The Martial Arts World is Full of Experts Chapter 68

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When Hua Liuque, along with the other two, returned to Scattered Blossom Palace, they saw Zhang Xiaoyuan smearing ointment on his hand. There were traces of half-dried tears on his face as he blew air into his hand, unwilling to speak to Lu Zhaoming beside him.

Lu Zhaoming sat nearby with a cold expression. Despite looking at the sword manual in his hands, he occasionally glanced at Zhang Xiaoyuan, showing concern and readiness to help if needed.

Jiang Jianyu sat motionless under the window, his eyes vacant, as if he had already detached from the world.

Hua Liuque blinked and asked Zhang Xiaoyuan, "Xiaoyuan, what happened? Did you fall again?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan lifted his eyes and gave Lu Zhaoming a fierce glare.

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Hua Liuque suddenly nodded in understanding. He hastily limped over and squeezed in next to Zhang Xiaoyuan. Nodding continuously, he said, "Xiaoyuan, I understand!"

Cao Zilian, seeing the situation, also came over, holding his waist, insisting on squeezing onto the long bench with them. "Xiaoyuan, I get it too!"

Ashner indeed started muttering the idiom he was proficient in, "Pushing people too deep!"

Zhang Xiaoyuan sniffed and echoed, "Yes! Pushing people too far!"

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Lu Zhaoming put down the sword manual and said, "If you didn't break the rules, why would I need to discipline you?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan ignored him, pretending not to have heard what he said.

Lu Zhaoming sighed again, momentarily unsure of what to say.

He was the eldest senior brother, that was true. However, back then, there were only him and Jiang Jianyu in the sect, and Jiang Jianyu was older than him. With Martial Uncle always around, he never had the chance to enforce the sect rules. He had never disciplined Junior Brother, and now that Zhang Xiaoyuan was upset with him, he didn't know what to do.

In the past, at least Jiang Jianyu could mediate between them. Jiang Jianyu was approachable, and Zhang Xiaoyuan seemed more willing to talk to him. It was better than Lu Zhaoming sitting here alone, troubled.

But Zhang Xiaoyuan had hurt Jiang Jianyu with just a few words. Now, Jiang Jianyu refused to talk to either of them, making Lu Zhaoming quite awkward.

Hua Liuque, still curious, asked, "What rules did Xiaoyuan break?"

He held a deep respect for the term "sect rules," feeling a twinge in his legs just at the mention of it. Yet, he couldn't understand how someone as well-behaved and trouble-free as Zhang Xiaoyuan could possibly violate these rules.

Zhang Xiaoyuan didn't want to bring up this topic. He simply blew on his hand, feeling the fiery pain, while casting a gaze of conscience-reproach toward Lu Zhaoming.

Lu Zhaoming acted as if he hadn't seen it.

After spending a moment blowing on his hand, Zhang Xiaoyuan, feeling a bit thirsty and dizzy, decided to pour himself some tea. Considering his injured right hand, Zhang Xiaoyuan, relying on his free left hand, reached for the teapot on the table. About to reach for the teapot on the table, Lu Zhaoming reacted faster, took the teapot, poured water for him, all the while wearing a stern expression. He placed the cup of tea in front of Zhang Xiaoyuan.

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Hua Liuque couldn't help but click his tongue lightly, muttering quietly, "I knew it. Xiaoyuan could never be like us."

Zhang Xiaoyuan glanced at Lu Zhaoming and felt a tiny bit of forgiveness toward Eldest Senior Brother.

But Lu Zhaoming still had a serious face as he told him, "Once you finish your tea, I'll accompany you to meet Elder Mei."

Zhang Xiaoyuan was taken aback, sensing something was very wrong.

Still not eager to talk to Lu Zhaoming, he merely averted his gaze and said, "I'm not going."

Lu Zhaoming acted as if he hadn't heard this statement. "You need to return these silver notes to Elder Mei and apologize to him."

Zhang Xiaoyuan snorted, simply lifted his head, and resumed studying the ceiling of Scattered Blossom Palace. Fortunately, the roof of Scattered Blossom Palace looked cleaner than the Martial Arts Alliance.

Hua Liuque curiously asked, "Silver notes? What silver notes?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan was silent.

Not only was he feeling wronged, but he was also angry.

He wasn't pursuing wealth for personal gain. It was because the sect was too poor, and for the dream of Master having disciples all over the world, he decided to embark on the path of a wandering informant like Bai Xiaosheng!

If he was just seeking personal enjoyment, why go to such lengths?

The money his mother gave him when he left home hadn't been used up yet. Even if he was short on money, couldn't he write to his family about it? Why bother with such danger, meticulously planning these things?

Looking at Eldest Senior Brother's expression, there was a moment when he thought about confessing everything plainly.

But then he thought, even though his relationship with fellow senior and junior brothers was so good now, people always had secrets they didn't want others to know. After knowing what he could see in their minds, would their relationship still be as harmonious as before?

Zhang Xiaoyuan was in a dilemma.

Lu Zhaoming continued to ask him, "If you don't want tea, we'll go together now."

From Eldest Senior Brother's perspective, Zhang Xiaoyuan knew that Eldest Senior Brother hadn't done anything wrong.

Eldest Senior Brother was concerned about his well-being, fearing he might go astray.

He furrowed his brow, keeping silent.

The two remained in silence for a while, then Lu Zhaoming finally softened. He sighed and asked, "You don't want to go?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Lu Zhaoming: "If you don't want to go today, that's fine. I'll return the silver notes to Elder Mei on your behalf."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan suddenly realized something very important.

