Martial Cultivator

In that instant, Yu Qingfeng truly experienced what it meant to feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles, with thorns at his back, a fishbone stuck in his throat, and falling straight into an icy abyss.

He turned his head with great difficulty, glanced at his own master, swallowed hard, and forced what he believed to be a brilliant smile. “Master, you’re back.”

But in reality, Yu Qingfeng’s face looked extremely ugly at this moment, without the slightest hint of a smile.

Chen Chao looked at him in silence.

Yu Qingfeng hurriedly shot a glance at He Liang and kept waggling his eyebrows at this junior brother of his.

He Liang opened his mouth, wanting to go against his conscience and say a few kind words for his senior brother, “Master, actually Senior Brother...”

Before he could finish, his master was already looking at him. Although Chen Chao still wore a gentle expression, He Liang consciously shut his mouth. At this point, his senior brother could only fend for himself.

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Little Yu, speaking ill of your own master behind his back, doesn’t that count as disrespecting one’s teacher and betraying him? And if you don’t respect your teacher, shouldn’t your cultivation be crippled and you be expelled from the sect?”

If it were only the first half of that sentence, Yu Qingfeng could still laugh it off. But the moment he heard the second half, his face fell as he begged for mercy. “Master, it’s not that serious, is it?”

Even He Liang opened his mouth at this point to plead for his senior brother. “Master, Senior Brother was just talking. He doesn’t actually think that way in his heart.”

Chen Chao smiled. “If he doesn’t think it in his heart, then how did it come out of his mouth?”

He Liang froze, not knowing how to refute that, and could only say cautiously, “Could you give Senior Brother a chance? Master, isn’t it said that knowing one’s mistakes and correcting them is the greatest good?”

At this moment, Yu Qingfeng was truly on the verge of tears. His junior brother hadn’t read all those books for nothing! That bit about ‘greatest good’ was really well said!

Chen Chao smiled, rubbed He Liang’s head, and then casually slapped Yu Qingfeng on the head as well. “Go over there and practice a hundred rounds of boxing.”

Yu Qingfeng bared his teeth in pain, but quickly broke into a bright grin. “Master, just watch! I’ll definitely practice properly!”

After that fellow ran off into the distance to practice boxing, Chen Chao finally plopped down onto the steps and motioned for He Liang to sit beside him. Only Ning Qingnian smoothly hooked her arm around Chen Chao’s arm.

One on each side.

He Liang glanced worriedly toward Yu Qingfeng in the distance, then looked at his master. Seeing that there was truly no anger on Chen Chao’s face, he finally let out a breath and asked softly, “Master, you don’t really think Senior Brother actually has...”

Chen Chao cut him off. “Not right now, of course. But if I don’t give that brat a bit of a warning, who knows what he’ll turn into later. But when it comes to you, your master is completely at ease. You kid are probably going to be like this your whole life - simple and honest.”

He Liang chuckled, but then seemed to feel that ‘simple and honest’ wasn’t exactly a good term, and quickly straightened his face.

Chen Chao cast a glance at He Liang, rubbed the kid’s head, and noticed that this kid’s realm had actually improved quite quickly. He was now already a martial artist who had touched the threshold of the Divine Trove Realm.

But just as he was rubbing He Liang’s head, Ning Qingnian over here had already unhappily tugged at Chen Chao’s sleeve. Chen Chao turned his head and also reached out to touch the little girl’s face, asking, “After being out for so long, did your two senior brothers bully you? If they really did, then tell your master, and your master will properly teach them a lesson.”

Ning Qingnian, who always seemed neither cold nor warm toward anyone, only appeared much closer in front of her own master. Before she could speak, He Liang said, “Master, we wouldn’t bully Little Junior Sister. We all treat her like a younger sister.”

Chen Chao asked, “Really? You kid, maybe. But that punk, are you sure he isn’t treating your little junior sister like a wife?”

As he said this, an inexplicable anger rose in Chen Chao’s heart, and he shouted toward Yu Qingfeng in the distance, “Add another hundred rounds.”

Yu Qingfeng was startled, then looked over this way. Damn it, Little He, did you damn well slip some poison into Master’s ear behind Your Father’s back?

Ning Qingnian shook her head and said softly, “Master, both senior brothers are very nice.”

He Liang completely treated her as a younger sister, and Yu Qingfeng did not necessarily have other intentions. But even if he did, they were only thoughts, and he would absolutely not dare to put them into practice. To dare bully their little junior sister, once their master returned, what the consequences would be went without saying.

He had always felt that her master’s temper was truly bad. When one was his disciple, it was fine. If one was not, with such a martial artist who was the foremost in the world today killing someone, he probably would not even furrow his brow.

Chen Chao nodded his head.

He Liang asked, “Master, was everything all right on this trip out?”

After Chen Chao went out, some news had not been promptly told to He Liang and the others by Song Lian and the rest. But as matters spread, they only realized it afterward.

For example, their master had once fought a great battle with the Demon Emperor and had nearly died, just like that.

Chen Chao smiled and said, “There was trouble, but it was all resolved. I’m a bit tired.”

He Liang asked cautiously, “Then this time after Master comes back, how long will you stay in the Divine Capital?”

It was no wonder He Liang asked this. It was truly because although his master was already the Lord Warden Commander with power that shook the court, the days he spent in the Divine Capital were really not many.

