The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 59

156

Lu Zhaoming pressed his wound for a long time, but the bleeding wouldn't stop.

Zhang Xiaoyuan was somewhat startled. He rarely saw such a sight. A stumble or a twisted ankle usually counted as a serious injury for him. However, with Lu Zhaoming pressing on the wound, Zhang Xiaoyuan, though flustered, couldn't retract his hand.

Jiang Jianyu brought the medicinal powder and felt puzzled, furrowing his brow as he asked, "Why isn't the bleeding stopping?"

Hua Liuque suddenly remembered Lu Yanfeng's sword, feeling anxious. He hastily said, "It's Junior Martial Uncle's sword."

"Sword?" Jiang Jianyu asked, "What's with the sword?"

"Junior Martial Uncle's sword is made of cold iron, probably the only one of its kind in the martial arts world." Hua Liuque furrowed his brow. "Injuries caused by cold iron might not heal so easily."

Zhang Xiaoyuan was very nervous. The wound was, after all, on Eldest Senior Brother. Worried and considering the various peculiar weapons in the martial arts world, he asked Hua Liuque, "Is it difficult toheal?"

Hua Liuque furrowed his brow. "I'm not sure either..."

Zhang Xiaoyuan stood up. "I'll go ask Elder Mei and Lu Yanfeng."

Lu Zhaoming still held onto his hand, gently pulling him, and said, "No need to go."

Jiang Jianyu then began to laugh.

"Xiaoyuan, this is a friendly match among reputable sects. No need for sinister tactics," Jiang Jianyu explained. "Lu Yanfeng got his legs injured, and Elder Mei would surely attend to him first. In a while, he should bring the medicine for the cold iron wound."

Zhang Xiaoyuan was taken aback, feeling like he might have been too hasty.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, he cleared his throat. "I... I was just..."

"Concern leads to chaos!" Hua Liuque showed an understanding expression. "We get it!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan looked at Hua Liuque's head, and indeed, there it was — the phrase Hua Liuque had said many times.

「Among fellow sect members, those who spend day and night together, I understand too well!」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Wait a moment.

If Hua Liuque understood this so well, why didn't he understand Lu Yanfeng?!

......

In less than a tea-serving time, Mei Leng'an indeed had Ke Xingwen deliver the medicine.

Perhaps Mei Leng'an had given prior instructions. Ke Xingwen repeatedly apologized on behalf of Lu Yanfeng, stating that it was just a friendly match, and they shouldn't have used real weapons. Moreover, considering seniority and age, Lu Yanfeng was older than Lu Zhaoming. Mei Leng'an was probably afraid that if this matter spread, outsiders would criticize Lu Yanfeng for taking advantage of Lu Zhaoming. Watching this, Zhang Xiaoyuan felt somewhat speechless.

Eldest Senior Brother only had a cut on his hand, but Lu Yanfeng probably wouldn't be able to walk for the next few days.

Well, that was not too bad. At least for the next few days, he wouldn't have to listen to Lu Yanfeng talking.

Zhang Xiaoyuan didn't want to meddle in Lu Yanfeng's love life. He just wanted to wait until Mei Leng'an's birthday celebration at Scattered Blossom Palace ended. After everyone left the palace, he planned to transcribe some fresh article for Martial Arts World's Secrets Digest, hopefully making some money from the innkeeper.

The medicine powder brought by Ke Xingwen quickly stopped the bleeding. He then pulled out several boxes of ointment from his pocket, handing one to Lu Zhaoming. "This medicine promotes skin regeneration and reduces scarring. Master specifically asked me to give it to Young Hero Lu."

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Lu Zhaoming evidently didn't mind having an extra scar on his body. Holding the ointment, he felt a bit uncertain. Turning to look at Zhang Xiaoyuan, he saw Ke Xingwen handing another box of ointment to Zhang Xiaoyuan.

Ke Xingwen: "Young Hero Zhang, this is from Master for you."

Zhang Xiaoyuan looked puzzled. "For me?"

Ke Xingwen: "Master said you once asked him about the skincare cream he uses."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "...Huh?"

He had asked about that?

When?

157

In the evening, after Zhang Xiaoyuan finished his wash and changed into casual clothes, he sat cross-legged on the bed, opened the sword manual, and found the box of skincare cream Mei Leng'an gave him. He contemplated for a while, but he couldn't recall when he had asked Mei Leng'an about this.

Since Scattered Blossom Palace was short on rooms for such important events, he ended up sharing a room with Lu Zhaoming. Seeing Zhang Xiaoyuan looking at the sword manual, Lu Zhaoming had already brought over a chair, waiting for him to start questioning.

Zhang Xiaoyuan, however, stood there, staring blankly at the box of skincare cream in his hands.

Unable to recall the incident, he casually tossed the skincare cream aside, lay back on the bed, flipped through a few pages of the sword manual, then glanced at Lu Zhaoming. "Eldest Senior Brother, does the wound hurt?"

Lu Zhaoming shook his head.

Zhang Xiaoyuan admired him greatly.

With such a large wound and so much blood, if that sword had struck him, he would have started howling a long time ago.

Zhang Xiaoyuan pondered and thought that Eldest Senior Brother might just be a bit dull, slow to react, which was why he didn't feel the pain.

But that didn't make sense.

During sparring, Lu Zhaoming's reactions were anything but slow.

Zhang Xiaoyuan propped his chin, thought for a moment, feeling something was off. However, with his limited martial arts skills, he wasn't sure if his speculation was correct. Unable to hold back, he asked again, "Eldest Senior Brother, during today's match with Lu Yanfeng, could you have avoided his sword?"

