Chapter 10, it turns out to be an old acquaintance
Lu Bing shouted, "Are you a human or a ghost?" Yang Feiyan did not expect Lu Bing to ask such a question and replied with a smile, "Of course, I am a human."
Yang Feiyan noticed Lu Bing's eyes darting around and said with a face full of anger, "Ninth Master, don't let this brat escape; I must kill him today." How cruel a woman's heart can be! Was it really worth such a commotion just for a mere touch? Lu Bing thought to himself as he looked at Yang Feiyan. Although it was dark, he could still see her face, which resembled a ripe apple, with the blush on her cheeks still lingering, both shy and furious. At that moment, her beautiful large eyes were filled with layers of murderous intent. Was it really worth such a commotion? Lu Bing thought to himself as he looked at Yang Feiyan. Although it was dark, he could still see her face, which resembled a ripe apple, with the blush on her cheeks still lingering, both shy and furious. At that moment, her beautiful large eyes were filled with layers of murderous intent.
At this moment, Lu Bing dared not recklessly show compassion towards the fairer sex. He had watched quite a few martial arts dramas, and the older the characters, the more formidable they became. Yang Feiyan's abilities were limited to this extent, and the old man behind her must surely be in cahoots with her, possessing even greater skills. To face two opponents alone, not to mention defeating them, he wouldn't even be able to escape. Therefore, Lu Bing decided that he must first deal with Yang Feiyan.
The so-called lightness of skill is far from what Lu Bing had seen on television before. While it is not impossible to run along rooftops and walls, claiming one can soar into the air is rather unscientific; after all, ancient people were human, not gods. Nevertheless, holding onto the mindset of 'better to believe in its existence than to dismiss it,' Lu Bing still harbored a glimmer of fantasy. Chinese culture is vast and profound, and it is indeed possible that someone possesses secret techniques to achieve such lightness of skill, even if it is not as exaggerated as depicted.
Upon hearing this, Lu Bing felt a tightening at the scalp. Could it be the court's constables? No, the constables do not possess such high martial skills; it must be the lackeys recruited by the Jinyiwei. Instinctively, Lu Bing reached for his waist, only to find it empty. He couldn't help but curse himself for being overconfident and going out to scout the enemy without bringing any weapons
Lu Bing knew that in this day and age, it was all too easy to die. Although he considered himself relatively lucky, if he were to accidentally meet his end in a gutter, it would be too late to say anything. If this was true for people, how much more so for what he was currently facing, which was not a person at all. This ghost was not someone he could contend with; in a fight, he had no chance of winning. Thus, Lu Bing turned around and ran for his life
Lu Bing indeed stopped, then turned around and raised his middle finger at the old man, cursing, "Damn it!" Immediately after, instead of charging forward, Lu Bing turned and continued to flee. This time, it was the old man who was left dumbfounded, and then he began to laugh heartily, as if mocking Lu Bing's hasty retreat. After running a few steps, Lu Bing saw Yang Feiyan blocking his way. He halted, and at that moment, Yang Feiyan had changed her outfit; there was no trace of girlishness left. Compared to her fiery enthusiasm during the day, she now exuded an additional air of heroism. The small belt was tightly cinched, and her clothes clung to her slender waist, instantly accentuating her curves.
Lu Bing then recalled that Zhu Houzhong had mentioned to him that an old man had saved him at that time, blocking the malicious servant of the Jiang family. It seemed that this person was a friend rather than a foe. Although Lu Bing thought this, he did not dare to relax his guard. He simply clasped his fists again and said, "May I ask if you are the esteemed elder who helped my brother by stopping the malicious servant of the Jiang family at that time"
At this moment, Lu Bing could hardly care about the allure of women. Now that he knows Yang Feiyan is not a ghost, he realizes he has fallen into someone else's trap. It seems that Yang Feiyan deliberately lured him here. Lu Bing still remembers how Yang Feiyan had leaped out of the courtyard with such agility; her lightness of foot was simply extraordinary, something that could not be achieved without at least a decade of training, which he himself did not possess.
