Chp 19 A Superior Master

Yun Zhi stood there, in silence.

It had just been a short time.

Yet trouble already come.

An elder like this, while he was just at fourth Qi layer, could be a troublesome opponent for the current her. Against those her age, she might be peerless. However, against people with experience, it was better to be extra careful. The technique one had honed through the years would not lie. Even if two people with the same Qi layer went against each other, it might not be a balanced match. Experience, muscle memory, technique, sharp senses… All these required years of honing.

And, someone this old, seventy perhaps…

In a world with such a thin Qi, and garbage Murim cultivation method, he managed to reach forth Qi layer. While she was not impressed, she still not dared underestimate old people. As they said, never disrespect your elders. They knew tricks!

‘My fault… The noise… I need them to pipe down next time,’

It was most likely their loud noise, attracted this predator right into her den. Looking at the two people on the ground, her eyes twitched.

You two, wailing like you’re going into labor…

And you called yourself men!

She wanted to curse, but decided against it. It was not a good habit after all. Big sis Xue might catch her doing it sooner or later… That would be beyond embarrassing. Besides, she was the one who intensified the whole thing.

She could just go soft on them…

Bah!

No sense in regretting it.

The elder, with eyes as sharp as a hawk, continued to look on with interest.

At the time, he was paying her special attention, as if trying to judge what she was. Yun Zhi could sense his confusion, soon pity, then boiling anger… and lastly, changing into amusement.

What the heck you’re thinking about, old man?

What… So many emotions, are you watching a drama?

Go watch your drama elsewhere!

Later, from Yun Zhi, his gaze landed on Mo Hong and Don bro. It was obvious that his vision was able to see that something was not quite right. Did he recognize their breakthrough? However, she would not let this one pry any longer.

This was her secret.

She would not want just anyone knowing it.

She would not care if the words were leaked through these thugs, but, to a master like him… From surfing the internet these few days, she had a better idea of what rankings the Murim had. If a first-rate, with first Qi layer, was considered elite soldiers in Murim…

Above it would be experts and masters.

At second Qi layer, were the experts. They were officers in Murim, respected wherever they went. With enough experience handling their Qi layer, they could manipulate its defensive and offensive ability beyond those who just got their first Qi layer. They were leaders of special forces, fearsome and dependable.

And at third Qi layer, were masters with ‘titles’. These masters, sometimes called monsters in internet forums, were more than capable of dealing with small arms, no problem. Had one of them go on a rampage, even the police would be helpless. They were already beyond common human control, and would prompt the response of the Murim Security Division.

But, this elder was even higher than that.

Yun Zhi did not care to remind herself much of the details of lower layers, but… for him, she recalled.

At fourth Qi layer, they were masters whose "titles" were acknowledged by many, even the government. They could use aura freely, able to form both offense and defense Qi aura into tangible existence.

Their movement skills were also notable. Often, their movement was mistaken for flying. In battle, small arms aren't effective to them, the same as pebbles. However, they were still cautious of Gatling guns or heavy, anti-armor rounds such as 50-cals… A hit from such a heavy shot would injure them, so they were not invincible existence. However, it might take more than a regular army battalion to take them down. After all, hitting them would be a really hard task. Being stronger and better than a Master, they were aptly called…

“Superior Master,”

In Yun Zhi’s mind, each of them was comparable to an attack helicopter… No, a gunship.

A hella-big helicopter gunship, capable of hunting tanks from afar…

How troublesome.

She was quite confident in dealing with those at 2nd Qi layer, maybe even 3rd Qi layer… but 4th Qi layer? That might be a bit of a stretch… Well, that all depended on how he was going to do this, anyway.

Still, one thing for sure…

She could not compromise on her secret. This power of hers was just being discovered. And she had yet to fully utilize it to her own benefit… There was not even enough protection for her, should the secret be out in the open...

It was too early!

This one should be a Mid-boss!

How could a Mid-boss enter a beginner village, anyway?

‘Should I tell him off?’

A Superior Master spreading her secret?

That would be unacceptable! It was an entirely different matter than one coming from thugs. People and organizations would pay attention!

Her eyes, from mere concern, turned sharp…

It was one of a predator, defending her territory.

“Guys… do as I say,”

After she told them to cover the two with large tree leaves, she turned to the peeping tom.

Could you mind your own business, old man?

She never said it out.

Yet her eyes, spoke for her.

Sensing that it might not be enough, her lips moved…

A few moments back…

“A group of youngsters? That’s weird…”

The elder with the Tai Chi attire, observed.

From the lakeside to that hill, it was several kilometers, yet the elder could see them. He had heard weird noises coming from the hill, and while he ignored them at first, the final roar was not normal. It was Don bro’s roar, and he was disturbed by it.

“No good. I better check this one out,”

Jumping up onto the nearby hill, he managed to see the group of youngsters better.

