The fight would take place on August 15th, right in the middle of the school summer break when West Lake was usually packed with tourists from all over China.
Lin City was one of the oldest cities in China and was rich in history and culture. Many famous people in history were either from or have lived in this city. It was well-known throughout history for its riches and opulence, so much so that it was often called the heaven on earth. Lin Zhou was also well known for its beautiful girls and tourist attractions. People all over China flocked to Lin City to take a stroll along the West Lake while appreciating its beauty and rich history.
Jiang Churan walked along the shoreline of the West Lake. She was wearing a t-shirt with some printed slogan on it and a pair of loose-fit jeans. She wore her hair long and was wearing a pair of colorful sandals on her feet. She looked gorgeous but also approachable like a girl next door.
Ever since Jiang Churan graduated high school, not only did she look more attractive than before, but her brows also seemed to have locked in a permanent frown, giving her look a bit more artistic and wistful touch. Many pedestrians turned their heads around to look at this girl after they had passed her.
“Ran Ran, what are you thinking? Are you thinking about that jerk again?” A coquettish girl asked airily. She was Zhang Yumeng.
“No.” Jiang Churan answered as she squeezed out a smile.
“Bullshit. Ever since that banquet at the Tian Shen restaurant, you have never smiled once.” Zhang Yumeng flung back at her. “What’s wrong with Li Yichen? He has been chasing you for over half a year. He is not ugly you know and he is also from a decent family. What else do you want from a man? He had been quite committed to you, I think he really cares about you!
“As for that Chen Fan… Humph! What is so good about him anyways? We haven’t seen him ever since winter break. Our teacher told us that he was on a long vacation, bullshit! he didn’t even attend the national university entrance exam. I think he never liked anyone of us, and neither did he care about us.” Zhang Yumeng murmured to herself.
Despite her castigation, her voice was turned down a notch. It was evident that she was afraid of Chen Fan.
What she saw during last semester at the Tian Shen Hotel had shaken her. She witnessed all the top dogs of Jiang Bei treated Chen Fan with the uttermost respect. An under twenty year old boy rose to power and claimed Jiang Bei region’s seat of power. Such a development was so unthinkable, that she felt she was reading a web novel.
By now, despite her loathing toward Chen Fan, she scarcely dared to trash him publicly.
“Maybe he is too busy, after all, at his level, he must have a lot of business to deal with.” Jiang Churan defended the boy, however, she didn’t sound too confident.
Her friend’s words had taken the wind out of her sails.
Jiang Churan lived at the foothill of the Yun Wu Mountain, and rumor had it that Master Chen lived in the mansion sitting atop the mountain at the end of the mountain path. She had thought of hiking up to the top and visiting Chen Fan, but try as she might, she always gave up as soon as she reached the halfway point.
She was confused by her own feelings toward Chen Fan. Was it love, hate, envy, indignation or disbelief? Was it all of them or none of them? These feelings had been festering inside of Jiang Churan, slowly wreaking havoc in her mind. However talented and outstanding Li Yichen was, he couldn’t compare with Chen Fan. In her mind’s eye, she saw Chen Fan in a glorified image, and Li Yichen was nothing but an ordinary boy.
“That’s enough brooding, just relax! We are here on vacation.” Zhang Yumeng tugged Jiang Churan’s arm and said.
This vacation was their high school grade trip. Zhang Yumeng and many other good friends of Jiang Churan were traveling together. A short distance away, a girl with a tall and fit body, as well as a face of an angel waved at them and shouted out: “Ran Ran, Meng Meng, come join me on the yacht!”
The girl was none other than Xu Rongfei. Although what happened between the three and Chen Fan had strained their relationship, time had eventually made them come together and became friends again.
“Fei Fei is calling us. Let’s move!” Zhang Yumeng tugged Jiang Churan’s arm one more time and ran toward the yacht. Jiang Churan quickly caught up with her.
“What are you two talking about back there?” Xu Rongfei pouted as she asked annoyedly.
“Of course we are talking about your hero, your prince charming, your love of life: Chen Fan! Be careful, I think Ran Ran also has a crush on him.” Zhang Yumeng smirked mischievously.
The thought of Chen Fan seemed to have disheartened Xu Rongfei.
“I haven’t seen Brother Chen Fan for more than half a year, I really miss him.”
“Last time I saw him was during the Spring Festival. I have asked my father where he had gone, he told me that he had gone to work for the military, away from the mansion in the Yun Wu Mountain. Right now only Third Lord Wei can get in and out of the mansion to retrieve the Spirit Water every day.”
Even as Xu Rongfei talk about Chen Fan, the corner of her eyes turned red as if she was about to cry.
“What two silly girls.” Zhang Yumeng was not sure what to say except for lamenting helplessly.
She never liked Chen Fan ever since the first time she laid her eyes on him. However, as fate would have it, both of her BFFs fell in love with Chen Fan so helplessly, that she could only glare at the two.
“Stop it, you. I don’t have a crush on him.” Jiang Churan gave Xu Rongfei a panicked glance and then flicked a hot glare at Zhang Yumeng. Here was another problem she had with Chen Fan: she felt guilty for liking her best friend’s romance target.
“That’s fine. Brother Chen Fan is so charming, I wager there would be more girls who would fall for him. I don’t mind sharing.” Xu Rongfei covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Jiang Churan blushed and raised her tiny fist threatening to punch her best friend for making fun of her.
