Martial Arts Master
chapter-96

Chapter 96: Change in Heart

Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

After confirming the time to pay Director Xing a New Year visit, Lou Cheng hurriedly sent a message to Yan Zheke on QQ. He didn’t use an all smiles emoji because his emotions hadn’t completely settled yet, “Coach Yan, Director Xing just called me and told me about Wang Xu being sentenced. I took the opportunity to bring up my intention to pay him a New Year visit. He had agreed to it as well. The date’s been set on the seventh of the lunar month. What small gifts do you think I should bring him?”

Since the Yan Family was friendly with Director Xing, they must know about his preference.

“You got the right person!” Yan Zheke ‘smiled evilly’ and said, Uncle Xing is from Ningshui County, and there’re two things that he loves the most in his whole life. One is the original-proof spirits from Ningshui County Brewery, and the other is Ningshui County’s green tea—especially Maojian green tea. Try and see if you can buy them first. If you can’t, you can get one of Ningshui County’s hard liquor and green tea each. He wouldn’t pay too much heed to what a junior brings him anyway. What’s important is your intention, after all.”

“Even the highest quality Ningshui County hard liquor only costs several dozen yuan. Special grade green tea that aren’t Maojian tea are probably about the same either. All things considered, I can probably buy all the gifts with just a hundred or so yuan. Why can’t I help but feel a little nervous?” Lou Cheng ‘wiped his sweat’ and answered.

His own mum was a Xiushan City member of Ningshui County. His dad, grandfather and maternal grandfather all enjoyed drinking Ningshui County’s green tea, which was why he more or less knew about the price.

Yan Zheke ‘covered her mouth’ and smiled. “That’s why it’s called a small gift. You won’t go wrong listening to me~”

“Alright, I’ll head east if Coach Yan tells me to head east!” Lou Cheng expressed his loyalty and decided to see if he could buy some original-proof spirits and Maojian green tea. “Er, Director Xing mainly manages the affairs of fighters, so he himself should be an expert, right? He didn’t look like he practiced Drunken Fist either. Isn’t he afraid that drinking will affect his reactions?”

There was a pause before Yan Zheke answered, “Phew, the meals served in my cousin’s house is getting lousier and lousier. Rating: poor! Uncle Xing would only drink two light sips every night during dinner purely as amusement, and he himself is a Sixth Pin Dan stage expert. His mastery of his body is very strong, so he isn’t afraid of being affected.”

Lou Cheng was just about to consult Yan Zheke on what kind of martial arts Director Xing was familiar with to use it as a chat topic, just in case the atmosphere became awkward because they were unfamiliar with each other and had nothing to talk about. However, it was at this moment Yan Zheke added, “When you pay him a New Year visit, Uncle Xing’s daughter Sister Jingjing should be around as well. You must pay attention to what you say and absolutely not bring up terms relating to gangsters, hoodlums, perverts and so on.”

“Why’s that?” Lou Cheng responded with bewilderment. Did she really need to emphasize about such things?

Yan Zheke ‘rolled her eyes’ and said, “This is a secret. Don’t ask!”

Lou Cheng scratched his head. He could only suppress his curiosity and clarified that the martial arts Director Xing were good at were ‘Gold and Jade-Like Method’ and modern Xingyi. Then, he stood on Yan Zheke’s standpoint and criticized her cousin’s meals.

While chatting, a hint of doubt suddenly rose in his heart. If Yan Zheke who interacted with him the most was surprised that he was able to beat that dangerous Professional Ninth Pin, then why did his master looked just like normal and expressed no change in emotions at all?

Even if he knew that he had awakened a supernatural ability, he should at least react somewhat, right?

He wasn’t like this back at the Warrior Sage Challenge Tournament!

Did he believe in my strength this much?

…

Inside a house renovated heavily towards a Mediterranean style, Geezer Shi pressed his chest and walked beside his liquor cabinet. He opened the cabinet door, took out an unlabeled wine and poured himself a glass of wine.

