The noisy grunts and shouts gradually faded behind her.
The inner courtyard was much quieter, shaded by several locust trees. Beneath their canopy sat a set of stone tables and chairs.
“Dad! Stop drinking tea!”
Before Tie Ling'er even entered the courtyard, her crisp voice rang out. “We have a guest! She says she's the disciple of an old friend of yours!”
Beside the stone table, a man holding a clay teapot turned his head.
Su Yueli looked him over. This was the life-and-death friend her master had spoken of, Tie Tu.
He looked to be just past sixty, with a burly build and thick, muscular arms that stretched his loose, short-sleeved shirt tight.
Though his temples were flecked with white, he sat there like an iron pagoda, his blood qi as deep and steady as an abyss.
Fifth Realm, Martial Opening.
This was the first time Su Yueli had ever seen a living Fifth Realm martial artist. The oppressive weight of his blood qi was far heavier than her own Third Realm presence.
Tie Tu set down his teapot. His gaze landed on Su Yueli, and his brow furrowed slightly.
“An old friend's disciple?”
He looked the shabbily dressed but strikingly beautiful young woman up and down. He racked his brain but couldn't recall any of his old comrades who could have raised such an exquisite disciple.
“Young lady, who is your master?” Tie Tu stood up, his voice booming.
Su Yueli took a step forward and cupped her fists. “My master is Lu Chen. This junior, Su Yueli, greets Senior Tie.”
At the mention of Lu Chen's name, Tie Tu's body shuddered.
“Lu Chen?!”
Light flared in his previously puzzled dark eyes. He gripped the edge of the stone table in excitement. “You're that stubborn donkey's disciple?! Good, good, good! No wonder you look so pleasing to the eye!”
Tie Tu craned his neck to look behind Su Yueli, his eyes full of anticipation. “Where is he? Why didn't he come with you? Is he too embarrassed to face me after leaving without saying goodbye all those years ago, hiding outside the door?”
“Go on, call him in! Tonight, this old man is going to drink him under the table!”
Watching Tie Tu's excitement, Su Yueli fell silent.
Her cool eyes cast downward, hiding the sorrow within them.
“Master... didn't come.”
Su Yueli's voice was very soft. “Master passed away five years ago.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the air in the inner courtyard seemed to freeze.
The hearty smile on Tie Tu's face stiffened. His wide, bell-like eyes stared at Su Yueli, as if searching her face for any sign of a joke.
But Su Yueli's expression remained calm, tinged only with a quiet sadness.
“Dead?”
Tie Tu muttered to himself, his hand suddenly tightening on the edge of the stone table.
With a sharp crack, a corner of the stone table was crushed to pieces under his grip.
“Bullshit! That old bastard was as tough as nails! Back then, he survived being hacked a dozen times in a pile of corpses. How could he just die like that?!”
The burly man's eyes reddened instantly. He gritted his teeth and cursed, “That absolute bastard... He left Qingzhou back then without even saying goodbye! And now he's dead, and he didn't even come to see me before he went! What did he take me, Tie Tu, for?!”
As he cursed, Tie Tu's voice gradually trailed off, his mind lost in some distant memory.
Beside him, Tie Ling'er was too frightened to speak. She had rarely seen her father fly into such a rage.
Su Yueli understood this feeling. When Shen Qing'an died, she had felt the exact same way—a chest full of rage with nowhere to vent, which ultimately dissolved into a helpless sorrow.
Time was too long, and old friends were too few.
After a long silence, Tie Tu loosened his grip, letting the crushed stone powder drift from his palm.
His once-straight back seemed to slouch slightly, and he appeared visibly older.
Taking a deep breath, Tie Tu forced a smile. “Since you are Old Lu's disciple, what is your current martial arts cultivation?”
“Third Realm, Blood Exchange,” Su Yueli answered truthfully.
“Third Realm?!”
Tie Tu's eyes widened. He carefully sensed Su Yueli's aura, his face filling with astonishment.
She looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, yet she had already reached the Third Realm, Blood Exchange!
Such talent was practically unheard of in the entire martial world.
