Free Web NovelChapter 147: Chapter 146: E-E-Eldest Martial Brother
The boy named Xing Ergou was a lanky teenager of about seventeen or eighteen. He wore a grayish-brown shirt that was clearly too small, failing to even cover his wrists.
As soon as he finished shouting, others immediately chimed in to agree.
"That’s right! Our senior brother was the first to join, he’s the most talented, and his skills are the most profound. When Master isn’t around, it’s always him who teaches us how to train!
So why should the last one to join get to be ranked ahead of all of us? I won’t accept it!"
"I won’t accept it either!"
"We won’t accept it!"
A group of youths, ranging from fourteen to eighteen, all began to clamor. Like Xing Ergou, most of them wore ill-fitting, patched-up clothes, and their faces bore the sallow complexion of malnutrition.
Among the crowd, only one girl refused to join the uproar. Instead, she crossed her arms, let out a cold laugh, and retorted in a crisp, clear voice, "Feeling better now, are we? But have you given any thought to Master?
Our Martial Arts Hall hasn’t taken in a new student in over half a year. Have any of you actually paid your tuition in full?
Master doesn’t press you for it, so you all pretend you don’t know. You even have the nerve to freeload two meals a day here. And now, you’re trying to ruin the only ’business’ willing to show up with money, forcing Master and his family to starve... You’re all such wonderful disciples!"
After the girl finished speaking, the crowd instantly wilted, their faces showing shame and embarrassment. Xing Ergou, however, remained defiant. He stuck his neck out and said, "Lu Yue, what’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying you don’t want to acknowledge Senior Brother Liu as our head disciple anymore?"
The girl’s eyebrows shot up in anger as she cursed, "That’s bullshit! Xing Ergou, when did I ever say that?"
"Then what did you mean?"
"Enough!"
As the two argued, a low shout cut through the noise, silencing everyone.
All eyes immediately turned to a young man sitting on a long bench among them.
The young man had a square-jawed face and lips that were habitually pressed into a firm line. His expression held a steady resolve that belied his age.
He slowly rose from the bench, paused for a moment, and said, "Junior Sister Lu is right.
You won’t find disciples like us anywhere else in the world. It’s bad enough that we haven’t been able to help Master, but we’ve been a constant burden on his family..."
"Senior Brother..."
"...Master has his reasons for choosing who to take on as his personal disciple."
The young man cut Xing Ergou off. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable weight. "Once he has been accepted, you will address him as is proper. Whatever resentment you feel, you will keep it to yourselves."
With that, he waved his hand. "All of you, scatter. Don’t block the entrance. It will look bad when he gets here..."
"Senior Brother!"
Xing Ergou and his friends listened, their eyes turning red.
Of course, they knew of their master’s difficulties, but they couldn’t stand to see their senior brother suffer this injustice. He was like a real big brother to all of them, caring for everyone. His martial arts and his character were both so admirable that they respected him almost as much as they did their own master.
Now, because of money... he was about to lose even his title.
As the group stood there with their heads hanging low, a loud BOOM suddenly erupted from the back courtyard! A small, skinny figure shot out from an inner room, yelling, "Those people who want to become disciples came in through the back! They’re fighting my dad!"
"What?!"
Greatly alarmed, the disciples didn’t waste a word. Grabbing nearby benches and wooden clubs, they swarmed toward the back courtyard.
....
Fu Juemin formed his palm into a blade and swung a level chop toward Ye Zhenren.
He used no Vitality. But after mastering the rudiments of the Dragon Elephant Skill, the inhuman strength granted by his 35-point [Attack] Attribute was immense. The power of this palm strike was so terrifying that even an ordinary Tongxuan Realm Martial Artist wouldn’t dare to receive it directly.
He was using "Thirsty Treasure Juice," one of the nine forms of the Pharmacist Master Purifying Light Saber. The Saber Momentum was continuous, like a great, surging river. As his flesh-and-blood palm sliced through the air, it triggered a series of minute sonic booms.
He wanted to test Ye Zhenren’s raw power first.
