“Your appearance has been edited by the system to fit into the setting of the current scenario.”
When Feng Bujue alone walked to the location where Bai Dian was killed in the introductory cinematic, that notification rang in his ears. Brother Jue naturally understood that this meant that he had fallen into someone’s gaze. The reminder from the system was the best proof.
“Hmm…” Feng Bujue lowered his head to look at Bai Dian’s carcass. Moonlight made the dead man’s face look particularly harrowing.
“Senior, if I act like I don’t know you are hiding around here, will you let me pass just like that?” Feng Bujue suddenly said. His voice was not loud, but he was obviously not talking to himself. His tone was neither haughty nor humble, but his term of reference was still quite polite.
“Since you’ve spoken, it proves that you not only know that I am nearby, you also know that answer to that question.” The elder’s reply came on the wind. It still came from nowhere, its origin impossible to trace.
Feng Bujue chuckled and said with some sarcasm, “Couldn’t I have been lying to you?”
The voice went silent, and there was no answer.
“I just arrived here and spotted a carcass on the ground. The man was killed by a concealed weapon, and the wound is on the back of his neck. From the depth of the wound, this one hit was enough to claim his life, so I believed it was an ambush. Since the killer only needed one bamboo stick, it goes to show how powerful they are,” Feng Bujue said. “Therefore, isn’t it logical for me to ask if the ambusher is still around here somewhere?”
The elder spoke again. “Then, how did you know I am your senior.”
“That’s simple. I’m still young. Most people in the martial world are my senior.” Feng Bujue smiled. “Furthermore, senior, you know how to use bamboo sticks to kill. This is unlike a young man’s killing method. Without experience and power, one wouldn’t be able to utilize a skill like that.”
Actually, so far, Feng Bujue had been blowing hot air. He was merely using the information from the introductory cinematic to buy time.
“Humph… whether you’re lying to me or not, nothing has changed,” the elder replied. “Go back from whence you came.”
He still gave the same advice, the same advice Bai Dian heard before he died.
“Then, can I ask, what kind of people have the right to pass?” Feng Bujue asked.
The answer was simple. “Experts.”
“The dead man next to me was not an expert?”
“He was, but he came from the government.” The elder paused. “So, not only couldn’t he pass, he had to die.”
“I am not related to the government, and I am somewhat of an expert,” Feng Bujue said. “So, does that mean that I can pass?”
“Ha… hahaha… hahaha…” The elder laughed loudly, and the laughter echoed around him. Suddenly, a human figure burst through the jungle, and an elder in blue garb appeared around several meters before Feng Bujue. The elder looked around seventy. His hair and moustache were completely white, but he stood with a straight back. His face could not be said to be full of smiles, but he did not appear like a wicked character either. “Young’un, get all your friends to come out here.”
Feng Bujue played dumb. “What friends?”
“I’m not as shrewd as you, but I don’t have any interest in tricking you,” the elder added. “I know you have four partners, and they have been silently tracking my location while you’re here to attract my attention…”
“Fine, fine…” Seeing as their plan was exposed, Feng Bujue turned around and yelled, “You can come out now. We’ve been discovered.”
Xiao Tan and the rest shuffled out of the forest. Laughing Soul was armed with an SMP5, and she aimed it at the old man, like she could shoot at any moment. Since the elder was not familiar with modern firearms, he did not mind it that much.
“By the way, they are all experts,” Feng Bujue didn’t sound like he was lying.
“Haha… even though I am old, my eyes still work fine. From all your gaits, presence, and so on…” The elder shook his head. “None of you kids… know even a bit about kung fu, right?”
He had confidence in his assessment, and that was why he was willing to show himself. “Go home. Chang Lin Town is not where you should go. Experts with decades of experience are there, and most of them might not even survive until the night of the fight.”
“Senior, we’re going there to witness the fight, not to join it. We can’t help it if other seniors like to have pre-matches at the town. Hell, they can organize a cage fight, but I promise we will stay out of it,” Feng Bujue said.
Most of what he said confused the elder. The latter was stunned for a few seconds before replying, “Ha ha… You really don’t know anything do you? The martial world is not as simple as you imagine.”
He took several steps forward to stand before Feng Bujue. He examined Brother Jue, who was on the lanky side. “Furthermore, based on your physique, I don’t think you are able to defeat a common street performer. Even if you see the battle between the Blade Gods, what lesson could you possibly learn from it?”
“I’ve already said I’m an expert. Why won’t you believe me?” Feng Bujue argued.
The elder’s expression seemed to be saying, You little kid, you’re unbelievable.