He had seen Lu Zhaoming in action a few times. Lu Zhaoming had extremely fast reactions and shouldn't have failed to dodge Lu Yanfeng's final strike, especially considering Eldest Senior Brother also had the advantage of possessing extreme luck. Even if Lu Yanfeng's martial arts skills were high, he shouldn't have been able to harm him so easily.

Lu Zhaoming answered, "Yes."

Zhang Xiaoyuan frowned. "You could have avoided getting injured."

Lu Zhaoming: "Martial Uncle once taught me a phrase."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "What was it?"

Lu Zhaoming: "A tall tree attracts the wind."

Zhang Xiaoyuan was momentarily stunned, only now understanding the meaning behind Lu Zhaoming's words.

During the sparring at Scattered Blossom Palace, with so many people watching, everyone knew Lu Yanfeng held the thirty-first position in the martial arts world rankings. Even if he tied one hand, he would still be in the top fifty. On the other hand, Lu Zhaoming was just a young man in his twenties.

During the martial arts tournament, the participants were mainly young disciples from various sects. The martial arts skills of someone as formidable as Lu Yanfeng were unparalleled. At that time, Lu Zhaoming easily defeated his opponents. People recognized Wang Henian's disciple as promising, but Lu Yanfeng was different. If Lu Zhaoming defeated him without being hurt, it wouldn't take long for this news to spread across the martial arts world, revealing who Lu Zhaoming truly was.

Zhang Xiaoyuan couldn't help but recall the words on Eldest Senior Brother's head when he first met him.

Unknown individual.

If he didn't conceal his skills, he should never be an unknown figure.

Zhang Xiaoyuan found it quite strange.

If an ordinary sect had a highly skilled young disciple, they would probably want to publicize it to attract followers. However, Eldest Senior Brother's remarkable skills were kept quiet by Master. Even Martial Uncle advised him to be discreet to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

Considering Zhang Xiaoyuan's understanding of the martial arts world, he felt... Eldest Senior Brother might be a person with a significant story.

Alright, within this sect, aside from his ordinary status, it seemed everyone else was far from ordinary.

He was earnestly pondering these matters, naturally keeping silent. Lu Zhaoming, noticing his prolonged silence, wasn't sure if he was upset. Slightly anxious, Lu Zhaoming carefully observed Zhang Xiaoyuan for a moment before calling out, "Xiaoyuan?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan abruptly snapped out of his thoughts, blinked, and replied, "Eldest Senior Brother, what's the matter?"

Lu Zhaoming: "If Lu Yanfeng hadn't given me a handicap, I might not have been able to defeat him."

Uttering this seemingly random statement, Zhang Xiaoyuan initially didn't grasp its meaning. Furrowing his brow, he thought for a while before understanding that Eldest Senior Brother was confiding in him.

Martial Uncle taught Eldest Senior Brother to conceal his true strength, but that was for external matters. Internally, he never considered hiding it.

Zhang Xiaoyuan paused for a moment and asked in return, "Lu Yanfeng holds the thirty-first position in the martial arts world rankings. Perhaps, Eldest Senior Brother, you might not be able to defeat him?"

The implication of "perhaps" was that Lu Zhaoming also had a chance of winning.

"I've never truly faced him in combat." Lu Zhaoming furrowed his brow. "I've also never fought against someone whose strength is comparable to his."

He himself wasn't sure if he could win.

After a brief silence, Zhang Xiaoyuan lay back on the bed, feeling that he had lost hope for his own martial arts journey.

"Eldest Senior Brother," Zhang Xiaoyuan said, "you're only five years older than me."

Lu Zhaoming didn't know why he brought this up but simply nodded. "I know."

Zhang Xiaoyuan covered his face with the sword manual, muffled and frustrated, muttered, "Even if I try my best, I feel like I'll never catch up to you in this lifetime."

Lu Zhaoming took the sword manual off his face, as if suppressing a smile, and lightly laughed, "Even if I try my best, I won't be able to speak like you."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan muttered quietly, "Lu Yanfeng is the one who truly can't talk."

"But you really should take a look at the sword manual," Lu Zhaoming said. "After going back, Master will surely check on you."

Images of Wang Henian's heartbroken face when he couldn't recite the sword manual flooded Zhang Xiaoyuan's mind. After a moment of silence, he flipped off the bed, opened the sword manual, his expression serious.

Leaving aside everything else, he couldn't bear Master's expression after failing to recite the manual.

Zhang Xiaoyuan suddenly felt a strong motivation to study the sword manual properly.

......

Zhang Xiaoyuan spent the whole night memorizing the sword manual, sleeping only after midnight. However, before dawn, he was startled awake by Hua Liuque's shout.

He didn't even have time to put on his outer robe. He rushed out and ran to the next room to see what happened to Hua Liuque.

Hua Liuque stood by the door, shivering, one hand supporting himself against it.

Startled by his exclamation, Zhang Xiaoyuan asked, "What happened?"

Hua Liuque pointed at the floor beneath Zhang Xiaoyuan's feet.

Lowering his head, Zhang Xiaoyuan noticed several crumpled papers lying on the ground.

Apparently, someone had shoved paper through the door frame last night, and Hua Liuque balled it up and threw it to the doorstep. Opening one, Zhang Xiaoyuan saw large, large letters written on it: "I remember you."

Zhang Xiaoyuan felt like he had already guessed who wrote this note.

He opened another one, and there, still in large letters, was another line.

"Be careful with your legs."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan opened the last piece of paper.

"This afternoon, the usual place. I'll be waiting.

——Lu Yanfeng"

Zhang Xiaoyuan looked up and saw Hua Liuque clutching the door, trembling.

"Eldest Senior Brother injured his leg. He won't come after me for revenge, will he?" Hua Liuque, with a face full of fear, said, "Xiaoyuan, what do we do? I'm scared!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"