Even when he occasionally stayed in the Divine Capital for a long time, he was always in seclusion, and it was difficult for them to meet him.

Chen Chao naturally understood his disciple’s thoughts and said, “If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll probably stay for some more days, properly guide your martial dao cultivation, and incidentally take care of some small matters.”

He Liang looked at Chen Chao in front of him and sighed, “Can’t Master just take a solid rest for a period of time?”

Chen Chao said helplessly, “You think it’s that easy? What do you take your master for? A carefree wanderer? Your master is the Great Liang Dynasty’s Lord Warden Commander! So many matters are on your master’s shoulders that must be handled. Resting? How could I possibly rest?”

He Liang was taken aback, then raised his thumb, silently saying in his heart, Master, you really know how to pretend.

Ning Qingnian, on the other hand, held back her laughter. In any case, whatever her own master said was fine, and whatever he did was fine.

Chen Chao suddenly said, “After some time, once you step into the Divine Trove, I’ll find you some work to do.”

He Liang was startled, then said excitedly, “Is Master going to let me go north to kill demons?”

Chen Chao raised his brows and said, “Half right. It is killing demons, but not in the north.”

After saying this, Chen Chao stood up and said with a smile, “I really am a bit tired. I need to sleep well. You two play on your own for a while first. After I wake up, your master will properly give you some guidance. At that time, your martial dao cultivation will definitely advance by leaps and bounds!”

After finishing speaking, Chen Chao walked toward the bamboo building. He Liang stood where he was, and only after watching his master enter the bamboo building did he turn his head to look at his junior sister and ask, “Junior Sister, don’t you feel that after Master came back this time, he’s become a bit... fond of bragging?”

Ning Qingnian held the small wooden saber at her waist, shook her head seriously, and said, “No. It’s that Master recently likes to show how formidable he is.”

“Eh?”

He Liang scratched his head and did not respond. No matter what, he could not figure out how his junior sister also seemed to have changed.

......

......

Night fell, the moon hung high in the sky.

After finishing two hundred rounds of punches, Yu Qingfeng was soaked through. He heavily plopped down onto the steps. Junior Sister Ning Qingnian had long since gone to sleep. At this time, only junior brother He Liang remained.

He Liang handed over a towel and asked with concern, “Senior Brother Yu, are you all right?”

Yu Qingfeng took it, wiped the sweat, and then said nonchalantly, “Just two hundred rounds, small matter.”

Speaking of it, those two hundred rounds of punches were truly done without missing a single one. After all, Master had returned, and there was no need to cut corners on this sort of thing. Even though Master did not watch with his own eyes, with Master’s great abilities, if he wanted to know, he could certainly know easily, right?

Besides, he could not guarantee that his master had not had He Liang that punk watch from the side. If that kid secretly whispered some poison into Master’s ear behind his back, what would he do then?

He Liang took out two seashells from his robe and held them in his hand. “Gifts Master brought. Senior Brother, you pick one?”

In truth, one of these two seashells was something Master had already given him earlier. The remaining one was Yu Qingfeng’s. But at this moment, he still took both out.

Yu Qingfeng glanced at them. “You keep them. This kind of thing...”

Before he could finish speaking, He Liang reminded him softly, “Master picked them.”

Yu Qingfeng suddenly understood, nodding repeatedly. “Right, right. Something Master personally selected,no matter whether it’s expensive or not, it’s good stuff. Then I’ll take this one.”

He said that, but in fact Yu Qingfeng stretched out his hand, took a look at the shells, and then casually picked one.

He Liang smiled faintly, feeling somewhat relieved that Senior Brother had not chosen the one Master had previously given him, but the other one instead.

Turning the seashell in his hand, Yu Qingfeng smiled and said, “Little He, did Master say when he’ll guide our cultivation? He finally came back to the Divine Capital, he can’t still be a hands-off shopkeeper, right?”

He Liang nodded and said, “He did. Master said that after he sleeps for a bit, once he wakes up, he’ll start.”

Yu Qingfeng gave an “mm,” then started yawning. Two hundred rounds of punches in one day was still a bit too much for him.

But in fact, He Liang practiced more than two hundred rounds of punches every day. Yet when it came to cultivation speed, Yu Qingfeng was still much faster.

He had long since become a Divine Trove martial artist, and within that realm, he had already gone quite far.

The difference in aptitude was something one could see at a glance here.

After patting He Liang on the shoulder, Yu Qingfeng said he was going to sleep. He Liang bade him farewell, then sat alone on the steps, looking at the bright moon overhead.

”What are you thinking about?”

At some unknown time, Chen Chao walked out of the bamboo building, sat down beside He Liang, and spoke with a smile.

He Liang was just about to stand up and greet, but Chen Chao quickly pressed down on his shoulder. “Between us master and disciple, there’s no need for such formalities all the time.”

He Liang gave an “mm,” thought for a moment, and said, “I’m thinking a bit about my mother.”

Before leaving his hometown, that small town, his mother had already passed away from illness.

Chen Chao smiled gently and said, “Lift your head and look. Among the stars in the sky, one of them is your mother, always watching you.”

He Liang raised his head, scratched his head a bit embarrassedly, and said, “There are too many stars, Master. Which one is it?”

Chen Chao said softly, “Whichever one you think is the most beautiful, that is the one.”

He Liang gave an “oh,” then asked curiously, “Then what about my father?”

Chen Chao thought for a moment and said, “He’s definitely beside your mother.”