Chapter 51: Lü Ci's Bold Declarations

Hearing his master's call, Feng Ping, who had just suffered a defeat, showed not a trace of dejection on his face and scampered over eagerly.

"Greetings, Master; greetings, Celestial Master; greetings, Sect Leader Zuo; greetings, Elder Lu; greetings, Patriarch Lu..."

"Cut the flattery. Tell us, what was that senior from the Celestial Master's Mansion who gave you pointers like?" Master Chu interrupted.

Feng Ping pondered for a moment and said, "That senior was wearing Taoist robes, tall in stature, with somewhat unkempt hair. His expression was resolute, steady, and imposing, and his words were driven into people's minds like iron nails into wood..."

Hearing Feng Ping's description, Zhang Jingqing felt a bit skeptical. Judging solely by the external description, it was undoubtedly that rebellious disciple of his. But the part about being steady, imposing, and speaking like nails hammered into wood...

Could this really be that thoroughly troublesome, mischievous disciple of his?

A parent's perception of their own child is often one-sided, and even the Celestial Master was no exception. Of course, the main reason was that Zhang Zhiwei never put on airs or acted cool in front of his master.

"Celestial Master, isn't this your disciple?" Zuo Ruotong reacted first, as he still had a very deep impression of Zhang Zhiwei.

"Likely eight or nine out of ten," Zhang Jingqing nodded.

"Disguising himself as a senior to give pointers to his peers—quite arrogant indeed. No wonder he needs a beating to straighten him out!" Zuo Ruotong laughed.

Zhang Jingqing didn't speak. He glanced at Lu Jin, who was regulating his breathing on the stage. As the Celestial Master, his cultivation had already reached the realm of perfection; the moment Lu Jin made his move earlier, he had seen right through the boy's depth.

With that level of strength, at the absolute most, Lu Jin was on par with that crafty, sly mouse of his who stayed hidden in the shadows to cultivate. To defeat his own lion? Impossible!

"Disguising as a senior to give pointers to peers?" Feng Ping, hearing Zuo Ruotong's words, wore a look of utter astonishment. "Sect Leader Zuo means that the senior who gave me pointers is actually the Celestial Master's disciple and my peer?"

Zuo Ruotong nodded.

Feng Ping let out a gasp of shock, "Good heavens, that kind of prowess, and he's my..."

Before he could finish, he received a few sharp raps on the head from Master Chu, beating a hasty retreat while shielding his head.

"You little rascal, what are you howling for? In the presence of Sect Leader Zuo and the Celestial Master, how dare you act so impudently! Get over there and stand properly. Without my permission, you are not allowed to speak a single word!"

Seeing his master ablaze with fury, Feng Ping didn't dare to step out of line again and obediently stood to the side, though his eyes kept darting around wildly.

So they were peers! No wonder he couldn't find a trace of him among the seats of the elders.

Upon learning this news, not only did Feng Ping feel no sense of shame, but his admiration for Zhang Zhiwei grew even deeper, flowing endlessly like a mighty river.

In the world of outcasts, the strong are revered.

If the person had truly been a senior, he would only have felt respect and reverence.

As it turned out, they were peers...

This big brother, I am definitely following him!

Feng Ping made up his mind in secret.

While Zhang Jingqing and Zuo Ruotong were conversing, a figure leaped onto the martial arts arena.

The newcomer was a plump man with a flat top, wearing glasses and clad in black martial arts attire. He gave off an impression of refined yet fierce hostility as he said with a gloomy expression:

"Yanwutang, Liu Deshui, wishes to request guidance on Young Master Lu's Inverting Source Triple."

"Yanwutang, is it..."

Lu Jin glanced at Liu Deshui's hands.

He noticed that the man's index and middle fingers were exceptionally thick, clearly indicating someone who specialized in hand techniques.

"Young Master Lu, do you remember me?"

Liu Deshui didn't attack immediately. Instead, he pushed up his glasses, suppressing the nearly uncontrollable excitement in his heart, and said in a deep voice.

"You know me?"

Lu Jin was momentarily stunned. He thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Brother Liu, I truly apologize, little brother here really... Wait, is there some place where our paths crossed?"

