Purple Mist Dao Master
Chapter 75 - 72 Old Acquaintance? Old Friend? Cheng Fengxiao Returns Bloodied!

Chapter 75: Chapter 72 Old Acquaintance? Old Friend? Cheng Fengxiao Returns Bloodied!

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale!"

"The latest issue of ’Guangling Group Special Edition’! Within the Guangling Territory, both new and old masters are featured!"

"Ten wen a copy!"

...

On the street.

At the dock.

The newspaper boy keeps up with the latest trends, yelling almost entirely about the ’Martial Arts Competition’.

"Hey, newspaper boy, give me a copy."

At the dock, two women disembark from the passenger ship, one demure and one lively, one tall and one petite, both carrying treasure swords at their waists, obviously martial arts practitioners.

The demure woman calls over the newspaper boy to buy a copy of the ’Guangling Group Special Edition’ and casually flips through it.

"Senior Sister, a few months ago, Guangling Academy was ranked 309th, which is quite lowly."

"What kind of masters could there be in Guangling City?"

The lively woman speaks disdainfully of Guangling, yet curiously cranes her neck to read along.

Shen Mei laughs, "Since it’s on the way, we might as well have a look."

Han Yerou blinks and says mischievously, "Something doesn’t add up! I remember you are from the neighboring Liyang County, and in late October, ’Liyang Academy’ is also holding a ’Martial Arts Competition’. If you were going, it should be returning to Liyang, returning prosperous, a king’s return, so why are you in Guangling?"

She sniffs the scent of gossip, "There must be something strange here!"

Shen Mei, reading the newspaper, smiles and says, "You only know one part of the story. Indeed, I am from Liyang County, but I was sent to Guangling by my father when I was young. I practiced martial arts at my aunt’s in Guangling, later entered Guangling Academy, and luckily passed the research student exam for Tianpeng Academy three years later, moving to Mei State’s Tianpeng County."

"Ah?"

"Is that so?"

Han Yerou is taken aback, then her eyes light up, "So in Guangling Academy, you must have some old acquaintances?"

"Old acquaintances."

Shen Mei thinks of someone, nods, "Yes, there are."

Then she shakes her head, "But he shouldn’t be in Guangling Academy."

"How old is he?"

"Why isn’t he in the academy?"

Han Yerou doesn’t understand.

Shen Mei explains, "His master is stubborn, wouldn’t let him into the academy. And he foolishly loyal, stays with that master, guards the Martial Arts Hall, a real blockhead!"

"He?" Han Yerou finally catches the focus, "Hahaha! I was asking if you had any familiar classmates at Guangling Academy, but the only one you think of is someone who didn’t even get into the academy, a small-time old school thinker?"

Han Yerou clings to Shen Mei’s arm, her cute face sneers with some perversion, she laughs and says, "Who exactly is he? If he didn’t get into the academy then, he might have since. You haven’t returned in five years, anything’s possible."

"He—"

"It’s uncertain."

Shen Mei is also uncertain.

Han Yerou adds, "Really, if he hasn’t gotten into an academy these five years, he’s wasted his time. He’s also into martial arts? Hiss! That’s no good!"

As a martial arts practitioner, what future is there without entering an academy?

Though young, Han Yerou has seen and heard too much of stubborn, old-fashioned people sticking to ancient rules, guarding their own little turf, abandoned by the times, gradually fading away.

As she speaks.

Shen Mei doesn’t respond.

Han Yerou quickly looks up and sees Shen Mei’s face frozen, staring at a line in the newspaper again. Following Shen Mei’s jade finger, she sees it’s describing a young man named ’Yan Chuan’—

"Yan Chuan, twenty-six years old, is the master of Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall in Guangling City. He is a disciple of ’Cheng Family Boxing’, trained under ’Iron Bridge Cheng’ Cheng Fengxiao, one of the ’Guangling Ten Tigers’. Now, he is the leader of the ’Guangling Ten Tigers’, known as ’Stone to Gold’."

Hmm?

Yan Chuan?

Martial Arts Hall master?!

Han Yerou shakes Shen Mei, "Is this Senior Sister’s old friend?"

"It’s him."

Shen Mei’s mind is elsewhere, she doesn’t catch the difference between ’old friend’ and ’old lover’. She brightly wraps up the newspaper and smiles, "Let’s go to the inn."

"Right right right!"

"We should go!"

"If we don’t leave, those pesky flies will definitely swarm again."

