第五章 凌象山

Talking nonsense with eyes wide open, the idlers gathered around to watch could not help thinking this in their hearts.

How dare he? How could he dare speak like that to the master of the Zhicheng Martial Arts Academy, who is famous far and wide in Jinning Commandery?

Even if that young man was called a martial arts academy master, no one believed that a young man of such age could possess any formidable strength.

It was said that in some remote regions, one could become an academy master simply by mastering a graded martial art, and their strength was not necessarily much greater than that of a martial arts academy master.

Anyone with even a slight understanding clearly knew the vast gap between a martial arts hall and a martial arts academy.

Master Xu's gaze drifted back and forth on Chen Xu, his tense face relaxing slightly as he said with a smile, "Master Chen truly has a noble forgetfulness and a busy mind. Very well, let this item be my congratulatory gift to the newly appointed master of the Chen Martial Arts Academy.

Only, walking out at night, one inevitably encounters pebbles tripping the path, so I hope Master Chen will take extra care."

This was the location of the Jinning Commandery Martial Pavilion, and as a martial arts academy master, he did not dare cause trouble here.

"Then I won't trouble Master Xu to worry. Pebbles, after all, are just meant to be kicked away!" Chen Xu turned and walked into the VIP passageway, not looking back again.

The security guards stationed at the doorway were about to raise their hands when Chen Xu gave them a gentle push, sending them stumbling backward.

"Sir, please present your VIP identity card."

Chen Xu pulled a dust-covered card from his pocket and gently blew on it.

The lady sitting behind the counter furrowed her brows slightly, but out of professional ethics, she still reached out and took it.

"I'm sorry, sir, your card was discontinued two years ago. You need to convert it to a new card before you can continue using VIP privileges."

"How much does the card conversion cost?" Chen Xu did not want to waste time; he only wanted to get his hands on the portion of Refining Liquid that rightfully belonged to the Chen Martial Arts Academy as soon as possible.

"If we go through the proper process, it will take about a month."

"There's no time for that." A deep, resonant male voice came from inside the corridor, causing the echoes to hum loudly.

The woman sitting at the counter hurriedly stood up and said respectfully, "Vice Pavilion Master Ling."

Chen Xu looked toward the sound. The newcomer was at least two meters tall, a veritable little giant.

"For Master Chen to visit this place truly brings brilliance to the Martial Pavilion." Vice Pavilion Master Ling laughed heartily and cupped his hands slightly.

"Vice Pavilion Master Ling." Chen Xu returned the greeting. From this vice pavilion master, he felt a faint sense of oppression. As expected of the number two figure in a commandery's martial world, his strength could not be underestimated.

"At most three days, and I will personally send a brand-new VIP card to Master Chen's hands. I, Ling Xiangshan, love making friends with talented powerhouses above all else.

I wonder if Master Chen would be willing to come to my office for a chat?"

"Please lead the way."

Vice Pavilion Master Ling's office.

When Chen Xu saw the nameplate, along with the little secretary bowing to the two of them not far away, he felt that the overall style was somewhat discordant.

Ling Xiangshan poured tea for the two of them, sniffed the tea's aroma, and wore a rather intoxicated look in his eyes. "This is fine tea annually offered as tribute to the imperial court. Countless people wish to drink it yet never get the chance. If not for Master Chen, I wouldn't have brought it out to share."

Taking a small sip of tea, his gaze turned to Chen Xu, who was sitting on the sofa. "What brings Master Chen to the Martial Pavilion today?"

"Ever since the year before last, the Refining Liquid subsidies that my Chen Martial Arts Academy ought to receive have never arrived. I've come here today precisely to reclaim that portion of Refining Liquid that is rightfully mine." Chen Xu put down his teacup, his expression neither sorrowful nor joyful, yet carrying the heavy momentum of an approaching storm.

Refining Liquid concerned his future. If he wanted to step onto the fast lane of strength enhancement, auxiliary items like Refining Liquid were indispensable.

"There is such a thing?" Ling Xiangshan slammed his palm on the desk. "Secretary Wu!"