The three girls laughed and joked with each other by the shore of the West Lake, rendering the already beautiful scenery even more attention-grabbing.
After a while, the girls went on a yacht to enjoy the scenery of the West Lake up close.
There were ten most famous tourist attractions around the West Lake called the ten views of the West Lake: Spring Dawn at Su Causeway, Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, Sunset glow at Leifeng pagoda, Evening bell at Nanping Hill, Three pools mirroring the moon… The yacht was to take the girls to all ten of the scenic spots to let them fully appreciate the beauty of the West Lake.
However, halfway through their tour, the yacht was pulled over by someone.
“Sorry, this section of the lake is close off today. Please head back.” A man in a black suit blocked the waterway and pulled over many tourist yachts.
“Who are you guys? Why don’t you let us pass?”
“Yea! Do you even have any identification or badges? You can’t just block the way.”
The yacht that Jiang Churan was on was not the only one got pulled over, many other tourists complained to the men in black hotly. However, the man’s face looked indifferent and his body tense. It was evident to the tourist that these men were very dangerous.
Slowly, the complaints died down. The tourists exchanged fearful glances, warning each other to be careful with these dangerous men. Theses men in black carried such a coldness with them that made everyone believe that they were cold-blooded killers. In other words: don’t mess with them.
“Why did you block our path but let that boat in?” Li Yichen pointed to a painted yacht that slowly drifted through the blockade.
“They have an admission pass.” The leader of the black men answered coldly.
“What kind of pass are you talking about? My father is the deputy chair of the Lin City government. I am going to call the tourism department right now and clear some confusions. This is prime time for tourist visits, why would the West Lake be closed off?” A young man who came with Li Yichen complained hotly.
The young man was Li Yichen’s friend and as the son of a local official, he took upon himself to organize the grade trip.
“Call as you wish.”
The man in black said distractedly.
The young man was angered by the reply, so he dialed a number on his phone and was on the line with a deputy director of the city’s tourism department. After having exchanged a few words, the young man hung up the phone, looking disappointed.
“Young Lord Han, what did they say?”Li Yichen asked with furrowed brows.
“They said it was an order from the higher ups. Some big wig is coming to visit the lake.” Young Lord Han muttered hesitantly.
Everyone heaved a sigh after hearing Young Lord Han’s words. They knew that their tour had to be called off now.
However, the revelation also piqued everyone’s interest as to what was going on behind the blockade. What kind of event would cause such a disturbance that they had to close off half of the West Lake? Many people looked toward the other side of the blockade and saw a few painted yachts had made their way to the other side and were docked by the shore.
In the middle of that closed off section, only a small junk boat floated on the calm water.
An old man sat in the boat wearing a white coat and a rice farmer hat. He was rigging with a fishing rod leisurely.
“That is the big wig?”
Yang Chao gaped in disbelief.
What kind of big wig would be so bored as to come fishing at the West Lake during the holiday season? Even as Yang Chao mulled over the question, the men in black suits started signaling them to turn around. The group had to head back toward where they came from disappointedly.
However, Zhang Yumeng did not give up easily. He tugged Young Lord Han’s sleeve and asked coquettishly: “Young Lord Han, do you think we can sneak in if you pull some strings?”
Everyone’s eyes lit up with hope as they looked Young Lord Han.
Young Lord Han paused a second and then make a couple of calls. In the end, he nodded and said: “It is possible. The western section of the lake was sealed off by the Tourism department and their deputy director told me that he could let us in as long as we are quiet. However, we need to change to a boat that could blend in better. This tourist yacht is too conspicuous.”
Everyone cheered and asked to exchange boat right away.
They were able to get a hold of a painted boat like those that had the passes. They made their way through the threshold without being stopped. Once they reached the western section of the lake, they docked it among the other painted boats.
“OMG! Look at these people on the boat, they all look so… important. Some are wearing Traditional Chinese suits, some in Mao Suits and some are even in ancient Chinese costumes. What is this place? A movie set?”
There were over a dozen boats docked together along the shore; each and every one of these boats were decorated in traditional Chinese style. At the bow of each boat stood a person, they were of different ages, but they all looked proud and energetic.
“Hey silly girl, hasn’t your master taught you not to gawk at other Martial Artists?” An old man sitting in a boat next to them spoke up.
“Ah! You can hear me talking?” Zhang Yumeng was startled.
The other boat was about ten meters away from Zhang Yumeng and even though Zhang Yumeng had tried to speak under her breath, the old man had overheard her talking nonetheless.
“Haha, this is just a small trick.” The old man let out a peal of laughter. His eight year old grandson also chimed in. “Sister, are you coming to watch the Fight of the Grandmasters?”
“The Fight of the Grandmasters?”
Everyone was taken aback by the name of the event. They thought some big wig was simply here to enjoy the lake view and to fish.
Jiang Churan reacted quickly so she put on a smile and said: “Yes, are you too?”
“Of course! This is the fight of the century between Chen Beixuan and Lei Qianjue, there is going to be a lot of martial artists coming to watch this fight. I had to beg my grandpa to take me here.” The little boy answered candidly.
“Chen Beixuan? Lei Qianjue?” Everyone was perplexed by the strange names.
Who were they?