Han Yerou looks back, sneaky, grabbing Shen Mei to run, asking while running, "Are we going to find an inn? Your old flame runs a martial arts hall? Martial Arts Hall master? The hall must have many rooms, right?"

"No rush."

"Not looking for him."

Shen Mei smiles, brushing off the suggestion.

...

"Yan Chuan, twenty-six years old, is the master of Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall in Guangling City, a disciple of ’Cheng Family Boxing’, trained under ’Iron Bridge Cheng’ Cheng Fengxiao, one of the ’Guangling Ten Tigers’. Now the leader of the ’Guangling Ten Tigers’, known as ’Stone to Gold’. Earlier this month, he guided his disciples to defeat a third-level research student from Guangling Academy with weak overpowering strong, shaking Guangling."

"Yan Chuan is chivalrous and righteous."

"In September, he successively killed the ’Three States Criminal’ Fan Defang, ’Guangling Poison Master’ Qin Fen, and ’Black Wind Thief’ Wang Fei, all evil villains, with excellent spear technique."

"’Cheng Family Boxing’..."

...

On the same day.

At Iron Wire Martial Arts Hall, Wei Quan gathers many newspapers he collected outside, selectively picks out the information about Yan Chuan, and reads them to Yan Chuan.

"Master!"

"Your name has really shaken Guangling City now! Look! Look! So many newspapers, all mentioning ’Iron Wire Yan Chuan’, this one even calls you ’Stone to Gold’. Haha! So fitting, isn’t it? I’m like a worthless stone; now I can be considered a piece of gold."

Wei Quan praises Yan Chuan while not forgetting to brag about himself.

Unfortunately, among the tabloids mentioning Yan Chuan, some also mention the Advanced Study Hall’s Che Qi and Yu Jinpeng, but none mention him.

"Clearly, I was the first one to make an appearance!"

Wei Quan searches through them, getting annoyed.

"Junior Brother Wei, stop being silly," Jin Yutang says helplessly, "At least you faced someone; I was unfortunate, stuck at the martial hall, couldn’t even watch the excitement."

Jin Yutang actually is a bit envious.

Originally, Yu Jinpeng wasn’t as good as him; early July, he had already mastered ’Gongzi Fuhu Fist’, and Yu Jinpeng had just begun ’Tiger Form Boxing’ under Yan Chuan’s guidance.

But now, July, August, September, October, nearly four months have passed, and Yu Jinpeng has surpassed, particularly in the Advanced Study Hall battle earlier this month, he achieved enlightenment, advancing rapidly, leaving him far behind.

Overtake!

Crush!

Ahead of everyone!

Jin Yutang is envious and envious again.

Let alone Yu Jinpeng.

In that battle, there was Che Qi.

Though not even an Inner Chamber Disciple, he was instructed by Yan Chuan, made breakthroughs during combat, significantly improved his leg technique.

If it had been him there that day, Jin Yutang asks himself, he wouldn’t have been as frustrated as Wei Quan, surely he could have been like Che Qi or even Senior Brother Yu Jinpeng, also winning the battle, also weak overpowering strong, also advancing swiftly.

Unfortunately.

He wasn’t there that day.

"Hehehe!"

"Indeed you’re right!"

"You’re worse off!"

Wei Quan laughs heartily.

Even though his gains that day were not as great as Che Qi’s or the senior brother’s, by listening to master’s guidance for the two, he still gained quite a bit. Compared to Jin Yutang, he actually sees himself as lucky.

With an unfortunate fellow like Jin Yutang as a baseline, Wei Quan’s mood brightens.

The two jest.

Meanwhile.

Yu Jinpeng has already organized all the experts revealed in both big and small publications in Guangling, categorizing them—

"Master, this year’s Martial Arts Competition indeed has many experts."

Yu Jinpeng hands the list to Yan Chuan, "In the city, the old school is led by Master, part of the ’Guangling Ten Tigers’, but the other nine are half-baked, not in the same league as Master. Outside sects are headed by Immortal Mist Mountain’s ’Young Seven Sabers’ and Songhe Sect’s ’Songhe Three Sons’, also a group of ’Three Heroes and Four Talents’ cobbled together by small sects, which are the old school, very lively."

It indeed is lively—

The Ten Tigers!

The Young Seven Sabers!

The Songhe Three Sons!

The Three Heroes and Four Talents!

That makes twenty-seven people!

And that’s just the old school!