Hearing this, Liu Deshui was taken aback first, and then a surge of fury rushed straight to the top of his head. For all these years, he had regarded Lu Jin as his target day and night, as his lifelong rival, yet the other person hadn't even deigned to remember him. He felt as though he had thrown a bitter, hatred-filled punch only to strike a soft cotton ball.

"Forgotten, huh... No matter. Anyway, the me of today is no longer that foolish boy from back then!"

With that, he lunged forward, launching an attack as torrential and blazing as breaking waves against Lu Jin.

Lu Jin was somewhat bewildered, but he had no choice but to form fist seals to meet the enemy. The two exchanged blows, parrying and striking in a fierce back-and-forth.

"Yet another one of the Thirty-Six Thieves takes the stage. Tsk tsk tsk, why do I suddenly get the feeling of 'Thirty years in the east of the river, thirty years in the west, never bully a young man in his poverty'?"

Zhang Zhiwei chuckled inwardly. As for the grievances between the two, Lu Jin himself might not have been clear about them, but he knew the whole story.

It wasn't anything major either. Eight years ago, Lu Jin and Liu Deshui went to the San-I Sect together to seek discipleship. In the end, Zuo Ruotong accepted Lu Jin and rejected Liu Deshui. Liu Deshui knelt outside the San-I Sect for three days and three nights, but Zuo Ruotong never even glanced at him once.

Liu Deshui had always believed that Zuo Ruotong was a snob who favored the wealthy and influential, taking Lu Jin as a disciple simply because he came from a prestigious family. To prove a point and make Zuo Ruotong regret it, Liu Deshui had taken Lu Jin as his benchmark for progress all these years.

Now, at the Lu family's birthday banquet, with the chance to defeat Lu Jin right in front of Zuo Ruotong, Liu Deshui was pulling out all the stops. The intensity of the match far exceeded the boundaries of a friendly spar.

"Brother Lü Ci, what's going on? This Liu Deshui acts as if he has a deep personal grudge against Lu Jin!"

Even the little chubby boy, Wang Ai, noticed that something was amiss with the situation on the stage.

"Who knows? This Liu Deshui has a few tricks up his sleeve, but he's still not enough to match Lu Jin," Lü Ci evaluated sharply.

"Little brother, today is not like yesterday; you are not allowed to make a move. The two of you are evenly matched. If you want to determine a winner, a mere superficial spar won't cut it—you'll have to draw blood!"

Lü仁, worried that his hot-headed younger brother would act recklessly, preemptively stepped in and explained, "I know you've got a fire burning inside you, but today is a good day for the Lu family; there's really no need to crash their event."

"Our four families have always stood shoulder to shoulder on equal footing. Today, there might actually be someone present who can best Lu Jin by a trick or two. If that person belongs to another faction, that's one thing, but if it's a descendant of one of the other three families, the flavor of the whole thing changes, understand?"

"Brother, why are you so nagging? You already warned me yesterday. Don't worry, I won't go looking for trouble with Lu Jin, at least not today! Today, I'm going to take down that Taoist priest!" Lü Ci declared.

"Which Taoist priest?" Lü仁 asked.

Lü Ci motioned with his chin toward not far away.

Lü仁 looked over and happened to lock eyes with Zhang Zhiwei.

Lü仁 smiled and nodded at Zhang Zhiwei, then whispered to Lü Ci, "The Celestial Master's prime disciple, likely of the Zhang lineage—he looks like a tough nut to crack!"

"So what if he's the Celestial Master's prime disciple and of the Zhang lineage? Doesn't he still carry one head on two shoulders?" Lü Ci said with a rebellious smirk. "Who respects a soft bone? The harder the bone, the more satisfying it is to crunch!"

Hearing Lü Ci's bold words, Zhang Zhiwei laughed, "Four-Cups Lü, you want to fight me?"

"What's the matter, Taoist? You were so brave drinking yesterday; are you scared today?"

Lü Ci chuckled. He couldn't outdrink him, but couldn't he beat him in a fight? The face he had lost at the drinking table, he intended to win back on the martial arts stage.

"So confident?" Zhang Zhiwei grinned. "Very well, when the time comes, I'll definitely go all out and offer some proper 'guidance.' Just make sure you actually have the guts to step onto the stage!"