Chapter 32: The Martial Way

However, he couldn't just stop now. After all, he was the one who had started this, and if he didn't grit his teeth and keep teaching, it would be too demeaning to his reputation—he might even be branded with the stigma of being untrustworthy.

"You..."

Su Ling looked at Chen Ping'an, who was currently scratching his ears and cheeks like a monkey possessed. Seeing that Chen Ping'an still couldn't grasp the martial arts knowledge he had just broken down into the simplest terms, Su Ling felt a bit speechless.

Su Ling felt like crying without tears. He looked up toward the window and noticed the sky was growing dark. A strange sense of relief washed over him, which was quite pathetic.

"Brother Su, am I too dull..."

Although it was generous to call Chen Ping'an's martial arts talent "wise but appearing foolish," he was a sharp observer of others' expressions. The moment he opened his eyes and saw Su Ling's blank face, he knew he had likely angered him again.

"Not at all." Su Ling waved his hand, lying against his conscience, and tried his best to soothe Chen Ping'an's fragile little heart. "Well, it's getting late. How about this: you cook, I'll eat, and that will make my teaching worthwhile."

"Yes, I'll go right now. Brother Su, what would you like to eat?"

"Anything is fine, as long as you're the one cooking."

Hearing this, the lingering trace of sadness on Chen Ping'an's face vanished as if swept away by a spring breeze; his expression brightened instantly—he truly was a master of changing faces. Seeing this, Su Ling smiled with a hint of exhaustion, then rose to push open the door, letting Chen Ping'an head to his own kitchen.

...

The next morning, the sun shone brightly.

Su Ling, still sleeping in his bed, was abruptly awakened by a loud, resonant voice. The sound seemed strangely familiar.

It was the anniversary of Chen Ping'an's parents' death. Su Ling yawned and pushed open his door, his gaze drifting across the dilapidated mud wall to his neighbor's house.

He saw Chen Ping'an pull out two yellow paper talismans from somewhere, ignite them in the courtyard, and then drop to his knees with his palms pressed together. Chen Ping'an closed his eyes, his expression a mixture of sorrow and nostalgic longing, as he kowtowed toward the southeast, each bow accompanied by a loud, dull thud against the ground.

Just as the talismans finished burning and a trace of ash remained on the ground, a knock came at the door. At the same time, the familiar voice reached Su Ling, piquing his curiosity.

"Chen Ping'an, I, your master, have come to see you!"

Chen Ping'an stood up, pushed open his wooden door, and found Liu Xianyang standing outside with a grinning face.

"Yo? Brother Su, you're here too?"

Liu Xianyang and Chen Ping'an had been close friends since childhood, having been through thick and thin together, so they were naturally very comfortable with each other.

However, when Liu Xianyang noticed Su Ling nearby, his attitude uncharacteristically straightened, shedding his previous flippant and casual air.

"Brother Su, Master asked me to bring you a message: return to the smithy within three days."

"Oh?"

Su Ling raised an eyebrow, curious about Master Ruan's intentions. As for whether Liu Xianyang was lying to tease him, Su Ling was certain he wasn't. No matter how careless Liu Xianyang could be, he wouldn't joke about such a serious matter.

On the other side, Chen Ping'an was wide-eyed with curiosity upon hearing his dear friend refer to Ruan Qiong of the Qilong Lane smithy as "Master."

"Liu Xianyang, have you successfully become an apprentice?"

Liu Xianyang froze, then scratched his head with a sheepish smile. "I'm just getting used to the title 'Master' ahead of time... Ha! With my natural talent, I'll be an apprentice sooner or later."

"Listening to you, that means you aren't an apprentice yet?" Chen Ping'an was a bit speechless.

"Listen to yourself! You don't believe in my ability!"

"Alright, alright."

"That's more like it..."

At that moment, Liu Xianyang noticed that the house next to Chen Ping'an's had been silent for a long time, and he became curious. "Where's Zhi Gui? Even the little chicks are gone?"

After watching for a long time without seeing Song Jixin's maid come out to feed the chicks, Liu Xianyang's expression turned frantic. He speculated in shock, "Oh no, has Zhi Gui's house been robbed? Could she have been kidnapped by thieves!"

The more Liu Xianyang thought about it, the more convinced he became. His expression turned miserable as he muttered to himself, seemingly full of regret. "My dear Zhi Gui... please don't let anything happen to you... You haven't even given me a chubby son yet..."

Chen Ping'an: "..."

Su Ling, watching from by the mud wall: "..."

Hearing Liu Xianyang's unnerving wailing, Su Ling's mouth twitched.

Given that display, the only reason Ruan Qiong would ever take him on as an apprentice would be if Liu Xianyang had truly exceptional talent; otherwise, he would have been kicked out of the school long ago.

"You... don't be like this..."

Seeing this, even the usually gentle and refined Chen Ping'an found it hard to watch. He glanced at Su Ling and offered a wry, awkward smile, effectively apologizing for Liu Xianyang's disturbance. After all, Chen Ping'an knew perfectly well that Brother Su usually wouldn't wake up until the sun was high; his early rising today was likely due to the noise of Liu Xianyang's antics.

"Alright, your wife Zhi Gui hasn't been kidnapped. Song Jixin moved out overnight yesterday. Your Zhi Gui is fine..."

"Is that true?"

"...Yes."

Chen Ping'an bent down and helped Liu Xianyang up, looking him straight in his slightly reddened eyes. It was clear that he had developed genuine feelings for Zhi Gui.

"That's good. You really scared the life out of me..."

Liu Xianyang stood up without a shred of dignity, casually brushing the dust from his clothes, sending up small clouds of dirt. "I'm off, I need to see if Zhi Gui has gone far. By the way, which direction did they go?"

"..."

Chen Ping'an pointed in a general direction, and Liu Xianyang hurried off in high spirits, completely indifferent to the pitying gaze of his best friend behind him.

Others called Chen Ping'an the fool of the humble alley, but he knew that his friend Liu Xianyang was just as much of a fool as he was—a lovesick, foolish giant.

"Yo, have you eaten?"

While Chen Ping'an and Liu Xianyang were flirting—so to speak—Su Ling had already finished his morning routine and stepped across the threshold of Chen Ping'an's home.

"Not yet..."

Seeing Chen Ping'an's calm and composed demeanor, Su Ling felt relieved. He had worried that Chen Ping'an might have fallen into some sort of conspiracy. But in reality, Chen Ping'an was doing just fine; after all, that earth-shattering battle from yesterday was, to put it accurately, nothing more than Su Ling unilaterally pulverizing the Great Li military god, Song Changjing.