After a moment of thought, he asked, “Have you learned any fist techniques?”
“Yes, Master taught me a set of fist techniques.”
Su Yueli nodded and took half a step back, falling into a stance. “It has no name, and is divided into five styles.”
She immediately surged her blood qi and punched out with her right fist.
First style, Mountain Splitter!
Bang!
A dull sonic boom erupted in the small courtyard, and the resulting gust of wind instantly swept a dozen green leaves off the locust trees.
It was pure violence, an absolute killing intent without a single shred of defense.
Seeing this all-too-familiar opening stance, Tie Tu's eyes welled with tears once more.
“He even passed down his self-created fist technique to you... You truly are Old Lu's disciple!”
Tie Tu let out a long breath and stepped forward to pat Su Yueli's shoulder. “Girl, now that you're here, treat this place as your own home from now on! Live well, and practice your martial arts well!”
“In this little corner of Qingzhou City, your Uncle Tie has your back. You'll be fine!”
With that, Tie Tu waved his hand and turned to his daughter. “Ling'er, take your Sister Yueli to settle in. Pick a nice room for her.”
Before Su Yueli could thank him, Tie Tu turned around and shuffled toward the depths of the inner hall with somewhat unsteady steps.
His retreating figure carried an unspeakable loneliness and sorrow.
Su Yueli watched the direction Tie Tu had gone, remaining silent.
In this world where human life was as cheap as grass, to still have an old friend whose eyes would redden at your passing... perhaps her master's life hadn't been in vain after all.
“Sister Yueli, follow me.”
Holding Su Yueli's sleeve, Tie Ling'er led her toward the guest rooms in the backyard.
As they walked along the stone path, Tie Ling'er tilted her head and looked at Su Yueli with eyes full of admiration. “Sister Yueli, you are amazing! You look about the same age as me, but you're already a Third Realm martial artist!”
“Most of those disciples in the front yard have been training for ten or twenty years, and they haven't even touched the threshold of the First Realm.”
Ticking out her tongue, Tie Ling'er looked a bit embarrassed. “I wanted to practice martial arts too, but I'm too afraid of pain. I'd cry just from standing in a basic stance, so I couldn't learn anything. Later, my dad felt sorry for me and stopped forcing me to train.”
Su Yueli was slightly surprised to hear this. Ten or twenty years? She had assumed they were just apprentice disciples who had joined in the last year or two.
In that case, reaching the Third Realm in twenty-five years made her a genius?
Her master had indeed mentioned before that her talent was exceptional. If she hadn't spent so many years focusing purely on practicing her fist techniques instead of pouring all her efforts into her martial realm, she would probably be in the Fourth Realm by now.
Thinking of this, she turned her head to look at the carefree girl.
The memory of her twenty-five years on Black Wind Ridge, throwing dry, repetitive punches day after day, surfaced in her mind.
She couldn't help but smile. “Being unable to learn is a blessing.”
“What a martial artist trains isn't actually martial arts, but their very life. You have someone protecting you. Living peacefully as an ordinary person is far better than practicing martial arts.”
In this world, most of those who risked their lives to pursue power were miserable souls forced into a corner by the cruelties of life.
She had done so to avenge her parents, then for Shen Qing'an, and finally, even for her master...
Su Yueli shook her head, forcing herself to stop dwelling on these thoughts.
Soon, the two of them arrived at a quiet side courtyard.
“We're here. This is the room.”
Ties Ling'er pushed open the wooden door. “It's right next to my room. Servants clean it regularly.”
Su Yueli stepped inside to take a look.
The room wasn't large, and the furnishings were simple, but it was exceptionally clean.
There was a wooden bed, a set of tables and chairs, and a few potted plants placed near the window. The bedding was brand new.
Compared to the cave on Black Wind Ridge, this was infinitely better.
“Thank you.” Su Yueli nodded, highly satisfied with her lodgings.
“You're far too polite, Sister!”
Ties Ling'er helped pour a cup of tea and said with a grin, “You should unpack first, Sister. In a bit, I'll take you out to show you around Qingzhou City and get you familiarized!”
Rate on N.U.