As the knife-hand strike flew, it seemed to cleave the very air in two. Ye Zhenren’s expression remained unchanged as he deftly reached forward with both hands, moving to intercept Fu Juemin’s "blade."
Fu Juemin recognized it as one of the Techniques from the Ape Form: Star-Picking and Moon-Playing, part of the Five Beasts Skill. He himself had practiced and observed the Ape Form Active Skill hundreds of times, but he had never seen anyone perform it with such exquisite, fluid grace as Ye Zhenren, who moved as if it were second nature.
Ye Zhenren’s hands shot out and hooked like a nimble ape plucking fruit, cleverly locking onto the wrist of Fu Juemin’s "blade" hand. Then, with a pull and a twist, he redirected the immense, unstoppable force to the side...
CRACK!
With a sharp snap, the wooden support pillar where Fu Juemin’s knife-hand landed—a pillar as thick as a bowl—broke and flew sideways with a crash.
This had been a simple shed the Ye Family built in the back courtyard for shelter from the rain. Having lost its main support beam, half the roof came down with a loud RATTLE.
Fu Juemin’s first strike missed. He shifted his Saber Momentum, preparing to slash at Ye Zhenren again, but he saw his opponent dart to the side, scrambling to save a basket of eggs that had been resting near a crate.
Fu Juemin couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. "Master Ye, forget about the eggs.
I’ll pay you ten times over for anything that gets broken today!"
With that, he moved, his body transforming into a white streak of light. A "Purifying Filth and Light" strike flowed like quicksilver as it slashed straight toward Ye Zhenren.
Fu Juemin put a bit of Force into this strike. As his knife-hand shot out, it was trailed by faint wisps of a cold, glowing halo. Ye Zhenren recognized the danger, abandoned the eggs, and met the attack with a fist, using the Bear Striking Form.
BANG!
Fist met palm. A ring of invisible Force erupted outward, startling several nearby hens into a cackling, flapping frenzy.
Fu Juemin’s Glazed Qi had shattered Kitty’s Child’s Skill Protective Qi Membrane with ease, but the same technique against Ye Zhenren felt like "hacking" at an incredibly tough piece of old leather; it was difficult to penetrate. He couldn’t help but click his tongue with a soft "tsk."
The exchange was a draw. After a moment’s thought, Fu Juemin decided to switch to the Dragon Elephant Skill.
Sea Covering Seal!
As his Dragon Elephant Skill had progressed from the Entry Level to a rudimentary mastery, Fu Juemin had also been infused with a great deal of Buddhist Teachings. The Six Great Seals of the Dragon Elephant Skill required one to comprehend them with the aid of Buddhist Scriptures like the *Dragon Elephant* and *Huayan* sutras.
Fu Juemin hadn’t yet had time to read those Buddhist Scriptures, but he was only a hair’s breadth away from completely mastering two of the Six Great Seals: the Covering Sea and Collapsing Mountain Seal Techniques.
As he unleashed the Sea Covering Seal, the full power of his 35-point [Attack] Attribute was mobilized. To an onlooker, it would have seemed that in the instant Fu Juemin thrust his palm forward, the very air in the small courtyard grew thick and heavy, as if filled with invisible, formless glue.
Where the Palm Wind passed, the air emitted a deep, groaning WHOOSH, like the surge of an undercurrent in the depths of the sea.
Faced with this palm strike, Ye Zhenren’s expression turned grave. Not daring to meet it head-on, he leaped gracefully into the air like a nimble crane. Fu Juemin’s palm struck empty air and landed on the half-collapsed rain shelter.
BOOM!
With a deafening crash, the rest of the shelter’s roof was completely reduced to a pile of splintered wood.
The two went back and forth, exchanging dozens of moves in a flash. Every single one of Fu Juemin’s techniques contained immense power. The Ye Family’s back courtyard was already cramped, and any junk piled within it would explode the moment he grazed it.
In just a few moments, the small courtyard was in utter chaos, as if he were trying to tear the house down. Fu Juemin had even demolished half of a courtyard wall.