While they looked like adults, immature looks were obvious on their faces, suggesting they were still in high school. Moreover, they looked like those no-good students, those he abhorred… Thugs. Why were they here?

Finding it weird that so many had gathered in one place, he still could not see clearly what was happening. His vision was blocked by them crowding on several people in the middle. He needed higher ground.

Looking around, he found out that there were too few people that early morning, so his next action might not cause too much commotion. Jumping up the tallest tree on the hill, his vision became clear. To his surprise, in the middle, two men were groaning on the hill, as if pressing on their lower part.

Was this a bully case?

Their butts were clearly hit by something…

He knitted his eyes…

…

A stick?

Held by a lady… no, a young girl. She had her foot on that big man’s back…

She was wearing a white Taoist robe and a lace mask, usually worn for ceremonies or during filming. How so weird… No, was this what her granddaughter called… cosplay? What an odd hobby… but what happened here? Are they filming? No… no cameras…

Was she a victim? Did the thugs force her to hit her own companions? Possible. Such a situation happened all the time. These thugs would do nasty things to ease their boring life. They had no direction, so they could only do unproductive things like this.

The elder was enraged. Looking at the girl’s milky complexion, she could not be any older than his youngest granddaughter. Such a fragile existence… For them to force her to… Thinking about it, he was about to go berserk. These thugs really dare!

The park, a tranquil place, was used by them as their den?

A place to bully others?

The two groaning on the ground, might be their victims?

They looked like adults too… A baldy and a hobo?

Such disrespect towards older people!

Look like this old man, with rusting bones, had better pay them a visit!

A little lesson from an older generation!

He was about to sweep through the lake. However, as his vision landed on the young lady… Her eyes, slightly hidden by her hair, clearly locked onto his…

…!!

This…!

How could this be?

How is this possible?

She saw me… No, she sensed me?

“She knew I’m watching? From that far?”

He was amused. Normal people wouldn’t be able to sense his gaze at all. Moreover, while he was on top of a tree, people who saw him, would just think he was some crazy martial elder having no fear. However, she clearly knew he was looking her way, from such a distance.

It would not be surprising if she was a martial art master. Above first-rate warriors and experts, were masters. Reaching third Qi layer, one could do stuffs ordinary people could only imagine. One of them was possessing acute senses, even more than first-rate warriors. They could see far away, so accurately.

However, he could see her looks… Her age…

She could not be more than fifteen!

“What an awesome young lady!”

He shivered, completely forgetting the whole situation with the suspected bullying. Even in his clan, such potential was really rare. Though she had yet to form her Qi layer, she had the makings of a Superior Master… No, even a Grand Master, higher than himself!

She could have such potential!

It was when he was amused by his imagination, that his eyes caught her eyes, changing… It was no longer eyes filled with concern. Instead, it was… sharp. Not a victim’s eyes… But, that of a predator…

Eyes as if saying…

You’re bothering me, old man. Scram!

He trembled.

Seeing such eyes, made him feel that it was a shame. So young, yet already so fierce? The eyes even managed to give him goosebumps. However, even as his surprise had yet diminished, her lips moved. It was done obvious, and slow, as if giving him the clear chance to read them.

“Elder, this matter, is a secret of our group, so…”

…!!

The elder was surprised. Not only she could sense him, but she was also confident that he could read her lips from this distance. This girl… continued to surprise him!

As for Yun Zhi, she worded her sentence carefully.

Why offend others with your loose mouth? Her previous cursed self would do that, but not the current her. She might think rudely of others, but why let it out in the open, anyway. The elderly still needed to be respected. She originally just wanted to nod, but the elder might continue peeping had she just done so.

She wanted to shoo him away, but decided to ask nicely.

Seeing that the girl was confident he could read his lips, he also wondered if the girl could do the same… He moved his lips;

“This old man is just curious. The young lady need not worry,”

After the elder said so, Yun Zhi sighed.

Seeing the old man was adamant about watching, she cursed.

Shameless!

What a stoic, shameless old man!

Peeking at other’s secrets, from such a distance…

Well, the military and police did worse, but still…

She had no choice.

"Guys, see the leaves? Pick them up..."

She announced it clearly, word by word. It was not really for the guys, but for the old man. The elder read her lips, baffled. With her sigh and order, he confirmed it. This girl, so young, not even in first Qi layer… was able to read his lips from such a distance!

That really was something!

Also, with her decision from getting his response…

Such decisiveness! She halted their activity right away.

Such decision, and also senses… This young lady definitely wasn’t simple!

While she did not have any Qi layer, she was first, able to trace his gaze over some kilometers away, from one hill to another. It was not a feat even a first-rate warrior could do, only Masters and above could. No… even a normal master could not be as accurate as her senses. Second, she was able to read his lips over here!