He shook his head. “Then why don’t you tell me your title first?”
He pointed at the body on the ground. “If it is not as famous as that Jade Scholar, then you’d better return when you still can, and don’t go and embarrass yourself.”
Feng Bujue’s lips turned up, and he smiled. This was his field of expertise. “I am… Fists claim two Kuangs, legs kicked Su Hang, blade weaved three Qins, blood-washed Dong Ying, undefeated in Zhong Yuan, people call me Unpredictable Zealot… the master of the Broken Sword Chahitsu, Feng Bujue.”
After he shamelessly rattled off all that, he was still not satisfied. So, he added his heraldry. “Friends from the martial world awarded me with a heraldry—dissecting the vicissitudes of fate with a smile, studying the Heavens and Earth, calculating one’s destiny. Fearless and heedless, taking life and death with the air of the enlightened, unlike ghost, unlike god, more like a maddened man.”
The elder was shocked. He had not heard of an organization called Broken Sword Chahitsu, nor had he heard of a character by the name of Feng Bujue. But the title did not sound like it was made up on the spot. After all, the elder himself would not be able to come up with something like that.
“You…” The elder stammered. He was originally confident that the five were all weaklings, but after this scam by Feng Bujue, he started to second guess himself. Atobe-sama was equally shocked. He had thought Feng Bujue would copy a common title from any wuxia novels, but this man rattled off a long list, and the content sounded impressive. In comparison, that Jade Scholar sounded so weak.
Feng Bujue placed his hands together and asked, “Oh, by the way, how should we address you, senior?”
“I am just an old servant. Knowing my name is pointless,” the elder replied. This time, he was being more cautious. “Young man, you are indeed clever and good with your words, but being an expert is not something that can be claimed with mere words.”
“Understood, senior, you still don’t believe me,” Feng Bujue said. “How about I use physical actions to prove it?”
As he spoke, he was thinking, Old fart… if you didn’t appear like you’re related to the main plot, I wouldn’t have wasted all this time with you. But if you insist on standing in our way, we’ll have to treat you to some bullets…
Feng Bujue took one step back. “Senior, how about you take one move from me?”
“Much less one move, even ten moves or one hundred moves…” Before the elder finished, Feng Bujue used Kyaa! The choice of mastery was naturally fighting. Feng Bujue knew that something would happen, but he did not know what kind of skill would appear.
Seeing Feng Bujue’s approaching attack, the elder assumed a defensive pose. No one could guarantee that the young man had not hidden his internal energy and was playing dumb to take advantage of him…
The elder summoned seventy percent of his power and raised his palm to block Feng Bujue’s attack.
With a slap, Feng Bujue’s punch landed on the old man, and he immediately retreated. Only he knew that short contact lost him around thirty percent of his Life Points. Thankfully, the elder was merely defending. If he decided to retaliate, Feng Bujue would have been in mortal danger.
“This…” Even though the elder had not moved an inch, his face was colored by shock. His palms were red like seared by an iron.
Activated a fire skill? Not bad… Feng Bujue thought, but on the surface, he appeared rather calm. “I’m afraid I’ve embarrassed myself.”
The elder placed his arms behind his back.
“Hmm… Looks like I’ve made a mistake today.” He moved to the side. “Young masters, this way please.”
“Eh? Senior, are you not going to test the kung fu of my friends?” Feng Bujue pointed at Atobe-sama. “Look at that sissy, he looks so weak.”
“Hey!” Atobe was annoyed by how easily Feng Bujue sold him out.
The elder acted like he did not hear Feng Bujue and calmly replied, “It’s not necessary. I’m sure they are not common characters. Master Feng, please.”
His way of addressing Feng Bujue had changed as well.
This old fart seems to be convinced. Looks like the earlier skill was quite powerful… Feng Bujue thought. No wonder it exhausted three hundred Stamina Points and thirty Sorcery Points.
“Thank you, senior,” Feng Bujue said as he winked at his teammates, telling them that they could move.
After the five wandered away, the elder moved his palms to his eyes and added darkly, “Master of the Broken Sword Chahitsu, humph… This kid is filled with lies, but at least he is not lying about his martial prowess.”
He adjusted his Qi to stem the pain coming from his hands. “If he was a man about 40, then the punch wasn’t anything impressive. After all, he would have been training for thirty years already, but this kid is only twenty or so… The fact that he can unleash such powerful skill, other than natural pure Yang internal energy, there is no other explanation…
“Ha… I wonder where so many impressive characters have been hiding. Looks like the experts attracted by the master’s fight, be it in terms of numbers or their prowess, are far beyond the prediction…”