After running just a few steps, Lu Bing suddenly felt his foot slip. In the midst of his rapid run, he immediately fell head over heels. In that fleeting moment, Lu Bing saw that there was a watermelon rind on the ground, and behind him, an old man was voraciously devouring a watermelon. Lu Bing reached out to support himself on the ground, then rolled over to gain momentum and stood up. The old man dropped the watermelon and prepared to face Lu Bing's charge, certain that the young and impetuous Lu Bing would come at him head-on.
Lu Bing threw a punch and simultaneously turned his head to look, only to find that there was no one behind him. Lu Bing did not wish to play the hero; if there had been someone, he would not have been afraid. Although Lu Bing enjoyed acting chivalrously, he did not like to stir up trouble. For instance, if Xia Dade saw a martial arts hero, he would insist on sparring with them. Although this was not out of malice, it could easily lead to enmity. However, Lu Bing was different; the prowess of others or the display of their weapons was their own business and had nothing to do with him. Therefore, he never engaged in duels nor forcefully borrowed a sword to seek glory in battle.
However, upon witnessing Yang Feiyan's remarkable feat of leaping from the ground, Lu Bing realized the truth of a saying: there is always someone better. Yang Feiyan was clearly extraordinary, effortlessly jumping over a three-meter-high courtyard wall without any assistance or even climbing up. How could this not instill fear in Lu Bing? This girl either possesses a unique skill or is truly supernatural.
"I see, neither of you are easy opponents. You both are ganging up on me. If I don't run now, it wouldn't be bravery; it would be sheer foolishness," said Lu Bing.
"Exactly." Master Jiu replied with a smile while stroking his beard, his expression radiating warmth and kindness
Yang Feiyan was caught by Lu Bing by the collar. With a kick, Lu Bing forcefully threw her down using his arms, and Yang Feiyan immediately fell to the ground. This move was learned from Xia Dade. Yang Feiyan was disoriented from the fall, and Lu Bing initially intended to follow up with a punch. However, realizing that Yang Feiyan was a woman, he suddenly felt two soft objects beside the hand that was gripping her clothing. Lu Bing's face turned red instantly; having traveled from another time, he knew exactly what they were, unlike the naive young men of this era.
The old man was momentarily taken aback and could not comprehend what Lu Bing meant by "I will go and deal with the brainless." However, he could infer that it was not a compliment. The old man said: "This child is teachable; I like you. Many young people in the martial world rely on their skills and spend their days causing trouble. If it had been someone else just now, they would have probably shouted about what it means to be a hero, but what kind of hero is that? A few rounds of hidden weapons and they would be lying down. Such a person is exactly what you just referred to, yes, brainless."
"Don't try to fool me with words; what do you two really mean?" Lu Bing saw Yang Feiyan getting up and thought to himself that it was not good. In ancient times, women placed great importance on chastity. Just now, he had touched her chest, and it was just like what was depicted in "Saint Seiya," where the female saint said that anyone who saw her face would either fall in love with her or be killed by her. As he thought about this, cold sweat began to pour down Lu Bing's back. During their earlier encounter, he realized that the old man was no ordinary opponent; he had merely taken advantage of the element of surprise. Continuing to fight might not end well, and facing two opponents at once would certainly be impossible. Lu Bing thought to himself that he was not Superman; how could he withstand the combined assault of two masters? Thus, he discreetly scanned for an escape route.
The old man did not pursue the victory; instead, he stood there with his arms crossed, watching Lu Bing. He then burst into laughter and said, "You young fellow are truly strange. Clearly, you possess considerable skills and are full of youthful vigor, yet all you know how to do is run. You are not at all like a hot-blooded man."
Lu Bing lightly coughed, lowered his head, and clasped his fists, saying: "Esteemed elder, it is late at night and we are in this desolate mountain wilderness. Please speak quickly about your intentions. If you have nothing to say, then let me go; I need to return to sleep. Early to bed and early to rise is a fine tradition of our kind."