“Dad, why are you drinking again?” A voice came from afar. Only the voice could be heard and not the person. It would seem that the person was able to grasp the activities here even from afar.

Geezer Shi’s mouth twitched. “Just getting over a shock.”

“What can shock you?” The voice was like ice cubes knocking on a jade plate, but there was also the hint of maturity that came with age too.

“That stupid disciple of mine overestimated his abilities and went against a Dark Sect Ninth Pin. He’s so like me when I was young and impulsive.” Geezer Shi narrowed his eyes and took a sniff of the wine, looking completely enchanted by its fragrance.

The voice said doubtfully, “Didn’t you say that little junior only has the combat strength of an Amateur First Pin? It’s not like a Dark Sect Ninth Pin has no legacy, and the secret discipline of mind aura is very effective at this stage. Is it because he was in danger that you were frightened?”

“Childish! Naive! How would I possibly be frightened by this?” Geezer Shi’s mouth twitched. “He stopped the other party from killing, and then killed the other party in life and death battle…”

“He killed the other party? His Power of Blaze hasn’t reached that level yet, has it?” The voice sounded rather surprised.

Geezer Shi took the opportunity to gulp down the wine in his cup and smacked his lips before saying, “See, you’re surprised too, aren’t you? This old geezer nearly failed to maintain the dignity and bearing of a master. I was this close from slipping!”

“I reckon that he had met this Dark Sect Ninth Pin before, and was prepared against the mind aura secret discipline. Otherwise, there’s no way he could have succeeded.” The voice said with certainty.

“I think so too after the fact.” Geezer Shi wiped his white hair once. “Everytime I’m flustered by this dumb disciple of mine!”

…

The tradition in Xiushan dictated that one could not visit their relatives on New Year’s Day. Everyone had to hang around in their own homes. Lou Cheng heard his mum calling him out to for lunch after lying for a while.

After he got out of the door and sat on the opposite side of his dad Lou Zhisheng, his mum Qi Fang immediately came over and said secretively and mysteriously before he could open his mouth, “That boy from Wang’s Family was caught. They had already asked Little Luo to tidy up clothes and stuff and send them to the police station.”

Little Luo was Wang Xu’s mother Luo Aijin. She was two years younger than Qi Fang.

Mum, weren’t you cooking all this time in the kitchen. How on earth did you learn about this gossip? Lou Cheng stared at his own mum like she was a deity.

“Where did you hear this rumor from? You haven’t even walked out of the house today.” Lou Zhisheng was also deeply surprised.

Qi Fang rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t you know how to use a cell phone? Of course someone called me to talk about this!”

Lou Cheng more or less figured out why gossips spread so quickly in this small district and felt another bout of lingering fear. If he were to be imprisoned, by the time his innocence was clarified the news would have spread throughout the entire district. He could only imagine how his mum and dad felt then!

When you were impulsive, think more about your family!

“Wang Family’s boy really was caught by the police?” Lou Zhisheng asked with concern.

“Really. I heard he committed a severe crime, and the police had personally visited his house. If all goes bad, he might be sentenced to a dozen or so years in prison and have his entire life ruined.” Qi Fang sighed before turning her head to glare once at Lou Cheng. “You heard me? It’s one thing to learn martial arts, but it’s another to be ambitious and aggressive! Don’t get mixed up with those gangsters!”

“Mum, relax. I’ll remember this lesson.” Lou Cheng took a deep breath.

He would engrave it into his heart and fear about it always to prevent himself from doing something similarly stupid in the future.

Lou Zhisheng let out a sigh. “Wang is born into a hard life. Still, his boy is just a little gangster, and there must be a mastermind above his head. He may not necessarily be sentenced too heavily. If he performs well and strives to reduce his sentence, he may come out in just a few years. When he is about twenty years old, he’ll be able to restart his life.”