"Is something the matter, Lord Vice Pavilion Master?" A short-haired woman who looked rather sharp and capable jogged all the way, gently knocking on the door before entering only after receiving permission.

"Secretary Wu, this is Master Chen of the Chen Martial Arts Academy."

Secretary Wu hurriedly bowed and greeted Chen Xu.

"Since the year before last, the Chen Martial Arts Academy has not received a single bottle of Refining Liquid. Do you know about this?"

"Uh... This matter has always been managed by the logistics department; this subordinate is unaware." Secretary Wu lowered her gaze to sweep across Chen Xu's shoe soles. How could she possibly not know? Her husband's family also ran a martial arts academy, and they had conveniently swallowed up several allotments themselves.

Originally, since no one from the Chen Martial Arts Academy ever came to check, it didn't matter. Who could have expected them to suddenly come looking for trouble today? If they genuinely wanted to investigate, it would be impossible to cover up.

Of course, this was also because the Chen family hadn't come to pursue the matter for two years, making them increasingly careless.

"Vice Pavilion Master Ling, your little secretary's heartbeat is a bit fast. Did she conceal something?" Chen Xu had reinforced the Tiger Howl Fist to the fifth layer and the Bronze Body Technique to the first layer, which gave his hearing a significant boost.

How could Ling Xiangshan, whose strength was perhaps even a fraction stronger than Chen Xu's, fail to notice the abnormality of a secretary who had followed him for several years?

"Sigh, Secretary Wu, why bother?"

Ling Xiangshan's majesty had long since penetrated into the heart of everyone in the Martial Pavilion. Hearing him speak, Secretary Wu's legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the floor.

"Lord Vice Pavilion Master, I don't know. I really don't know anything."

Secretary Wu's expression was panicked; gone was her previous sharp and capable appearance.

At the level of a martial pavilion branch vice pavilion master, if he judged that a subordinate had committed an unforgivable crime, he was authorized to exercise execution rights. He was an existence holding the power of life and death over those beneath him—who in the Martial Pavilion dared not fear him!

"As for this matter, it can be as big as you make it, or as small as you make it. Am I right, Master Chen?" Ling Xiangshan's icy voice drilled into Secretary Wu's ears.

"It can be classified as stealing confidential items of the Great Abyss Martial Pavilion, or it can be a common theft charge. It all depends on how you choose to look at it, Secretary Wu."

This single sentence instantly crushed Secretary Wu's last line of psychological defense. When all was said and done, she was merely an ordinary person.

To be able to hold out for so long under the imposing pressure of two martial arts academy masters—though partly because the two had not exerted their full strength—her own psychological resilience already surpassed that of quite a few ordinary people.

"When the Chen Martial Arts Academy declined and rarely came to the Martial Pavilion to collect the Refining Liquid, a few of us academies harbored some improper thoughts..."

After uttering the first sentence, Secretary Wu abandoned all caution and poured everything out like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, naturally omitting her own misdeeds as much as possible to try and clear her name.

"The Iron Stele Martial Hall, the Blood Blade Martial Hall, the Clearwind Martial Hall, and the Zhicheng Martial Arts Academy." Chen Xu's gaze grew deep and profound. The Refining Liquid that should have belonged to the Chen Martial Arts Academy had been carved up by those four. It seemed he would have to make a trip over to each of them.

Right, aside from the Refining Liquid, it wouldn't be too much for him, Chen Xu, to take a bit of travel expenses and mental anguish compensation, would it?

If not for them, his predecessor might have mastered the Tiger Howl Fist long ago. The cause of his predecessor's death could entirely be pinned on them; his predecessor's losses were his losses, and Chen Xu declared that he would definitely seek justice for his predecessor!

"Lord Vice Pavilion Master, I've followed you for so many years—don't you know me? They forced me into it, otherwise I would never have dared to do such a thing. You must believe me!" Secretary Wu wept bitterly, kneeling to the side to beg for forgiveness.

Ling Xiangshan's face was warm, yet the depths of his eyes were ice-cold. "I believe you, Secretary Wu."

Just as Secretary Wu raised her head in joy, she heard the next sentence: "Men, drag Secretary Wu down into the Martial Pavilion's heavenly prison!"