6kv Chapter 40 Long Talk
Chapter 40 Long Talk
Lu Zhiyuan and Old Master Lu both had strange expressions on their faces as they looked towards the alley entrance.
Among them, Old Master Lu's expression was the strangest.
Why does that sound like he's being insulted?
At that moment, a burly man stood at the entrance of the alley, grinning maliciously as he charged toward them.
As they passed by Old Master Lu, they even shoved him.
"Where did this old codger come from? A good dog doesn't block the way!"
Just as Old Master Lu got up, the man grabbed Lu Zhiyuan by the collar and said viciously:
"You fatherless brat, are you going to pay me back or not?!"
Pay back?
Old Master Lu's expression was strange.
This... Lu Zhiyuan actually has debts?
He was beginning to have doubts, but at that moment the man suddenly exerted force and punched Lu Zhiyuan in the abdomen. In an instant, Lu Zhiyuan curled up like a shrimp.
Just then, Aunt Han, hearing the commotion, rushed over and burst into tears:
"Mr. Qian, could you please grant me a few more days..."
"Grace period? I want to see the money today! If you can't come up with the money, I'll tear down your shop!" the old man said viciously.
Faced with "Master Qian's" relentless pressure, Third Aunt suddenly looked up and exchanged a glance with Old Master Lu.
In that brief moment of eye contact, Auntie San seemed to grasp at the last glimmer of hope and hurriedly called out:
"Dad! Do you have any money...?"
……
"What's going on?"
Lu Li looked at his third uncle, who was clutching his stomach, with a puzzled expression.
He had gone home as usual, but to his surprise, his third uncle was sitting in the shop, clutching his stomach in pain, as if he had been severely beaten.
"It's all Old Qian's fault... he really went all out!" Uncle San said, grimacing.
Beside him, the man who had just been called "Master Qian" scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled.
"I was just trying to make it look convincing so I could appease your old man..."
As Lu Li listened, he became increasingly confused. Just as he was about to speak, his third aunt walked over and began to explain to him.
Only then did he learn that his grandfather had come to the shop not long ago, wanting to borrow money to buy blood-tonifying pills for his cousin Lu Heng. His third aunt became suspicious when her third uncle did not return for a long time, so she went to eavesdrop and then asked Uncle Qian next door to help stage a "bitter trick" to force his grandfather to leave.
"Damn it, it's been half an hour and it still hurts this much." Lu Zhiyuan glared at Uncle Qian: "I really suspect you're using this as a pretext for personal revenge..."
Auntie San shook her head helplessly upon hearing this:
"Alright, Old Qian is just trying to be helpful. You know your old man's character. If you don't act convincingly, he'll find out and start making a scene in front of the neighbors again..."
The last incident was naturally about Third Uncle and Lu Li separating from Old Master Lu.
That incident was originally a "family scandal," but Old Master Lu insisted on spreading it around.
For a long time, this led some uninformed neighbors to believe that Lu Zhiyuan and Lu Li were truly ungrateful.
After understanding the whole story, Lu Li shook his head and sighed.
My third uncle is a very stubborn person, but he values loyalty and friendship.
She can be incredibly kind to you, yet she would never do anything so disrespectful to her biological father.
There's no way around it, their moral standards are just too high.
The current self-inflicted injury tactic might actually be the best solution.
"Hmph, so what if we get caught?" Lu Zhiyuan sneered.
He failed in his duty last time by not guarding the things his elder brother gave him. This time, the other party wants to reach into his pocket and pave the way for his precious grandson's wealth.
dream!
……
Another half month passed.
There is only a little over a month left before the martial arts exam begins.
That day, Lu Li returned to the White Crane Martial Arts School after his routine patrol.
Upon entering, one immediately senses an unusually strange atmosphere.
In the past, the martial arts school was mostly filled with people practicing diligently, but today, the outer disciples mostly gather in twos and threes to chat, and there are even a few eyes that often sweep over them.
Lu Li's heart sank.
It's not particularly rare for a Mingjin disciple to be in the outer courtyard, and he wouldn't have received this much attention in the past.
Something must have happened.
Lu Li took everything in, and walked calmly toward a forlorn figure ahead.
"Senior Brother Wu."
Lu Li stepped forward, about to ask, when he suddenly noticed that Wu He, who used to be unusually excited and seemed to be on steroids all the time, was now deathly pale, as if he had lost too much blood.