If Eldest Senior Brother went there personally, those silver notes might really be gone.

If he went along, he could find a way to signal Mei Leng'an, asking him to temporarily keep them. In a few days, he could figure out how to retrieve them. He believed that with Mei Leng'an's character, this shouldn't be a big problem.

Zhang Xiaoyuan stood up abruptly, hastily interjected, "Let's go! I'll go!"

Lu Zhaoming was momentarily choked by his sudden response. He asked, "You're willing to go?"

Zhang Xiaoyuan nodded continuously. "Yes, let's go now!"

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Zhang Xiaoyuan felt that his change of attitude was too abrupt. Lu Zhaoming might become suspicious.

He snorted heavily. "So what if I go! Anyway, I won't forgive you!"

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

Hua Liuque moved his chair a bit, leaning close to Cao Zilian, murmuring, "Old Cao, do you know, among fellow disciples who spend day and night together, things often happen..."

However, Cao Zilian looked at Jiang Jianyu, eyebrows furrowed, and asked, "What happened to him?"

Hua Liuque lowered his voice even more.

"Second Senior Brother is already twenty-seven this year," Hua Liuque said. "He hasn't found a wife yet. Seeing others happily in love, of course, it's heartbreaking!"

Cao Zilian pondered.

"I see," Cao Zilian nodded earnestly. "I understand now."

......

Lu Zhaoming brought Zhang Xiaoyuan to the outside of Mei Leng'an's room and coincidentally bumped into Ke Xingwen with Mei Leng'an.

As they entered, Ke Xingwen was trying to tactfully distance himself from Mei Leng'an. Presumably, he felt it wouldn't be appropriate to appear too intimate with others present. In his haste, even his ears turned crimson.

Mei Leng'an wasn't bothered. Knowing that the Martial Arts Alliance's rooms had poor sound insulation, and assuming Lu Zhaoming and Zhang Xiaoyuan must have heard everything clearly that night, he didn't bother hiding his relationship with Ke Xingwen. He didn't avoid anything. Even though Ke Xingwen was frozen in shock, stiff as a wooden figure, Mei Leng'an still leaned against him, holding Ke Xingwen's arm, smiling at them. He asked, "Xiaoyuan, Young Hero Lu, is there something you need?"

Lu Zhaoming, observing the two of them sticking together, found it peculiar. He didn't bother lifting his head as he straightforwardly stated their purpose. Seeing Lu Zhaoming not looking up, Zhang Xiaoyuan desperately signaled Mei Leng'an with his eyes. Mei Leng'an understood, mouthed a reassuring "don't worry" to Zhang Xiaoyuan, still with a smiling face. He casually exchanged a few pleasantries and accepted the box of silver notes.

Lu Zhaoming bowed again and said, "Elder Mei, my junior brother is young..."

Before he could continue, Mei Leng'an waved his hand slightly. "It's fine, I'm not upset."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Still frowning, Zhang Xiaoyuan stood there, caught off guard when Lu Zhaoming pressed down on his head, making both of them bow to Mei Leng'an.

Zhang Xiaoyuan turned around, glared at Lu Zhaoming, while Mei Leng'an chuckled. "You two martial brothers have a great relationship."

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "That was yesterday."

Lu Zhaoming: "......"

"When I was young, I used to bicker with my senior brother too," Mei Leng'an chuckled. "Quite similar to you."

After saying this, Zhang Xiaoyuan saw Ke Xingwen turn around warily. A line of words appeared above his head.

「Senior Brother? What Senior Brother? Is there a wild man I don't know about?!」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Did these two reconcile too quickly?

In Lu Zhaoming's eyes, Mei Leng'an and Ke Xingwen had ambiguous behavior. At the mention of another senior brother, he couldn't help but overthink things. Feeling more awkward, he kept his head down, avoiding eye contact.

Mei Leng'an said, "My senior brother is quite serious too. You really resemble him."

Ke Xingwen instantly shifted his gaze to Lu Zhaoming.

「Not only is there a wild man I don't know... This guy is younger than me, better at martial arts, and looks good too.」

He paused for a moment, stiffly pulled his arm out, assumed a forceful posture, and nervously wrapped his arm around Mei Leng'an's shoulder. While doing so, he quietly asked, "How come I didn't know you had another senior brother..."

Mei Leng'an's smile deepened. "There are always things you don't know."

Ke Xingwen: 「He kept something from me, boo hoo.」

Ke Xingwen: 「Oh well, I hid things from him before too.」

Ke Xingwen: 「No, I'm not satisfied, huhu.」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

What was going on with these two?

And there were people around! How did they start being so affectionate?

Zhang Xiaoyuan didn't want to look anymore. He hurriedly shifted his gaze away. Then he heard a DING, and this time, words appeared above Mei Leng'an's head.

「Mei Leng'an, originally a servant at Scattered Blossom Palace. Due to his outstanding looks, he caught the eye of the former Master of Scattered Blossom Palace. Previously the former master's little lover, he ascended to the position of sect master. He had two senior sisters, both married, and only had one junior brother named Lu Yanfeng. Among fellow disciples, their relationship was very close.」

Zhang Xiaoyuan: "......"

Mei Leng'an didn't have a senior brother at all!

Was he intentionally using Eldest Senior Brother to make Ke Xingwen jealous?!

Zhang Xiaoyuan frowned, feeling inexplicably unhappy, unable to put it into words.