dull thud as it struck a large, leather-covered tree trunk.
Wu Heng remained calmly standing in place, neither dodging nor retaliating.
Cai Baosheng's force, enough to kill a bull, struck him, but apart from the sound of the impact, Wu Heng showed no reaction; his body remained completely still.
"Powerful! Really powerful! Is this what a psionicist, a physical type, is like?" Cai Baosheng asked incredulously.
"Probably!" The strength Wu Heng revealed at this moment was only his physical abilities as Cursed Disciple; he didn't show anything else.
With a bang, the locked wooden door was kicked open by a slender, straight leg.
"Stop fighting!"
Hearing the sound of a teacup falling and a punch, Cai Xueli rushed over and shouted to stop them.
Then the sound immediately subsided, and they shrank their necks, because the two people inside the room were sitting on wooden chairs talking.