abnabooks Chapter 58 The threshold of becoming a Grandmaster is not something anyone can cross.
Chapter 58 The threshold of becoming a Grandmaster is not something anyone can cross.
The next morning.
The backyard of the Lu residence was shrouded in mist.
Shunzi, Xiaodouzi, and Lu Feng, whose injuries had not yet fully healed, stood properly and respectfully in front of Lu Cheng.
Open your mouth.
Without saying a word, Lu Cheng flicked a Marrow Cleansing Pill into each of them.
"Grandpa, what's this? It's sweet!" Little Bean smacked his lips.
"Don't ask, just swallow it."
Lu Cheng stood with his hands behind his back. "No martial arts practice today. Shunzi, go and clean the outhouse and prepare plenty of toilet paper."
"Huh?" Shunzi was taken aback.
Before he could react, the effects of the medicine in his stomach exploded.
It wasn't the burning pain, but rather a surging, exhilarating sense of clarity.
"Gurgle—"
At the same time, all three of them experienced a thunderous rumble in their stomachs.
"Oh my god!"
Little Bean covered his bottom, his face turning green. "Master, I... I can't hold it in anymore!"
"Run!"
Three figures darted towards the outhouse like rabbits.
Lu Cheng stood in the courtyard, listening to the sounds coming from over there, and smiled.
This Marrow Cleansing Pill expels acquired toxins and clears away the toxins left by grains and cereals.
After this process, even if the three children were originally stubborn rocks, their potential will be polished to a point where they can be transformed into something beautiful.
……
Soon, Qianmen Street became lively.
Before the vermilion gate of the Lu residence was even opened, it was already surrounded by onlookers.
Everyone pointed and whispered, looking at the group of men dressed in black training uniforms with yellow belts around their waists, each one looking dejected.
Leading the group was none other than the owner of the Iron Fist Gym, the usually imposing "Iron Hand Li" in the southern part of the city.
Today, this Third Master Li didn't ride in a sedan chair or on horseback.
He stood straight down the steps at the entrance of the Lu residence, holding a large red invitation card in his hands, followed by his eldest apprentice, Zhao Shanhe, who was holding a brocade box.
Behind them was Ma San, who was bound hand and foot with a rattan cane stuck in his back.
"What's going on? Is the Iron Fist Gym here to challenge us?"
"What kind of nonsense is this? Didn't you see the way they were acting? They're here to apologize!"
"Tsk tsk, Boss Lu really has a lot of influence. Even Master Li has to bow down to him."
"Nonsense, Boss Lu is a god who dodged bullets, who dares to disagree?"
Three poles in the sun.
The gate to the Lu residence finally opened with a creak.
It wasn't Lu Cheng who came out, it was Shunzi.
Shunzi was now dressed in a silk training uniform, looking very energetic, just like the eldest disciple of the Lu family.
He glanced at the scene at the entrance, but wasn't intimidated; he simply gave a slight bow.
"Master Li, my master said..."
"I practiced too late yesterday, and I just got up and am still washing up."
"I'll keep you waiting a little longer."
These words caused an uproar among those around them.
This is just left to air out!
This is setting rules, but it's also a slap in the face!
Normally, Master Li's explosive temper would have already exploded.
But today, he didn't even frown. Instead, he bent down even lower and his face was full of smiles.
"Of course, of course."
"Master Lu is a celestial being; it is a blessing for us mere mortals to wait."
This wait lasted for an hour.
It wasn't until almost noon that Shunzi came out again and opened the gate.
"Master Li, please. My master is waiting in the main hall."
……
The main hall of the Lu family residence.
The floor heater was hot, and a warm feeling greeted me as soon as I entered the room.
Lu Cheng sat in the main seat of the armchair, holding a covered bowl in his hand, skimming off the tea foam.
He wasn't wearing a long robe today, but rather a white training uniform, which made him look exceptionally casual.
But this very casualness was, in Li Sanye's eyes, unfathomable.
"Li Tieshou, a junior disciple of the Xingyi School, along with his unworthy apprentice, pays respects to Grandmaster Lu!"
As soon as Master Li entered the door, he bowed deeply without saying a word.
This is a very generous gift.
In the martial arts world, unless one is meeting an elder or a grandmaster who is capable of founding a school, the head of a martial arts school would never perform such a grand ceremony.
Zhao Shanhe also knelt down, and Ma San, who was tied up, kowtowed repeatedly.
