Martial Arts Master

Panda Novel

At night fall, Lou Cheng stayed with Yan Zheke until the class ring belt. Then he returned to the faculty’s apartment and spent some time there. His mater finally came.

“Let’s move. They will arrive at Zhaoshan Lake any minute.” Geezer Shi wagged his head as if he was just awake.

“How?” Lou Cheng murmured unconsciously.

He guessed that Mighty Ones of physical invulnerability would march differently than average fighters do.

Geezer Shi stared at him. “They ran. You have good stamina, don’t you?”

“If you say so… ” Lou Cheng looked distracted, thinking of running over there.

Zhaoshan Lake was far from here, but it was OK…

Lou’s irresolute expression made Geezer Shi impatient, and Shi said, “What were you thinking? Hail a special car now! You have a strong physique, but I am too old for the run!”

“Hail a special car…” Lou Cheng looked up at the sky, picked out his mobile phone and opened the hailing APP.

Is that the way how a Mighty One of physical invulnerability supposed to march?

Later, the master and his apprentice left the campus and got on the special car.

“To Zhaoshan Lake? Now?” Asked the taxi driver, restlessly.

For Zhaoshan Lake was a tourist spot, no visitor would take a tour there after sunset.

At the moment, the image of drivers killed by passengers in the middle of nowhere flashed before the driver’s eyes. Shaking with fear, he regretted that he took the order.

If it were not on my way home, I would never take the order!

He set up the GPS, turned off the distant lights and quietly took a photo of two passengers on the back seat. He decided to send it to his wife and told her that if anything happened to him, the passengers were the suspects!

After sending the message, the driver switched to the GPS. He did not even take a closer look at the picture he just took.

As sensitive as Lou Cheng, he had already noticed the driver’s abnormal behavior yet Lou could not care less. Funny.

He saw his master closed his eyes and rested. So he followed his master and tried to keep in a top form.

It was a silent journey. When the special car arrived at Zhaoshan Lake, Lou Cheng opened his eyes, seeing a scenic lake reflecting the moonlight. In contrast to daytime, the dusky and tranquil surroundings would make people lost in meditation.

In the middle of the lake, there was an isle, lying as a behemoth.

“Thank you.” Lou Cheng showed civility and got off the special car.

Geezer Shi shut the door as he got out of the car. The driver finally felt some relief as if he was set free.

The driver waved his hand to Lou Cheng and Geezer Shi. And then he pulled the stick, backed his car, spun the steering wheel and rushed to leave.

The taxi-hailing APP rang a belt on Lou Cheng’s phone when the deal was done. Lou Cheng and Geezer Shi went to the shore of the lake.

“Master, where are they?” Lou Cheng looked around and found no one.

“On the isle… ” Geezer Shi clutched Lou’s shoulder and they leaped forward to the lake together.

“No! I have not taken a change of clothes!”  Lou Cheng popped up with this weird idea. He thought he was about to fall into water, but he felt something hard under his feet as if he was on the ground.

He took a quick look down. It was something glittering and translucent under the feet.

Within a radius of tens of centimeters, the water was frozen under the master’s feet.

“Let’s go.” Geezer Shi lifted Lou Cheng’s shoulder to avoid too much pressure on the ice.

As they moved along, the water was frozen all the way as a narrow path to the isle.

The driver drove for about dozens of meters. After he calmed down, a shadow of doubt fell on his mind.

What is the nature of the old and the young’s visit to Zhaoshan Lake?

Fishing? They carried no fishing gear.

Are they looking for someone? They were not heading to the living area.

The driver was so confused that he could not help looking at the rearview mirror. The passengers have disappeared!

Disappeared? He shivered with fear, put on the brakes and pulled over. He rolled down the window and craned forward to take a look at the shore.

The bright ripples spread under the moonlight. Two receding figures were walking on the water and then disappeared.

“Oh, my…” the driver broke out in a cold sweat. He jumped into his car, rolled up the window with heart speeding up.

At that point, his cell phone rang. The call was from his wife.

“Yes… ” He answered with panting.

His wife asked in confusion, “What is wrong with the picture you sent me? Are you OK? I just crooned the baby to sleep and read your message.”

“Something wrong?” The driver blurted out, with his flesh creeping.

“You asked me to remember those two passengers but there is no one in the picture!” His wife felt puzzled.

The driver dropped his phone by the brake.

He picked up his phone in shock and hanged up. And then he checked the picture he sent to his wife earlier and all he could see was a hazy and empty view. There was no passenger at all!

Pop!

His phone dropped again.

He was too scared to pick up his phone. The driver started the taxi as if he was running for his life.

