Chapter Forty-Nine: Martial Arts Grandmaster

“What have you decided?” Huang Hai’s expression was deep and unreadable, neither pleasure nor anger discernable. In contrast, Gao Wu felt a tinge of guilt—this man clearly carried the aura of an otherworldly spirit; he must be a devotee of the Demon God!

Gao Wu trusted Song Mingyue implicitly. Though the girl was quiet and reticent, and had nearly drowned in White Scale Lake, making her seem unreliable, in truth Song Mingyue was calm, rational, and meticulous in all her actions. Most importantly, she valued loyalty and bonds deeply.

After more than a month of acquaintance, Gao Wu had come to rely entirely on Song Mingyue’s judgment. If she said so, it couldn’t be wrong. Coach Huang Hai being a Demon God follower fit perfectly with his suspicions about the man’s identity! No matter how one looked at him, Huang Hai was not a good person; being a Demon God devotee was only reasonable.

As for why Huang Hai showed no unusual behavior yesterday, perhaps he hadn’t come into contact with the wounded spirit last night.

Huang Hai was a junior warrior, capable of wielding source energy and could easily crush him with a single move! If Gao Wu had a sword, he could perhaps put up a fight with his Thunderclap Gale technique, but a single mistake would mean certain death… For now, it was best to keep him appeased.

Suppressing the turmoil in his mind, Gao Wu forced a grin at Huang Hai. “Teacher, you’ve done so much for me. Of course I’ll fight for you. No problem, I’m ready to go up on stage.”

He’d thought it through—agree with Huang Hai for now since there was still a day’s time. All he needed to do was inform the Supervision Bureau, and Huang Hai would be finished!

For most, that might be difficult, but his grandfather’s friend, Lei Zhen, was the Deputy Director of the Supervision Division, specializing in handling Demon God followers.

Huang Hai didn’t expect Gao Wu to agree so readily; surprise flickered briefly in his eyes, but his face remained impassive. “You’re sensible now, willing to share your coach’s burdens.”

He patted Gao Wu on the shoulder, emphasizing, “I won’t let your efforts go unrewarded. Perform well and you’ll get a cash bonus—I can also help you purchase Vajra Elixirs…”

“Thank you, coach,” Gao Wu replied, his face full of sincerity.

“Train well,” Huang Hai instructed before turning away at a leisurely pace.

Back in his office, Huang Hai took out his phone and called Lü Hongsheng. “He agreed. Arrange for him to go onstage at nine on Friday night.”

“Excellent. Give him a little surprise in the first match,” came Lü Hongsheng’s deep voice through the receiver.

“There won’t be any trouble?” Huang Hai asked.

“What trouble could there be? Everything’s been investigated,” Lü Hongsheng laughed heartily. “It was Song Yunhe’s daughter who helped the kid. Song Yunhe is nothing in the Song family, let alone his daughter who set up her own branch.”

“If Song Mingyue had real power, she’d have pulled Gao Wu out of the Public Security Bureau directly. Why play tricks online? It’s nothing to worry about.”

Such a small matter causing a public stir already said plenty.

“We’ll talk tonight,” Lü Hongsheng concluded.

After hanging up, Huang Hai walked to the window and gazed down at Gao Wu, who was lifting weights. The boy wore only a tank top, working sets with a thousand-kilogram barbell, his whole body steaming with heat, the muscles of his arms and neck well-defined and proportioned, quite impressive.

Huang Hai recalled the solid strength he’d felt when he patted Gao Wu’s shoulder—far sturdier than his own nephew, which was unusual.

The imitation Blood Dragon Elixir was stronger but also riskier. Gao Wu practiced the Nine Forms of the Dragon, yet by all logic, his physique shouldn’t outclass Huang Long, who cultivated the Golden Bull Fist, by so much!

Clearly, Gao Wu possessed not just extraordinary drug resistance but an innate physical talent beyond the ordinary. For their plan, this was a blessing.

As for the details, he’d discuss them with Lü Hongsheng tonight. With Zhang Hao’s recent trouble attracting attention, they needed to keep a low profile and avoid ruining the grand design.

“Old Song, I’ve discovered a secret.”

That evening, after meeting with Song Mingyue, Gao Wu couldn’t contain himself and shared the revelation at once, “My coach, Huang Hai, is a devotee of the Demon God.”

A hint of doubt flickered in Song Mingyue’s clear eyes, so Gao Wu continued, “He carries the aura of an otherworldly spirit.”

“Then there’s no doubt,” Song Mingyue affirmed. The spirit whose spiritual waves resonated with hers had exuded a clear demonic aura after being wounded by her sword. Precisely because a Demon God follower had performed a ritual, the spirit had managed to escape her Frost Moon Sword.

A wounded spirit couldn’t control its power, and the devotee who performed the ritual would inevitably be tainted with its aura—though most people couldn’t sense this.

“This complicates matters,” Song Mingyue frowned, her delicate brows creasing in concern.

“Just report it to the Supervision Office,” Gao Wu had already made up his mind. He grinned, “It’s like killing with a borrowed knife—quick and easy.”

“It’s not that simple.” Song Mingyue shook her head. Facing Gao Wu’s puzzled look, she said, “How can you be sure there aren’t Demon God followers in the Supervision Office?”

“What?!” Gao Wu was startled. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “My grandfather’s comrade Lei Zhen is the Deputy Director there. It’s thanks to him that I got out so fast. He’s definitely trustworthy!”

