The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 51

140

Cry? What a joke.

Zhang Xiaoyuan considered himself a real man. His hands and knees were only slightly scraped, needing just a sprinkle of medicine powder. Even though he was afraid of pain, such a minor injury would absolutely not make him cry!

He almost wanted to thump his chest and assure Lu Zhaoming loudly, as if Lu Zhaoming's words were an insult to his bravery. "Eldest Senior Brother, what are you talking about? How could I possibly cry!"

If his eyes hadn't contained tears, this statement would probably have been more convincing.

Lu Zhaoming just looked at him and didn't argue. He took out medicine, fetched clean water and cotton, helped Zhang Xiaoyuan sit in a chair, and began cleaning his wounds.

As soon as the white cotton touched Zhang Xiaoyuan's wound, he winced, scrunching up his nose and eyes. But he felt he couldn't cry. If he screamed too much, it would be beneath the dignity of a man, so he frowned, gritted his teeth, and forced a nonchalant expression, repeatedly telling himself that it didn't hurt at all.

Lu Zhaoming never looked up at him. While cleaning his wounds, he couldn't help but ask, "How many times have you been injured this month?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan thought seriously, "I... not that much, right?"

Lu Zhaoming could only sigh. "Be more careful when walking from now on."

Zhang Xiaoyuan said, "It was that fat pigeon that tripped me!"

The pigeon, which had just been sleeping soundly but was suddenly pulled a few meters away by a strange force, huddled behind the table and cooed in terror.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "Should have put it in the chicken coop earlier!"

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Lu Zhaoming let out a sigh.

"If you were diligent in martial arts practice, could a piece of string have tripped you?" Lu Zhaoming looked up at him. "Look at your Second Senior Brother and Hua Liuque, have they ever fallen like this?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan was unwilling to speak.

Eldest Senior Brother rarely spoke at length. Whenever he did, it was most likely to give him a lesson.

Can you really compare it like that?

Jiang Jianyu had entered the martial arts world much earlier, and his martial arts skills were exceptional. Of course, he wouldn't be tripped by a piece of string. As for Hua Liuque, although his martial arts skills were average, his lightness skill was impressive — among the best in the martial arts world. How could he possibly be tripped by a rope?

But Zhang Xiaoyuan dared not voice his thoughts. Lu Zhaoming instructed him to extend his other hand, similarly undoing the ties on the sleeve and cleaning the wound from dirt. Zhang Xiaoyuan felt numb. Apart from the burning sensation in the wound, it seemed like he couldn't feel anything. He was determined not to cry from start to finish until Lu Zhaoming brought out the medicinal powder and poured it onto his wound.

Zhang Xiaoyuan took a sharp breath.

This... Is this medicinal powder?

Why did it feel like Eldest Senior Brother was sprinkling salt on his wound!

Zhang Xiaoyuan, pale from the pain, was on the verge of crying out, but he remembered Lu Zhaoming's words. He wouldn't cry or make a sound. He could only grit his teeth, lift his head, and stare at the ceiling, holding back tears.

Perhaps this room hadn't been properly cleaned for a while. The ceiling was clearly covered in dust, with some mildew stains. If there's a chance, he must suggest to Chief Pei to have the room thoroughly cleaned.

Lu Zhaoming secured the cotton on his elbow, wrapping the wound. He calmly glanced at him and said, "The other hand."

Zhang Xiaoyuan silently pulled back his other hand.

Lu Zhaoming remained silent for a moment, then directly grabbed Zhang Xiaoyuan's upper arm, pulling his hand out. He applied the medicine without mercy. Zhang Xiaoyuan held back tears, staring fixedly at the ceiling, not daring to blink.

Lu Zhaoming didn't forget to sneak a few glances at him. Seeing Zhang Xiaoyuan's expression, he already knew he was on the verge of breaking down. Lu Zhaoming wasn't sure what he wanted to accomplish, but he couldn't help asking, "Crying?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan sniffed. "No."

Lu Zhaoming was pressing the white cotton onto his wound when Zhang Xiaoyuan gasped, his voice trembling. However, he held back, gritted his teeth, and continued, "I was just looking at the patterns on the ceiling."

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Surprisingly, Lu Zhaoming also lifted his head and followed his gaze to the ceiling of the room.

The ceiling was, of course, bare with nothing on it.

He couldn't help but smile, refraining from further comments. He properly bandaged Zhang Xiaoyuan's hand, who thought the ordeal was over. They could finally go find Cao Zilian. He hastily withdrew his hand, ready to speak, but Lu Zhaoming, looking at him, said, "Your leg."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan pulled his leg in. "I... It doesn't seem to be that serious. I don't need it, right?"

However, when he fell, his pants scraped against the rough ground, and his knees looked battered, with a faint glimpse of blood on the scraped skin. It didn't seem like he was unharmed.

His knees seemed to be more injured than his elbow. Lu Zhaoming frowned, examining the injury, ultimately unable to resist asking, "Can you still go out like this?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan, tears welling up, endured the pain of cleaning his wound. Even his voice trembled as he said, "I still need to go find Cao Zilian."

However, with his injury on the knees, even the slightest movement, bending or straightening his leg, caused intense pain. The thought of walking to the inn, which was at least an hour away, was an enormous torment for Zhang Xiaoyuan.