There are also the new—

"The new martial artists are mainly concentrated in Guangling Academy, led by ’Guangling Ten Outstanding’, they have nine people. In addition, there are ’Four Immortals’, ’Five Extremes’, ’Seven Killings’, ’Seven Emotions’, ’Seven Marvels’, said to be tough people, at least all first-level research students."

The Martial Arts Competition gathers heroes!

Too many experts!

For example, Lu Qing.

For example, Zhong Hui.

They don’t even rank.

"These are just under-30 young talents, then there’re renowned masters in their thirties and forties, even famous masters in their fifties and sixties, who might step in to spar with the younger generation."

"In this area, there are even more people—"

"Guangling Ten Tigers!"

"Southern Monkey Northern Donkey!"

"Seven Immortal Swords!"

"Songhe Five Elders!"

"Three Geese, Four Evils, Seven Eagles, Eight Fierce, ..."

Truly countless.

In the Jianghu, truth and falsehood intertwine, some become famous through praise, some through real battles, some hide their abilities, some decline, some are arrogant, some overly modest.

Assessing strength, without a real fight, merely by fame, merely by words, no one can definitively determine who’s stronger or weaker.

It must be fought!

Still must be fought!

The Martial Arts Competition is exactly such a platform to show true skills, determine superiority, and spread renown.

It has produced many experts through the past seven competitions.

Some unknowns became famous in one fight.

Some with undeserved fame were knocked off their divine altars.

Heroes in the Jianghu appear in confusion, taking turns on stage.

How splendid indeed!

"In the coming days, aside from practicing boxing, you four focus on familiarizing with these figures, their origins, their martial arts."

"Know yourself and the enemy, and you will have a hundred battles, undangered."

"Don’t go into the competition foolishly, daring to fight anyone, recklessly accepting any challenge."

Yan Chuan gives a brief lecture, then lets them scatter.

The competition approaches.

The atmosphere grows tense.

And his inner worries grow heavier, not for the competition, but for—

"Master!"

"Why haven’t you returned?!"

...

"I’m back!"

Cheng Fengxiao couldn’t help but mutter, but that night, stars flickered softly in the room, Cheng Fengxiao’s figure slowly manifested, stepping out one step at a time, from the Mountain and Sea Realm, from the Star Gate.

Yan Chuan stands guard, his face lights up with joy, "Master!"

Squinting closely, he actually sees Master in tattered clothes, weary spirit, like several days and nights with no sleep, pallid face like paper, and fresh bloodstains on the mouth and chest.

Bam!

As soon as he comes out, the surprise weapon iron rod slips from his hand, falls to the ground.

He staggers, almost collapsing.

"Master!"

Yan Chuan is startled, quickly steps forward to support.

"Nine days and nights!"

"Without proper sleep!"

"Finally got this ’Vermilion Fruit’!"

Cheng Fengxiao’s spirit is weary, with injuries, but lying in Yan Chuan’s arms, his expression is excited, opening his hand before Yan Chuan, revealing a spirit fruit, slick and red like a cherry, "Chauner, this is the legendary mystical fruit, recorded in Xun Guilan’s ’Mountain and Sea Treasures Record’, a ’Vermilion Fruit’ can boost one’s inner strength by ten years! You take and consume it, smash the Grandmaster Path in the Martial Arts Competition!"

"Master!"

Yan Chuan looks at Cheng Fengxiao’s blood-stained hands, at the vermilion fruit dyed bright red by blood, his eyes moist.

Entering the Mountain and Sea Realm, Master fought life and death, crouched nine days and nights, risking death and alive, covered in blood and scars, earning this only vermilion fruit, yet upon returning to Great Yan, he gives it to him at the first opportunity.

Yan Chuan feels worried, touched beyond words.

However—

"Good disciple."

"I’m fine."

"During the escape, I swallowed five; being chased, then chasing the beasts and the alien race."

"Killing alien beasts!"

"Killing alien race!"

"This blood is theirs!"

"I’m just tired."

Cheng Fengxiao stuffs the vermilion fruit into Yan Chuan’s hand, then closes his eyes in peace in Yan Chuan’s arms, "Let me nap first, we’ll talk when I wake."

Before finishing.

He’s already asleep.

"..."

Yan Chuan looks at the vermilion fruit in his hand, then at his master in his arms, blinks, emotions stuck, neither rising nor falling, hesitates for a while, and finally can’t help but laugh.

...

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.