This was sheer nonsense!

Oh, my Gosh!

I will never make fun of my wife’ superstitious beliefs!

He almost had a nervous breakdown and overturned his car into the ditch several times. Fortunately the road conditions were good and he lived nearby. Finally he arrived at his community safe and sound, yet backed his car for a while and left it crooked.

He ran wildly home. The first thing he said to his wife was:

“Hurry, put up the portrait of the Primeval Lord of Heaven(Yuanshi Tianzun) in our bedroom, now!”

…

On the isle, Lou Cheng followed Geezer Shi to a steep cliff, finding two figures standing there.

“Just two of you?” Geezer Shi raised his eyebrows, picked out his flask and sipped.

One of them was in middle age, with deep eye sockets, a tall nose, and a few silver hairs. It seemed that there were blaze gleaming behind his sharp eyes.

He answered in a cold tone, “It’s no big deal. Two of us would be enough.”

Geezer Shi introduced him to Lou Cheng. “This old guy is just like me, nameless, wandering from place to place. He had high aspirations when he was young, mixing several tricks of Plague Sect into Fire Sect. He named himself Star of Evil Flame after Star of Virtuous Flame. Since he had no idea what Virtuous Flame means, he then changed the title into Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame.”

“Master! You have just warned me that do not provoke that fellow due to his bad temperament.”  Lou Cheng was frightened by master’s satire. He saluted to that man and addressing him as senior.

Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame said nothing. It seemed that he had got used to Geezer Shi’s teasing.

Geezer Shi stopped provoking and turned to another figure. “There is no need to introduce. You should have known her.”

Of course! She was the Mighty One with a world-renowned reputation for thirty years — Queen of Thought! Lou Cheng suppressed his excitement and saluted.

“My pleasure, Madam Fei.”

Queen of Thought, Fei Dan was already past fifty. She was one of the most active fighters of physical invulnerability. She was equally famous as Dao Jian Wu Qiao, the lord of Shushan Study. So far, she had won twenty titles, the most famous one of which was Queen of Thought (or King of Thought). In recent years, although her martial skills attained perfection, her strength was waning. She lost most of the battles between her and Dragon King or Warrior Sage.

Besides, she actually ran the Xinghai Club which was a mysterious organization with members specified in varied martial arts skills, including a part of skills of Water Sect, the Ground Divine Skill out of Fighting Sect, and Tai Chi, which is derived from Restriction Sect of Taoist School.

Less than 170 cm tall, Fei Dan looked like in her thirties by her elegant appearance. After Lou Cheng saluted, she smiled. “Young man, would you like to join Xinghai Club after graduation?”

Lou Cheng blushed with fear, not knowing what to respond.

“Oh.” Geezer Shi jumped in. “Stop seducing him. He worships Dragon King and his wife is from Shushan Study. You Xinghai Club had no chance. Let me tell you something, son, she looks educated and reasonable now, but she was of a bad temper before… ”

“Can you shut your mouth?” Fei Dan, Queen of Thought shook her head and interrupted, “Let’s move down.”

As she spoke, she shone out with brilliancy, forming a sphere in which everyone was enclosed.

Lou Cheng was curious. The sphere was so transparent as it was made of liquid film.

“Jump.” Fei Dan’s voice entered his ears.

Lou Cheng hesitated no more, falling from the cliff.

The crystal ball was swaying lightly and landed on the water and sank.

It was getting dark under the water. Lou Cheng looked around and could not believe that he was under the water of Zhaoshan Lake.

He breathed just fine, bearing no water pressure or humidity!

Falling for a while, his feet contacted to earth. They have arrived at the bottom of the lake.

Queen of Thought, Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame, Geezer Shi were familiar with the place and travelled around the bottom of isle and they found a gap on the rock, like a crack between a door and its frame.

Lou Cheng obeyed his master’s guidance: observe more and talk less. He remained silence.

At the moment, Divine Enchanter of Sin Flame discharged a green blaze from his wrist, piercing through the water ball and reached the crack and there emerged a stretch of flames.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder came, and the isle started to shake. The crack broadened and drew back.

It was literally a crack in the door!

The door opened. A stone stair lay in front of them. It seemed an invisible barrier held the water from swarming in.

The water ball was glistening, and floated into the abodes of fairies and immortals, and then disintegrated into bubbles.

Lou Cheng looked right and left, breathing freely. The air inside was fresh and cool, and he even felt a faint breeze.

Lou Cheng pulled himself together, following his master and others, stepping up on the stair. Meanwhile he paid attention to his Jindan, wondering if it would change in its original abode.

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