Chapter 144: The Capital! A Hundred Years ago, Yang the Invincible! A Hundred Years Later, Wang the Undefeated! (Four) (1/2)

Chapter 144: The Capital! A Hundred Years ago, Yang the Invincible! A Hundred Years Later, Wang the Undefeated! (Four)

This minister Wang Ziwen held a high amount of power as an official and was just barely past his fifties. But in appearance he looked like he was in his forties. His face was clean and slightly pudgy as if a steamed bun straight out from the steamer. His body was slightly fat, but it wasn’t excessive.

But the skin on his face and hands hadn’t the slightest of wrinkles and was a rosy red. He clearly maintained his own health well.

As Wang Ziwen walked forward, two plain-clothed soldiers came with him. As he approached, there was a kind smile on his face before shaking Wang Chao’s hand.

“Ah, a genius is a genius. You share the same surname as I do, that makes us family. A few dozen years ago, our ancestral family had came out with the “War Saint” Wang Xiangzhai, but I never would have thought that in today’s world, our family would come out with yet another young expert.”

When Wang Ziwen came up to shake Wang Chao’s hand, he shook it twice before slapping him on the shoulder in an affectionate manner as if he was the older generation rewarding the younger generation. Combined with the power gained from his status, this had given Wang Chao a type of respect meant for the wise.

“When minister Wang came to hear about your battle with Duan Guochao, he came to look over this matter personally. It was minister Wang that had resolved your problem.” The investigator at the minister’s side responded.

“Xiao Li, don’t speak of our work matters. I came here today to greet the talent within my ancestral family in a personal capacity.” Wang Ziwen shook his hand while staring at the sword in Wang Chao’s hand, “Were you practicing the sword so early in the morning? I heard that your martial arts with your hands and feet were quite well, but I didn’t think you would be well-versed in the art of the sword as well. Come, come, let me take a look at your delicate swordplay.”

“Minister Wang….”

“Eh? Don’t call me that, just call me uncle. We are both men from the same family after all.” Wang Ziwen corrected Wang Chao before affectionately patting him on the shoulder once more.

This series of speech and actions had been done in a natural, kind, and affectionate manner that reflected well with his status without any air of arrogance.

If any other talented person were to be clapped on the shoulder, had his hand shaken, and praised by Wang Ziwen, they would have been moved and impressed. But Wang Chao had already a first impression of Wang Ziwen.

To Wang Chao, Wang Ziwen was a bureaucrat that had just been reprimanded.

“Just what is Wang Ziwen planning? With his status, a group of armed guards and a group of doctors follow him wherever he goes. Even his urinal matter is analyzed on a day to day basis to prevent poisoning. Him visiting me in such an affectionate matter, just what is he thinking?” Although I can fight a little, I am nothing but a stone in his line of work. I don’t wish to get involved in politics, so I should not be so accepting of this kindness of his.”

Wang Chao was no longer the foolish little boy he was a long time ago. After living for so many years, he had already a good understanding on how people worked.

“Just this morning, a man named Jiang Hai came to compete with me. I took his sword, prompting him to leave after that.”

Wang Chao hadn’t called Wang Ziwen uncle and had explained in a calm and peaceful voice. But hidden within the depths of his voice was an arrow ready to spring so that Wang Ziwen’s power from his official position wouldn’t be able to take hold of him.

In front of this major figure, Wang Chao gave no leeway of appearing weak to him.

If Wang Ziwen’s might was established due to his political clout, then Wang Chao’s might was honed by the many life or death battles and cultivated by the spirit of Chinese boxing. He would naturally have the air of a master.

A practitioner would have the unyielding spirit of one. Even up against the world itself, they would remain calm.

When close at hand, a man could overtake a country, and when a horse was angry, blood could spilled before five steps were taken. It took ten steps to kill a man, and a thousand steps would mean none was spared. A true chivalrous practitioner wouldn’t bother to scrape and beg at the knee of a prince and would instead be like a hawk that finds its prey from above a temple.

“The son of the Jiangs? Jiang Hai?” When Wang Ziwen saw that Wang Chao hadn’t moved an inch and hadn’t bothered to call him uncle, there was a brilliant flash of light in his eyes. “Another man with the same haughtiness as Duan Guochao. He takes himself to be a man of power that could defy the aristocracy and slow the government.”

In an instant, Wang Ziwen had ascertained Wang Chao’s personality.

But suddenly, he felt that something was wrong.

“Eh? This isn’t right–this youngster’s aura. Even in front of him, I still feel pressured. He acts as if he is of a higher status than I am to him. A feeling like this is akin to what I feel when I look to the elder of my own family, but why?”

It was afterwards that he had realized that this young man’s aura had hidden a great amount of pressure within this calmness of his. In his eyes especially, it had managed to oppress even him.

Every single time he went to the military district and see his old man, he would be scolded. The feeling that his old man gave him was the exact same as this one.

“How can that be? From the body of a youngster, the aura of my old man can be felt? Is my health failing me, or is my head growing senile?” Wang Ziwen scrunched together his eyebrows and tried to calm his nerves.

In truth, Wang Chao had been enlightened on the way to hone the heart when he had been with the elder Li. To have the aura of a man from the previous generation had been nothing strange. But there would be no way for Wang Ziwen to know of such a fact.

“So it was the son of the Jiangs. That kid has some skill that I heard was on par with Duan Guochao. But if Duan Guochao lost to you, then Jiang Hai’s defeat at your hands was to be expected. Youngster, your victory over Duan Guochao had many people of mine object over it. While I managed to rein over some of them, there will be some that will personally come to challenge you. But still, a youngster going around fighting and killing isn’t a good thing. In the case a serious problem occurs, it will be hard to hide it.”

Wang Ziwen smiled, “Youngster, the women in my family all enjoy learning some martial arts here and then. If you have the time, please come to my household and teach them a thing or two.”

“I will.” Wang Chao nodded.

“Youngster, work hard. Do not waste the time and discipline of the organization.” Wang Ziwen spoke those two words and turned around to walk away. After taking two steps away, he suddenly turned his head around, “Ah, youngster, a part of your files and that Lin Yanan’s files are all located at the 18th bureau of the Ministry of State Security. Now that the investigation is over, take it back with you. It’ll be considered gone as soon as you hand it over to your higher ups. Furthermore, do take the time to talk with those other youngsters so that their hostility may become friendships. It’ll save you and the organization some trouble in the case that another disagreement happens again.”

With that, Wang Ziwen turned around for the last time. And with the other guards, he entered his car without another look.

Wang Ziwen had came this time to determine just what type of person Wang Chao was, but he never would have imagined that he would be the one feeling pressured instead of Wang Chao. This was completely unexpected to him.

“What a fellow. Even in front of Wang Ziwen, you kept your cool.” The investigator Xiao Lai gave a thumbs up to Wang Chao after seeing that Wang Ziwen had left.