Disciple of an Old Friend

The noisy grunts and shouts gradually faded behind them.

The inner courtyard was much quieter, with several locust trees planted there and a set of stone table and chairs beneath their shade.

"Father! Stop drinking tea already!"

Before Tie Ling'er even entered the courtyard, her crisp voice carried inside. "There's a guest! She says she's the disciple of one of your old friends!"

Beside the stone table, a man holding a purple clay teapot turned around.

Su Yueli looked him over. This was Tie Tu, the friend her master had called one who had shared life and death with him.

He looked just past sixty, broad and powerfully built, his thick arms stretching his loose short shirt taut.

Though gray had appeared at his temples, he sat there like an iron tower, his blood and qi as steady and deep as an abyss.

Fifth Realm, Martial Awakening.

This was Su Yueli's first time seeing a living Fifth Realm martial artist. The oppressive force of his blood and qi was far heavier than that of a Third Realm martial artist like her.

Tie Tu set down the teapot. His gaze fell on Su Yueli, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"An old friend's disciple?"

He looked her up and down. Though she was plainly dressed, the young woman before him possessed a cold, peerless beauty. Yet he simply could not recall which old companion of his could have taught such a bright and lovely disciple.

"Miss, who is your master?" Tie Tu rose to his feet, his voice booming.

Su Yueli stepped forward and cupped her fists. "My master was Lu Chen. This junior is Su Yueli. Greetings, Senior Tie."

The moment he heard the name Lu Chen, Tie Tu's body jolted.

"Lu Chen?!"

Light flared in his once-puzzled dark eyes. He gripped the edge of the stone table excitedly. "You're that stubborn mule's disciple?! Good, good, good! No wonder you looked so pleasing to the eye!"

Tie Tu peered behind Su Yueli, his eyes full of anticipation. "Where is he? Why didn't he come with you? Did he think he had no face to see me after leaving without a word all those years ago, so he's hiding outside and doesn't dare come in?"

"Go call him in! Tonight, I'm going to drink that bastard under the table!"

Seeing Tie Tu's excitement, Su Yueli fell silent.

Her cold eyes lowered slightly, concealing the sadness within them.

"Master... didn't come."

Su Yueli's voice was soft. "Master passed away five years ago."

As her words fell, the air in the inner courtyard seemed to freeze solid.

The hearty smile on Tie Tu's face stiffened. His bell-sized eyes stared at Su Yueli, as if he wanted to find even the slightest trace of a joke on her face.

But Su Yueli's expression remained calm, touched only by a hint of sorrow.

"Dead?"

Tie Tu muttered to himself, and the hand gripping the edge of the stone table suddenly tightened.

With a crack, he crushed a corner of the tabletop in his bare hand.

"Bullshit! That old bastard's life was tougher than iron! Back then, he was hacked more than a dozen times in a pile of corpses and still didn't die. How could he just be gone like that?!"

The big man's eyes reddened instantly. Gnashing his teeth, he cursed, "That bastard... when he left Qing Province back then, he didn't even say goodbye! And now he's dead—dead without even coming to see me once! What did he take me, Tie Tu, for?!"

As he cursed, Tie Tu's voice gradually lowered, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Tie Ling'er stood to the side, too frightened to speak. She had rarely seen her father lose his temper so badly.

Su Yueli understood that feeling. When Shen Qing'an died, she had been the same—her heart full of rage with nowhere to vent it, until it could only turn into helpless grief.

The years were too long, and old friends too few.

After a long while, Tie Tu released his grip and let the crushed stone powder drift down from his palm.

His once-straight back now seemed a little more bent, and he had visibly aged before their eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Tie Tu forced out a smile. "Since you're Old Lu's disciple, what realm is your Martial Dao cultivation at now?"

"Third Blood-Exchange Realm," Su Yueli answered truthfully.

"Third Realm?!"

Tie Tu's eyes widened. Only then did he carefully sense Su Yueli's aura, his eyes brimming with shock.