“You bookworm. You’ll understand better when you get to know more about society. There are plenty of people with criminal records who are strongly discriminated against. It’ll be difficult for him even to find a better wife in the future.” Qi Fang also sighed along with him. They had known the Wang Family for almost twenty years and met each other frequently. They shared quite the relationship between neighbors.

They ate while talking, feeling sorry for Wang Xu, and lamenting the Wang Family’s fate. Lou Cheng did not interrupt them and simply listened quietly. He felt that every word they said knocked right at his own heart, making him feel full of guilt and regret.

He did not blame himself for the murder due to the other party’s criminal record, actions and the circumstance at the time. Although the loss of one life shocked him, the fact that it wasn’t someone he knew diluted the impact somewhat. That was why he was able to appear relatively calm and avoid showing too obvious signs of trauma. However, the potential consequences the incident could have brought knocked at his head again and again, making him fully reflect on his actions and slowly lose that reckless impulse.

Perhaps it was this incident that gave him a change of heart. It could be said that he had experienced a necessary improvement one must encounter on the path of martial arts.

He would think before acting in the future. He would not put himself in danger. If not for himself, then for the countless bonds he shared!

“Do you understand, Chengzi?” Qi Fang’s voice entered his ears.

Lou Cheng was in a daze earlier and was reflecting on his own actions. Therefore, he had not paid attention to their conversation. He replied with a blank look on his face, “Ah?”

“What were you thinking?” Qi Fang said irritably, “I said, that it’s one thing to learn martial arts, but you absolutely must not break the law with martial arts like those heroes in TV. Your father and I are more than forty years old and have lived more than half of our lives. We can’t handle any surprises any longer.”

“Mm.” Lou Cheng nodded strongly.

…

On a wet ground, the man dressed in black exercise clothes suddenly transformed into a giant green-eyed wolf and bit Lou Cheng’s throat instantly. Its teeth sank deeply into his flesh…

Lou Cheng abruptly sat up with a head full of cold sweat. He panted heavily, still drunk in the fear brought by the nightmare.

He pressed his cell phone in darkness, causing its screen to light up. He took a glance and noticed that it wasn’t 4 a.m. yet. There was still plenty of time before his morning training.

Sigh. For a first-year university student like me, this’s an unprecedented bad news. Even if the haze had completely faded, even if my mental damage wasn’t severe, it still wasn’t something that I could completely recover from in just two or three days.

I’ll have to digest the rest of these emotions with time.

Lou Cheng swiftly entered into a meditative state and rested for a bit. Then, he got off his bed on time for his training. He threw sweat off his body, tore the air apart, roused his whole body and enlivened his own spirits. He would digest the shadow in his heart with vigorous qi and blood.

When he returned home, he took a bath, tidied things for a bit and headed out along with his dad and mum. They headed towards their sister-in-law Qi Yan’s house at Ningshui County, and enjoyed a family reunion with his maternal grandfather.

His maternal grandfather only had two daughters. His younger daughter Qi Yan could be said to have found a live-in son-in-law. They had made a promise to each other that their first child would follow their mother’s surname. If they had a second child, then the child would follow their father’s surname. Right now, they also had two daughters of their own.

“This is just perfect for me to buy some original-proof spirits and Maojian green tea from Ningshui County Brewery…” Lou Cheng stared at the scenery outside the car window and thought while letting his thoughts loose.

However, both these items were somewhat difficult to purchase. When the time came, he should ask his father’s sister-in-law and her husband to see if they had any social connections as someone who opened a small supermarket…

The distance between Ningshui County and Xiushan wasn’t long. From the small district where Lou Cheng’s house was, it would take only forty minutes to reach his father’s sister-in-law’s building by car. But if someone were to travel there without a car, they would have to take a public transport to passenger bus terminal to buy tickets. Once they reached Ningshui County bus terminal, they would have to take another transit before reaching their destination. In this case, it was impossible to complete the whole journey without one and a half hour.

The scenery flew by, and Lou Cheng who was busy texting on his phone quickly saw the streets of Ningshui County.