After fighting for a while, Fu Juemin felt he had seen enough and simply relaxed his stance.
Ye Zhenren was, of course, relieved. Standing amidst the rubble, he looked at his ruined courtyard, the corner of his mouth twitching with heartache. But when his gaze fell upon Fu Juemin, he couldn’t help but say with a solemn expression, "Lingjun... Your Martial Arts are both elegant and powerful!"
Fu Juemin smiled and was about to speak.
Just then, a figure shot out from the collapsed rain shelter and lunged straight for him.
Without even looking, Fu Juemin casually slapped out with his palm. BANG!
The lunging figure was instantly sent flying back even faster than he came. Ye Zhenren reacted in a flash, dashing forward to catch and support him.
Before Ye Zhenren could explain, a large group of people came rushing out of the building.
They were all youths of sixteen or seventeen. The one in the lead was lanky and holding a long bench high above his head, his eyes wide as he glared furiously at Fu Juemin.
"You dare hit my master, and you hit our senior brother! I’ll..."
The bench-wielding youth hadn’t even finished his sentence when a series of sharp CLACKS rang out.
From behind Fu Juemin, the dark muzzles of a dozen guns appeared, all aimed at the young disciples.
In an instant, the expressions and movements of the crowd froze solid.
Seeing this, Ye Zhenren’s expression changed drastically. He quickly stepped forward, positioning himself between the two groups and waving his hands frantically. "A misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding!"
Fu Juemin raised a hand, silencing Ye Zhenren. From behind, Big Cat silently stepped forward and draped the suit jacket Fu Juemin had taken off back over his shoulders.
Methodically buttoning his suit jacket, Fu Juemin walked past Ye Zhenren and slowly approached the youth holding the bench. "You’re one of Master Ye’s disciples?"
The youth was nearly a full head shorter than Fu Juemin. Under the silent threat of a dozen guns, the bench in his hands suddenly felt too heavy to lift, and his defiant aura deflated significantly.
But he still stuck his neck out and said defiantly, "I am! What are you going to do about it?! I’m warning you, whatever you want, you can come at me! Don’t you dare bully my senior brother and my master!"
"He’s your senior brother?"
Fu Juemin glanced at the resolute, mature-looking young man nearby—the one he had just sent flying with a single palm strike, who was still struggling to catch his breath. He smiled and asked, "So, where do you rank among Master Ye’s disciples?"
"Third... no, second! The old number two ran off last year. He was just an ungrateful traitor!"
The youth spat on the ground, his tone dripping with disdain. Though he didn’t know why Fu Juemin was asking, he continued to watch him warily.
"Not bad."
Fu Juemin nodded. "Although your Martial Arts are a complete mess, you at least understand how to respect your master and value his teachings. You know how to stand united with your fellow disciples against an outsider..."
"You...!"
Hearing Fu Juemin call his skills terrible, the youth gritted his teeth, about to retort.
But in the next second, Fu Juemin snapped his fingers.
The dozen guns behind him were all lowered. At the sound, two men from the Qinglian Gang came forward, carrying a heavy chest between them.
THUD!
The chest opened, and the dazzling gleam of silver coins instantly blinded everyone in the courtyard.
The lanky youth, who was closest, stared wide-eyed and subconsciously swallowed hard.
Fu Juemin surveyed the courtyard, his voice clear and laced with amusement. "Today, I, Fu Lingjun, take Master Ye as my master. Everyone under the Five Victories Sect will be rewarded.
Each of you... let’s say one hundred silver coins."
As he spoke, Fu Juemin’s gaze returned to the lanky youth before him. He patted the boy’s rigid shoulder and said, "Yes, we’ll start with you.
Come and get it yourself."
After he spoke, the entire courtyard fell deathly silent, the only sound being the confused cackling of a few now-homeless hens.
"Uh..."
The lanky youth stood there, stunned. He stared at the chest full of silver coins for a long moment before slowly, bit by bit, raising his head to look at Fu Juemin. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he forced out a few words. "You just said... how much per person?
E-El... Eldest Senior Brother."