"Master Li, you flatter me."
Lu Cheng remained seated in the chair, not getting up to help, but simply said something indifferently.
"I, Lu, am just an opera singer; I cannot accept such a grand gesture."
"I can handle it! I can handle it!"
Third Master Li raised his head, his face full of sincerity, even with a hint of fear.
"Master Lu's skill of 'aware of danger and avoidance' is a legend in our martial arts world."
"This wicked disciple is blind and has offended the true Buddha."
"Today, I brought this beast with me."
Master Li turned around and shouted sternly:
"Apologize to Master Lu now!"
Ma San cried with snot and tears streaming down his face:
"Master Lu, Ancestor Lu, I was wrong, I was blinded by greed..."
"Alright."
Lu Cheng waved his hand, somewhat impatiently.
He looked at Master Li, a glint of gold flashing in his eyes.
With his keen eyes, he saw through Li Sanye's true nature completely.
"His qi and blood have declined somewhat, but his skeletal structure is still intact. There is a kind of qi in his dantian, which is not strong, but very condensed."
"This is... hidden force?"
Lu Cheng understood the situation.
Isn't this the "wise person" he's been looking for?
"Master Li, now that you're here, don't put on this self-inflicted injury act."
Lu Cheng put down his teacup and pointed to the chair next to him.
"sit."
"Although Ma San is a bastard, I already beat him up at the martial arts arena that day."
"Although I, Lu Cheng, am not exactly a saint, I do believe in the principle of 'one offense, no reprisal'."
"Untie him and make him go outside and kneel down, so he doesn't get my carpet dirty."
Upon hearing this, Master Li felt a weight lifted from his heart.
This means that his life has been saved.
"Thank you so much, Master Lu, for your magnanimity! Thank you!"
Master Li quickly ordered his men to drag Ma San out, while he himself carefully sat down, half his buttocks resting on the chair.
"Master Lu..."
Master Li took the brocade box from Zhao Shanhe and presented it with both hands.
"This is just a small token of our appreciation from our Iron Fist Gym. It's nothing special."
"in addition……"
Third Master Li paused for a moment, then tentatively spoke.
"To apologize to Master Lu, I booked a table at Fengzeyuan Restaurant."
"Would Master Lu do me the honor of joining us for a chat?"
Fengzeyuan.
That's the top of the eight major restaurants, a place where truly high-ranking officials and dignitaries dine.
Lu Cheng glanced at Master Li, then at his eldest disciple Zhao Shanhe, who had been silent but whose eyes were clear and who stood ramrod straight.
He smiled.
"it is good."
"Perfect timing, I also have a few questions I'd like to ask Master Li."
……
The private room on the second floor of Fengzeyuan is called "Auspicious Purple Qi from the East".
The room was filled with mahogany furniture, with paintings by Zhang Daqian hanging on the walls and fine porcelain from Jingdezhen on the table.
Before the main dishes were served, four kinds of dried fruit, four kinds of fresh fruit, and four kinds of candied fruit were served first.
Lu Cheng sat in the main seat, with Third Master Li accompanying him, while Zhao Shanhe stood behind his master pouring wine.
The wine is a 20-year-old aged Shaoxing wine, warmed to just the right temperature.
"Master Lu, please!" Third Master Li raised his cup.
Lu Cheng took a sip, put down his wine glass, and didn't touch his chopsticks.
He looked at Master Li and got straight to the point.
"Master Li, let's speak frankly."
"I, Lu Cheng, am a self-taught martial artist; I learned my skills by myself, albeit haphazardly."
"Oh?" Master Li was taken aback, but his mind was in turmoil.
He's just practicing blindly on his own?
Can you really learn to dodge bullets by just practicing blindly?
This is too Versailles!
"Master Lu is too modest. Such talent is a gift from the ancestral master," said Master Li with a smile.
"No."
Lu Cheng shook his head, his expression serious.
I'm not lying to you.
"I've reached this level of skill, and I feel a strange energy within my body."
"I want it to be hard, but sometimes it's soft; I want it to be fast, but sometimes it's sticky."
"It's like... there are two little people fighting inside your body."
"I've heard that Xingyi Quan emphasizes 'three levels of principles, three steps of skill, and three methods of practice'."
"I wonder if Master Li could enlighten me on what exactly the path leads to after the Ming Jin technique?"