“Are you certain?” Song Mingyue looked straight into his eyes. “If Lei Zhen is compromised, you’re doomed—and your family along with you. This concerns your life. Are you really prepared to risk it so lightly?”

That left Gao Wu speechless. He hadn’t thought that far, basing his trust in Lei Zhen solely on the man’s past care and his friendship with his grandfather.

But those judgments were rooted only in personal impressions, without any objective foundation.

He felt a bit indignant—Lei Zhen held a key post, wielding power and prestige, and his job was to deal with Demon God devotees. Surely the internal controls were strict.

Whatever the reasoning, Lei Zhen had no cause to be a Demon God follower.

Still, Song Mingyue’s caution was for his own good, so there was no point in arguing.

“What about the Public Security Bureau?” Gao Wu ventured.

Song Mingyue shook her head. “From what I know, nearly ten thousand people have vanished from Dongjiang’s nine counties and one city in the past two years.”

“What?” Gao Wu could hardly believe it—so many missing?

“With a combined population of over ten million, a missing rate of five in ten thousand isn’t outrageous,” Song Mingyue explained. “It wouldn’t attract much notice. According to family sources, this is actually a sign of Demon God devotees becoming active. It means that beneath Dongjiang’s calm surface, fierce undercurrents are already surging…”

She looked at Gao Wu. “At a time like this, we must be cautious, cautious, and cautious.”

“Say it three times—it’s important. I understand.” Gao Wu nodded vigorously.

He then asked, “So what should I do?”

If everyone was suspect, how could he deal with Huang Hai? The man was a warrior—he didn’t stand a chance, especially since Huang Hai surely had accomplices.

Suddenly, inspiration struck Gao Wu. “Why not ask Uncle Song for help?”

He shot her a fawning smile. “Best friend, I know this puts you in a tough spot. But only Uncle Song has the ability to help.”

If only his grandfather weren’t injured, he’d have someone to shield him.

Now, he could only hope these troubles wouldn’t involve his grandfather. Song Mingyue’s father, Song Yunhe, was after all the general manager of Dongjiang’s Longteng Branch—a prominent figure in the city. More importantly, Song Yunhe could mobilize family resources. The Song family had Song Xuetao, a martial king who reigned over the Northern State!

If Song Yunhe intervened, Huang Hai would be nothing.

But Song Mingyue shook her head. “My father is unreliable—ambitious but incompetent, and easily falls into dissipation. He’s quick to degenerate.”

“Uh…” Gao Wu was speechless. Was it really all right for her to criticize her own father so?

He felt helpless—this wouldn’t do, that wouldn’t do. Was his best friend just expecting him to wait for death?

Song Mingyue understood his feelings. Before he could speak, she said, “I’ll go to my grandfather. He would never worship the Demon God; he’s strong enough to handle your problem.”

“You mean to ask General Song himself?!” Gao Wu’s spirits soared. After all this time with Song Mingyue, he’d learned a thing or two about her family.

Martial King Song Xuetao was her great-grandfather; her grandfather, Song Chunqiu, was the sixth son of Song Xuetao—a grandmaster of martial arts, commander of the Third Army of the Aurora Legion, and a lieutenant general.

The basic information on this grandmaster was available online.

But Song Chunqiu was quite prolific—rumor had it he had over a dozen children. By Song Mingyue’s generation, the number of grandchildren was too high to count.

Though she didn’t get along with her father, for her to be able to turn to such a high-ranking grandfather was truly impressive.

“The Aurora Legion is stationed on the Icefield precisely to suppress beasts and the Demon God. This matter falls under my grandfather’s jurisdiction.”

Gao Wu’s face lit up, but Song Mingyue added, “However, he’s extremely busy. I don’t know when he’ll be able to come. For now, you’ll have to keep Huang Hai at bay for a few days. Since he wants you to fight in the arena, he shouldn’t do anything to you right away.”

“Um, best friend, what if Huang Hai tries to kill me?” Gao Wu put on a woeful expression. “If that happens, you’ll lose your only best friend in the world!”

“I’ll stay with you during this time—you’ll be fine,” Song Mingyue replied.

“You can handle a warrior?” Gao Wu was skeptical. She hadn’t managed to slay the spirit, and he hadn’t noticed her become particularly formidable.

“Handling Huang Hai won’t be a problem.” Song Mingyue’s voice was gentle, but her clear eyes brimmed with confidence.

“What if there are other experts?” Gao Wu asked.

“My spiritual power has grown immensely. I can sense all kinds of information around us. If there’s any real danger, I’ll know ahead of time. There won’t be a problem,” Song Mingyue assured him.

She paused, then added, “If we really can’t deal with it, I’ll die with you.”

Gao Wu was moved. He knew, deep down, that since Huang Hai was openly publicizing his upcoming arena match, it was unlikely anything would happen to him in the next few days. His dramatics were mostly to see what countermeasures Song Mingyue might have, not because he was truly afraid.

But Song Mingyue’s earnestness caught him off guard. For a moment, he was at a loss for words. All he could do was pull Song Mingyue into a tight hug. “Best friend!”

Song Mingyue’s body tensed, but she didn’t refuse his embrace.

Holding her slender, firm, yet soft frame, a ridiculous thought suddenly sprang into Gao Wu’s mind—“Best friend, you smell so nice!”