How ridiculous… And she was…

He just guessed it, but she should be a second-rate warrior!

How could this be?

Is she hiding her inner Qi, no…

He was sure she was just a second-rate warrior.

Yet her senses were already so acute, so sharp!

What did that mean?

Murim people’s senses were charged by the inner Qi they had. This amplified their ability by a large margin. This young lady however, her default senses, without being charged by any inner Qi, was capable of tracing and communicating with him. At such a distance, even a Master could not read lips, but she was able to do it easily.

“Such age, such senses… yet, a pity…”

The girl had such potential, yet how regrettable, that her moral…

Was clearly corrupted!

How did her parents or guardians raise her?!

No, was she raised by criminals? Or maybe… the cult?!

It was possible! For some reason or another, the cult had ways to nurture genius better than even the nation’s Murim Alliance. Their methods had always baffled them, as if some mysterious entities had been guiding them. If it was the cult…

He definitely must do something!

This girl, was definitely not a victim of bullying.

In fact, she might be the one doing the bullying!

He also noticed, that the thugs around her were obeying her orders. They picked up large fallen leaves around them, covering the two men with them. Was this her way of saying… She wanted her crime to be hidden? Could she be planning… murder? Was the injury sustained by the two groveling on the ground, even more serious than he thought?

And that was why she told him to look away?

The elder’s imagination ran wild.

Whether he had watched too many dramas or something, he kept thinking of all sorts of possibilities. In the end, he feared the worse. This capable young lady… could be corrupted!

Alas!

“What a waste… Is it too late? Is she already committing murder?”

With her covering them up, he suspected that this could be a murder scene!

Was she planning to clean up her enemy? Killing and murder, that was no surprise to him. Murim people fought each other often. With his identity, he had seen just too many, but…

At such a young age, barely knowing life, she already mingled with such a terrible group?

A girl this young… as young as his cute granddaughter…

This pained the elder’s heart.

Did the younger generation become so corrupted already?

Is this the future of my Shen nation?

Then why did I fight so fiercely back then?!

What for??

Why, how!

Back during his youth, an unmarried girl like this, would be so pure, so innocent.

They wouldn’t even know where babies come from…

Their smiles, purified the heart…

Such smiles, are truly worth being protected.

Not to mention humans, these girls…

They wouldn’t hurt a fly!

What a woe!

Modern age… The age of internet…

So much corruption… so much vanity…

What a corrupt age we’re living in!

“This… I better put a stop to this!”

With a determined look, he knew what to do next…

Meanwhile, Yun Zhi was contemplating…

The elder was amused before. When she gave him the look, it changed into shame, then adamant, and soon, remorse… as if blaming something. It was a rather weird, dramatic old man. So many emotions changing.

‘Still, how much did he see? Should I confront him?’

From his reaction, she could not be sure if he could hear their conversation before.

However, he could read her lips and observed her breathing. All he needed was to put his attention to it. This was proven by his response to her request not to look.

She was just too lazy to hide her breathing just now, so…

If he noticed her breathing pattern, there was no way he would think of her as normal. The breathing method she was about to teach these boys was the most basic in her sect. However, it was still a treasure.

Normally, martial artists wouldn’t steal other’s breathing methods. This was because it was too much hassle to learn a new breathing method. It involved habits after all. In addition, some techniques needed specific breathing methods to direct the Qi into certain parts of the body, maximizing the effect.

However, if the breathing method was way superior to theirs, then, who wouldn’t?! That was why experts usually hid their exact breathing in front of other experts. However, for those who were just learning, they could not do such a thing!

It was too complicated.

It was like asking a complete amateur to ride a bike without holding their hands on it.

Then again, she was thinking too much.

What was most important was the recent breakthrough of these two.

Two people breaking through at once could be seen as suspicious. After all, it should be a rare occurrence. In addition, they were gathering as if they were expecting it, who wouldn’t be suspicious? Not sure how much the elder had seen, she had the thugs covered the two of them with leaves. She still needed to direct the two to achieve stability.

It was a forced breakthrough, after all…

“If this kind of ability got out, I’ll be in trouble…”

Still, she didn’t think he saw much. If he decided to be on his way, then there was no need to confront him at all. Her eyes previously had said, I don’t want to offend, but mind your own business.

Elder, just go back home…

Be with your children, grandchildren…

Don’t gossip about me, a nobody…

Mind your own business!

As she was praying so, she noticed the old man had disappeared from the tree. Hoping for him to actually return home, she scanned the surroundings…

Only to notice,

The elder, was skating in his sandals over the lake…

Coming over here, with a determined face…

Ah, elder, right now, it’s summer…

You should do ice-skating in the winter…

Looking at his fierce face,

Yun Zhi knew, a confrontation…

Could not be avoided.

=== Chp 18 Ends ===