She looked no more than seventeen or eighteen, yet she had already reached the Third Blood-Exchange Realm!

Such talent was simply unheard of in the entire Martial Dao world.

After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Do you know any fist techniques?"

"Mhm. Master taught me a set of fist techniques."

Su Yueli nodded, took half a step back, and assumed a stance. "It has no name and consists of five forms."

Then she stirred her blood and qi and threw out her right fist.

First Form, Mountain Splitter!

Bang—!

A muffled sonic boom exploded through the small courtyard, and the force of her punch instantly swept more than a dozen green leaves from the locust tree.

Pure violence, carrying not the slightest trace of defense—only absolute killing intent.

Watching that all-too-familiar opening stance, Tie Tu's eyes moistened again.

"He even passed his self-created fist technique on to you... You truly are Old Lu's disciple!"

Tie Tu let out a long breath and stepped forward to pat Su Yueli on the shoulder. "Girl, since you're here, treat this place as your home from now on! Live well and train hard!"

"In this little patch of Azure Province City, with your Uncle Tie looking after you, you'll be fine!"

With that, Tie Tu waved his hand and turned to his daughter. "Ling'er, take your Sister Yueli to get settled. Pick her a good room."

Before Su Yueli could thank him, Tie Tu turned away and walked deeper into the inner hall, his steps somewhat unsteady.

His back carried an indescribable loneliness and sorrow.

Su Yueli watched the direction in which Tie Tu had left, silent.

In a world where lives were as cheap as grass, having an old friend whose eyes reddened over your death—perhaps Master's life had not been such a loss after all.

"Sister Yueli, come with me."

Tie Ling'er tugged at Su Yueli's sleeve and led her toward the side rooms in the rear courtyard.

As they walked along the stone path, Tie Ling'er tilted her head and looked at Su Yueli with eyes full of admiration. "Sister Yueli, you're amazing! You look about my age, but you're already a Third Realm martial artist!"

"Those disciples in the front courtyard have trained for ten or twenty years, and most of them haven't even touched the First Realm."

Tie Ling'er stuck out her tongue, looking a little embarrassed. "I wanted to train in martial arts too, but I was too afraid of pain. I cried just from holding a stance and couldn't learn anything. Later, Father felt sorry for me and never forced me to train again."

Su Yueli was somewhat surprised. Ten or twenty years? She had thought they were martial apprentices who had only arrived a year or two ago.

By that measure, reaching the Third Realm in twenty-five years made her a genius?

Master seemed to have mentioned before that she was talented. If she had not spent so many years solely practicing fist techniques, throwing herself heart and soul into martial cultivation, she would probably be at the Fourth Realm by now.

At that thought, she turned to glance at the carefree young girl.

In her mind arose the dull, repetitive days of throwing punches on Blackwind Ridge over the past twenty-five years.

She could not help but smile. "Not being able to learn is a blessing."

"What martial artists truly cultivate is not martial arts, but their lives. You have someone protecting you. Living steadily as an ordinary person is better than practicing martial arts."

In this world, those who risked their lives in pursuit of power were, more often than not, unfortunate people driven into a corner by the times, with no road left to retreat upon.

She had done so for the sake of avenging her parents, and later for Shen Qing'an, and in the end, even for Master...

Su Yueli shook her head, forcing herself not to think about it.

Before long, the two arrived at a quiet small courtyard.

"We're here. This is the room."

Tie Ling'er pushed open the wooden door. "It's right next to my room. The servants clean it regularly."

Su Yueli stepped inside and took a look.

The room was not large, and its furnishings were simple, but it was very clean.

There was a wooden bed, a table and chairs, and several potted green plants by the window. The bedding was all brand new.

Compared to the cave on Blackwind Ridge, this was far better.

"Thank you." Su Yueli nodded, very satisfied with the room.

"You're too polite, Sister."

Tie Ling'er helped pour her a cup of tea and said with a grin, "Sister, get yourself settled in first. Later, I'll take you around Azure Province City so you can get familiar with it and have a look around!"