EFB Chapter 35 Once you leave the city, you must address me respectfully as Master Zheng.
Chapter 35 Once you leave the city, you must address me respectfully as Master Zheng.
Looking at Wang Ziteng's feigned boldness yet barely concealed nervousness, Zhang Yuan felt a surge of bitterness in his heart and ultimately swallowed back his words of advice.
He turned to look at Xiao Yang and nodded slightly.
Xiao Yang understood and immediately stood up to call out to the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper! Bring the wine! I want your best... um, the strongest liquor! And cut a few pounds of good meat too!"
……
The spicy, cheap liquor went down my throat like a burning line from my throat to my stomach.
Wang Ziteng choked and coughed violently, tears welling up in his eyes, but he forced himself to take another big gulp, his face quickly turning red.
Zhang Yuan also frowned and took a sip, feeling the burning sensation. The taste of social obligations in his past life seemed distant and unreal.
Xiao Yang carefully touched his lips with the spice, then winced from the spiciness.
After a few drinks, the effects of the alcohol began to rise, and the heavy atmosphere that the young man had deliberately created was somewhat diluted.
Wang Ziteng slammed his hand on the table, his tongue slightly tied, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light: "Zhang...Qingyang! Brother Xiao! You...you know what I want to do in the future? I want to be a big boss in the underworld!"
"Just like Chief Zhao and Master He... no, I want to be even more prestigious than them! I want to make the Guzhu Gang... no, I want to build an even bigger gang! I've even thought of a name: 'Dragon Soaring Gang'! A force to be reckoned with in the martial world! Let the name of Prince Teng resound throughout the entire Luyang Prefecture!"
He waved his arms, as if he could already see his future of dominating the world, filled with the unbridled passion unique to young people.
Zhang Yuan gazed at the murky liquid in his glass, his eyes unusually clear, as if piercing through the roof to see a higher and farther place: "Me? I want to study literature and martial arts diligently. My teacher teaches me the scriptures, and my master teaches me swordsmanship. I want to see..."
He paused, his voice not loud, but carrying an indescribable firmness, "Look at the scenery after the Transcendental Realm, look at the supernatural powers of the Three Realms of Profound Realm, look at those Dragon Elephant Realm experts who can stir up great rivers and floods... what are they really like?"
"I want to see...the view from the sky."
He silently prayed to himself, wanting to see the profound and earth-level cultivation techniques that required a massive amount of lifespan to reach, and even the legendary realm of immortality.
Inspired by their enthusiasm, Xiao Yang also raised his glass, his face displaying the shrewdness and aspirations typical of a merchant's son: "I don't have such lofty ambitions as you. I just want to do good business and expand the Xiao family's business throughout the twenty-one prefectures of the Great Yu!"
"Make tons of money! Become the richest man in the world! When the time comes, Brother Qingyang, if you need any spiritual herbs or precious materials for your martial arts training, or Brother Ziteng, if you need... uh, if you need to settle your brothers, just come to me! Money is plentiful!"
He patted his chest and made a promise, his eyes glazed with drunkenness.
Three teenagers, with three completely different dreams, collide and blend in the spicy aroma of baijiu.
As night deepened outside the window, it quietly enveloped the grand pronouncements and complex emotions within this simple yet elegant room.
Whether tomorrow brings life or death, whether one soars to great heights or sheds blood on the yellow sands, all become both hazy and vivid in this moment's wine bowl.
……
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the air was filled with the chill of late autumn.
Zhang Yuan pushed open the door to his home, now dressed in a neat and tidy outfit, with the old-fashioned sharkskin-scabbard longsword left by his father slung across his back.
The heavy blade pressed down on his still-young shoulder, yet it gave him a strange sense of security.
He quickly arrived at the entrance of the Rock Martial Arts School.
The owner of the museum, Zheng Chaoyang, was already sitting upright on a magnificent black-maned warhorse, his figure as straight as a pine tree.
Beside him was another slightly shorter but strong blue steed, saddled and harnessed.
Zheng Chaoyang's sharp gaze swept over Zhang Yuan, lingering for a moment on the ancient longsword behind him. A barely perceptible hint of approval flashed in his eyes, and he nodded slightly.
He then spoke, his voice steady: "Can you ride a horse?"
"I know a little," Zhang Yuan replied.
In his previous life, he had ridden a horse while traveling, and the original owner of this body seemed to have some vague memories of it after transmigrating.
He took a deep breath, walked to the blue dwarf horse, grabbed the front of the saddle with one hand, and with a bit of clumsiness but still quite nimbly, flipped himself onto the horse and sat firmly on it.