But after persuading Cao Zilian and Pei Wuluan to discuss the matter, the pain seemed trivial. He believed he could make it to the inn!

Lu Zhaoming fell silent. He tended to the wound on Zhang Xiaoyuan's knees. Seeing tears welling up in Zhang Xiaoyuan's eyes, who endured the pain without actually crying, Lu Zhaoming softened. Eventually, he sighed again and asked, "What do you want to say to Cao Zilian?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "I... I just want him to write a repentance letter."

Lu Zhaoming nodded. "I'll convey that."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan was stunned.

From Lu Zhaoming's words, it seemed like he intended to go to Cao Zilian on his behalf. However, Zhang Xiaoyuan felt that, given Cao Zilian's personality, he wouldn't willingly write such a letter of repentance. Eldest Senior Brother wasn't eloquent, and Zhang Xiaoyuan doubted if he could persuade Cao Zilian.

After a brief pause, Zhang Xiaoyuan insisted on supporting himself on the table to stand. He said, "Eldest Senior Brother, let me go with you."

Sitting in the chair for too long, with his knees bent for an extended period, Zhang Xiaoyuan experienced a piercing pain when he tried to straighten it. Despite taking a few deep breaths, he persisted, "Cao Zilian won't easily agree to write any repentance letter. I have to find a way to persuade him."

"Persuading him is my job as well." Lu Zhaoming remained remarkably calm, as if he didn't consider this a challenging task at all. His voice was firm, not allowing any objections from Zhang Xiaoyuan. "Rest assured, I will bring back his repentance letter."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

141

Cao Zilian, anxiously waiting for news from Zhang Xiaoyuan in the inn, could never have imagined that the person who would eventually arrived would be Lu Zhaoming.

Seeing Lu Zhaoming, he couldn't help but clutch his waist, trembling with fear.

Ashner naturally sensed his fear, so on behalf of Cao Zilian, he asked Lu Zhaoming, "What are you here for?"

Lu Zhaoming, who usually struggled to comprehend Ashner's words, bypassed him and addressed Cao Zilian directly, "Xiaoyuan has convinced Chief Pei to allow you to join our sect."

Cao Zilian was delighted.

Lu Zhaoming continued, "But you still need to write a repentance letter."

Cao Zilian paused, then questioned, "Repentance letter? What have I done wrong? Why should I repent?"

Lu Zhaoming: "Write it, don't waste words."

Ashner began shouting at Lu Zhaoming again, "You're pushing people too far!"

Lu Zhaoming ignored him.

He slightly bent over, staring directly into Cao Zilian's eyes, conveying a subtle threat, "Will you write or not?"

Cao Zilian: "......"

Cao Zilian shouted, "A real man, a hero, would rather die than endure humiliation!"

Lu Zhaoming reached for the sword at his waist, causing Cao Zilian to press against the back of the chair, leaning back and looking frightened. "You... Even if you kill me, I won't write it!"

However, Lu Zhaoming just unstrapped the sword and placed it on the table. After sitting opposite Cao Zilian, he seemed a bit uncomfortable with the sword hanging at his waist. He didn't show any immediate intention of resorting to force, just sighed lightly and said, "Xiaoyuan originally wanted to come and talk to you in person."

Cao Zilian silently moved his chair a bit farther away from him. "Even if he came, it wouldn't make a difference!"

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

"I haven't done anything wrong, why should I write a repentance letter!" Cao Zilian exclaimed, "You righteous sects are strange. Always apologizing for no reason. Wasn't my arrow shot at the martial arts conference accurate? I didn't harm your Alliance Chief, so why should I apologize!"

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Cao Zilian covered his waist, lowering his voice as if afraid Lu Zhaoming might hit him, and whispered, "You even injured me. You should be the one apologizing."

Lu Zhaoming took a deep breath, seemingly on the edge of patience with Cao Zilian.

Cao Zilian paused, as if recalling something. He cleared his throat and asked, "You mentioned just now that Young Hero Zhang wanted to see me? What happened to him?"

Lu Zhaoming replied indifferently, "He injured his legs."

Cao Zilian exclaimed, "Injured his legs? Wasn't he fine this morning? How did he suddenly injure his legs?"

Lu Zhaoming said, "He injured his knees—"

Before he could say more, he noticed a change in Cao Zilian's expression.

"Knees?!" Cao Zilian interrupted, displaying a mix of surprise and a touch of gratitude. He said, "Your righteous path is truly formidable! The rules are so strict, and Pei Wuluan is truly heartless. He only agrees when Young Hero Zhang pleads on his knees!"

Lu Zhaoming was momentarily stunned, his expression showing confusion.

"I never thought Young Hero Zhang would go to such lengths for me. It seems our bond as martial brothers is fated by the heavens. I must join your sect." Cao Zilian was deeply moved. "It's just a repentance letter, right? I'll write it!"

Holding his waist, he struggled to stand, limping over to the desk. With tears in his eyes, he took up a pen, grinding the ink, and began writing fervently.

Lu Zhaoming: "?"

What exactly... happened just now?

Forget it.

As long as he could obtain the repentance letter, trivial matters didn't require his attention.