Vol 1 Chapter 4 (1/2)
When Xuan Luo arrived at the Martial Arts building, he saw Master Li practicing a set of fist technique in the main hall. Hence, Xuan Luo did not disturb him. He found a spot to sit close by while he waited for Master Li to complete his set.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, one should never disturb a martial artist while he is in practice. If a martial artist’s qi is distracted while practicing xin fa, he could lose control of his body and turn crazy. Although Master Li wasn’t practicing xin fa at the moment, it was still better to take caution.
So, Xuan Luo did not dare to utter a word, and quietly watched as Master Li practiced. When Master Li was finished, he stood up and asked, “Li ye ye, why did you want to see me?”
Master Li lightly wipes the sweats from his forehead and firmly looks at him. “Xuan Luo, do you want to learn Martial Arts in a traditional manner?”
Master Li was very direct. Xuan Luo is at a loss for words. He is confused. He knows Master Li’s skills are limited, but then, why is he asking him that? He is unclear of his intentions.
Looking at Master Li, he stammered, “Li ye ye, you…are…asking me…”
Seeing Xuan Luo‘s reaction, Master Li smiled. “Xuan Luo, I saw how you fought that man. I think you have a talent for Martial Arts.”
Xuan Luo does not know how he should respond. He is more alert and worried now. He thought Master Li could tell that he has been secretly practicing xin fa on his own.
“Haha!” Master Li laughed. He didn’t explain in further details. “I’m still half of a jiang hu zhong ren. I had some talent, but people from my Clan got jealous of me. That’s why I ended up like this.”
Master Li sighed. He looked at Xuan Luo, “Your path definitely will not end at Qian Deng Zhen. Since I have some time now, I’m going to tell you some things. Plus, I’m old. I don’t even know how many years I have left…”
“Li ye ye, what do you mean?” Xuan Luo kind of realizes that Master Li wants to tell him how to live, but also about his past as well.
The truth is, Master Li was a very talented young man. At that time, the leader of his Clan noticed him and gave him a lot of attention. But it was also because of this attention that made many people jealous of him. Many kept setting him up, and by the time he was in his 20s, Master Li’s path to the fighting world was over. All his jing maiwere broken, and his dream to practice Martial Arts were destroyed. Getting revenge was pretty much impossible. Even simply being a normal person, he faced many obstacles.
Thus, Master Li is only able to practice some shallow kung fu. But although his kung fudoes not require nei li, it can still do some damage. So, Master Li entirely practices Martial Arts to keep his body strong.
As Master Li talks about himself, he keeps sighing. Xuan Luo felt like he understood a lot just from listening to his tone.
Who would have thought that in this small town, the only person who knew some Martial Arts had such a past. Looking at this old man, Xuan Luo was a bit emotional.
“I wanted to ask you..if you had any desire to join a clan..” Master Li’s eyes deepened. From his eyes, he released and revealed all the frustrations he had held in from all these years.
“Li ye ye, I….” Xuan Luo wanted to say something, but seeing Master Li’s eyes lit up with hope, he did not know how to reject him.
Master Li cuts him off. “Xuan Luo. Originally, I thought I would be living here in this mountainous land for the rest of my life. I did not plan to meddle in anything. But from the moment I saw you defeat that man, I have another wish. And from Qian Deng Zhen, you’re the only one who can help me fulfill that wis.h.!.+”
Master Li puts both his hands on Xuan Luo‘s shoulder. Bending down, it looks like he is almost begging Xuan Luo. Xuan Luo was not used to this. The way Master Li was beaming at him made it impossible for him to say no.