"Good lad!" Zheng Chaoyang's eyes revealed a satisfied smile. Without saying another word, he flicked the reins, "Giddy up!"
The black-maned horse galloped off.
Zhang Yuan quickly reined in his horse, urging it to follow closely behind.
The two riders passed through the still-sleeping Fengming County and soon exited the city gate.
The scene on the open ground in the suburbs is completely different.
Hundreds of constables from the county government, conscripted local militia, and a few martial artists dressed in county magistrate's uniforms were gathered in a chaotic manner.
Although their formation was not exactly orderly, everyone carried a knife and a sword, creating a solemn and tense atmosphere.
In the center of the open space, a horse-drawn carriage with a blue cloth canopy sat quietly.
A slender hand lifted the car curtain, revealing Chen Wenyuan's lean face.
His gaze swept over Zheng Chaoyang, who was riding up on horseback, and he nodded slightly in greeting.
When Chen Wenyuan saw the slender figure with a straight back and a long sword on horseback behind Zheng Chaoyang, his gaze paused for a moment, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
Zhang Yuan, still on horseback, met his teacher's gaze, bowed respectfully, and said in a low but clear voice, "Student Zhang Qingyang greets teacher."
Chen Wenyuan looked at him, slowly lowered the carriage curtain, leaving only a barely audible sigh that dissipated in the crisp morning wind.
As the wheels rolled, this team, a mix of county officials and tasked with driving away the tigers and devouring the wolves, slowly set off towards Tanjialing, thirty miles away, filled with a chilling aura.
Zhang Yuan followed closely behind Zheng Chaoyang's horse, the sound of the blue dwarf horse's hooves particularly clear on the official road in the early morning.
Not far from the assembly point on the outskirts of the city, at the edge of the somewhat crowded and chaotic queue, he caught a glimpse of several familiar faces.
These were the same martial arts practitioners who were arrogant and domineering in front of the Panshi Martial Arts School yesterday, who injured the school's disciples and then extorted money from them for medicine before leaving.
They had clearly also noticed Zheng Chaoyang and Zhang Yuan approaching on horseback.
Zheng Chaoyang sat upright on his tall, black-maned horse. He didn't even glance at them, as if they didn't exist. He simply stared calmly at the winding road ahead.
The burly martial artist with the scar on his face immediately adopted the familiar arrogance and disdain from yesterday. He deliberately raised his voice and sneered in Zheng Chaoyang's direction, "Oh ho! Isn't this Master Zheng of the Rock Martial Arts Academy? What, you can't make a living teaching disciples anymore? So you've come to earn this 'extra money' by working the high-stakes job like us brothers?"
His companions joined in the laughter, their tone full of contempt:
"Heh heh, looks like making a living at a martial arts school is really tough!"
"Master Zheng, when we see the real deal later, please be careful not to strain your back, you old bones!"
"Bringing a little brat to Tanjialing? Hahaha, are you here to deliver snacks to the bandits?"
Many martial artists around turned around and looked at Zheng Chaoyang.
Zheng Chaoyang slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the martial artists.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was like muffled thunder rolling through the chilly morning air, clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.
"In Fengming County, you call me Master Zheng. Outside the city, you must address me as Grandmaster Zheng."
The moment the words fell, an overwhelming and terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from Zheng Chaoyang's tall body!
"boom--"
That wasn't just a simple aura; it was a tangible, malevolent force!
The air seemed to freeze and collapse instantly. Centered on Zheng Chaoyang, the dust on the ground within a radius of about ten feet moved without wind, swirling and spreading outwards.
A heavy, suffocating force crashed down like an invisible mountain!
The mockery and smugness on the faces of those martial artists who had been swaggering and spouting arrogant words in front of the Pan Shi Martial Arts School yesterday instantly froze, turning into boundless horror and fear.
They felt an irresistible force slam into their shoulders, their knees buckled, and with a few thuds, they involuntarily knelt down on the ground!
The bones in their bodies cracked and popped, as if they were about to be crushed and shattered by this invisible force. They couldn't even lift their heads, and large beads of sweat instantly soaked through their clothes.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
The constables and local militiamen who were closer to the scene also turned pale, their legs went weak, and they staggered to their knees, barely managing to stay upright.
"Hiss—Grandmaster! It's the pressure of a Grandmaster!"
"A half-step Grandmaster! Master Zheng... no, Grandmaster Zheng is actually a half-step Grandmaster!"
"My God! There's such a powerful figure hiding in Fengming County?!"
"His aura is radiating outwards! This is truly the work of a grandmaster! He's been hiding his true abilities all along!"