The old man had heard the sounds of explosive drinking, the roars of anger, but he had never encountered this wild howling of "I hit" that suddenly captured his attention. He could see that he was about to be swept away by Lu Bing. Lu Bing felt a surge of joy in his heart; although the old man was formidable, his body was old, his reactions slow, and his physique frail. If he were hit, he would probably take a long time to get back up. Sigh, what is going on tonight? Bullying an old man and hitting a woman, it was just short of scolding a child.
The old man, known as Old Nine, at this moment saw Lu Bingfei not only remaining calm but actually laughing, and couldn't help but join in the laughter, saying: "You child, if it weren't for your impressive skills, I would really think you were a coward. Is it wise to run away without fighting, or should I say you are unfazed in the face of danger while just foolishly laughing?"
Lu Bing's delay caused him to lose his composure; the fist he had raised did not come down, but instead, he turned and continued to flee. At this moment, Yang Feiyan also felt that she had been attacked by Lu Bing, and in a fit of anger, she shouted, "Ninth Master, help me teach this scoundrel a lesson"
Lu Bing pointed at Yang Feiyan's back and said, "Is that behind you a person or a ghost?" Yang Feiyan's body trembled, and she was also greatly startled. She knew there was no one behind her and had not heard any footsteps. Could it really be a ghost? Yang Feiyan suddenly turned around to see who was there, but all she felt was a sound like the air being torn beside her ear, and it was too late to dodge.
Master Jiu saw Lu Bing's expression and smiled, saying, "Don't be nervous, don't be nervous. In fact, I owe you a favor; otherwise, your little brother wouldn't have managed to escape so smoothly."
The old man reacted quickly; although he wanted to dodge or jump away, it was already too late. However, he unexpectedly thrust his two fingers towards Lu Bing's eyes with a lightning-fast speed. Not to mention the possibility of missing the target, he could end up blinding himself. Even a mutually destructive outcome was something Lu Bing could not tolerate. Lu Bing was taken aback, his face changing color in shock. He hurriedly withdrew his legs, covering his eyes with both hands as he stepped back, causing his posture and movements to become completely disordered.
Ninth Master clapped his hands and said: "Alright, I will speak frankly. I am here to ask you to help me with a matter regarding - illustrations - books. It is quite a coincidence; I have seen you before. That year, when you were at Chenjiatai teaching a lesson to the young master of the Jiang family along with your little brother, I was present at the scene."
Lu Bing had barely taken two steps when he saw the old man arrive ahead of him, blocking his escape route. Lu Bing suddenly pushed off the ground with both hands and executed a sweeping kick, simultaneously shouting the iconic phrase of Bruce Lee: "I strike!"
Lu Bing could not help but laugh, as he suddenly thought of the clichéd phrases often used in online novels: If looks could kill, then at this moment, xxx would have died a thousand times already
In Dongqiao Town, no one can compare to Lu Bing, as his lightness skill is neither superficial nor concerned with appearances. He often uses both hands and feet, and while others initially wanted to secretly mock the renowned "Lu San Dao" (Master Lu), likening him to a monkey, they soon fell silent upon witnessing his prowess. Lu Bing's movements are truly exceptional; his speed in climbing roofs and trees is astonishing, and he traverses rooftops with agility that surpasses that of a monkey. Previously, Lu Bing had secretly taken pride in the fact that his favorite movie was "District B13" and his favorite extreme sport was parkour. Actions he could not perform before due to his lack of physical strength, he can now execute flawlessly. Thus, with modern parkour combined with his established martial arts foundation, Lu Bing has achieved remarkable proficiency in lightness skill.
During his time in the ancient era, Lu Bing had made some acquaintances in the martial arts community. He came to realize that lightness of body, or qinggong, is a skill that every martial artist possesses; it merely involves jumping higher and farther than the average person. However, some specialize in qinggong, while others focus on solid foundational skills, developing immense strength in their legs. Over time, this becomes second nature and is difficult to change. Additionally, those who specifically train their leg techniques tend to excel in qinggong. With long-term practice, they can achieve a relative lightness akin to that of a swallow, complemented by unique footwork and remarkable techniques of movement, resulting in a relatively advanced level of qinggong.