He stared blankly at a tattered piece of cloth in his hand.
"Junior Brother Lu."
Wu He turned around and gave an unnatural smile:
"You mean... is the idea that hard work pays off a scam?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Li suddenly recalled that a few days earlier, Senior Brother Wu He had approached him and said he wanted to try to break through the barrier.
I just never expected...
"Senior brother..."
Lu Li was about to speak when Wu He interrupted him.
"Knocking on the gates, knocking on the gates, like a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Success opens up a whole new world, but failure..." Wu He gave a self-deprecating smile:
"Then it will be like me, a year's worth of accumulation wasted, and I will regress from the peak of Ming Jin to the early stage of Ming Jin."
"This is my fourth failed attempt, and I may never have another chance."
Several words were spoken in succession, leaving Lu Li unable to utter the words of comfort he wanted to say.
The two remained silent for a long time until the sun began to set in the west.
"Junior Brother Lu, do you know?" Wu He spoke up to himself, "When I explained to Master why I wanted to learn martial arts, he felt my bones and told me that giving up revenge and saving money to live the life of a rich farmer was not a bad option."
Wu He's pale face became agitated:
"But I refuse to believe in fate!"
The book says, "Diligence can make up for lack of talent, and Heaven rewards diligence!"
"If my natural talent is ten times weaker than others, then I will put in ten times the effort!"
Wu He clenched his fists involuntarily.
The tattered cloth in his hand was also shaking incessantly.
But he ultimately failed.
Inner courtyard.
Qin Yan, who was eating the persimmon cake, suddenly found it tasteless.
The master of the Transformation Realm possessed exceptionally keen senses, and he had heard Wu He's words just now.
That was a hardworking child.
Unfortunately, the path of martial arts is never short of hard-working people.
Qin Yan shook his head, about to open his mouth, but found that he couldn't eat any more of the persimmon cake.
"Bookworms from scholarly families only remember things like 'diligence can make up for lack of talent' and 'heaven rewards diligence'..."
Third Senior Sister Xu Fang shook her head. Although she was used to such scenes, she still had to comment on them today.
Because Zhang Wu is here.
"If the principle of 'diligence pays off' truly worked, then Junior Brother Wu He wouldn't have been stuck at the Ming Jin level for five years..."
Liang Jing smiled and then looked at Zhang Wudao:
"On the contrary, Junior Brother Zhang has already reached the Dark Force level in less than a year since he entered the school. In fact, he has already reached the middle stage of Dark Force in a short time. I'm afraid that before long, my White Crane Martial Arts School will produce another Grandmaster of Transformation Force."
Although Zhang Wu had heard a lot of such flattery during this period, he always felt more comfortable when it came from the mouths of important people he had never been able to reach before.
What Liang Jing and Xu Fang said now undoubtedly greatly satisfied him.
At that moment, he echoed the sentiment:
"If hard work were enough, what would be the point of having geniuses?"
Although he was referring to Wu He, his eyes were fixed on Lu Li, who was standing next to Wu He.
Wu He looked at the setting sun on the horizon, then suddenly raised the tattered cloth in his hand:
"Junior Brother Lu, do you know what this is?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Li looked at the tattered cloth that Senior Brother Wu He had spread out. It was a dark purple tattered cloth with a clear crescent moon pattern on it.
He pondered for a moment, then finally shook his head.
"You should have heard about my story. I hid for a night, and when I came out, besides the corpses of my clansmen, all that was left in my house was this tattered rag that had been burned to ashes..."
As Wu He spoke, the bloody and gruesome images kept flashing through his mind.
He remembered his mother telling him, "Never forget the hatred and grudges of your family and clan."
He dared not forget it for a moment!
For the past five years, they have worked tirelessly day and night, braving ice and snow. How can the word "bitter" possibly describe their hardships?
perhaps……
perhaps……
Wu He suddenly looked at Lu Li, his eyes filled with an indescribable complexity:
"Junior Brother Lu, do you know why I feel a connection with you?"
Lu Li shook his head.
"Because you and I have the same physical constitution, neither of us is of superior or inferior quality, yet you don't believe in fate and practice hard day and night. You always remind me of the old me."
Wu He then said:
"Perhaps the saying 'hard work pays off' is a hoax, but I feel... at least I hope you succeed."
"However, I should go now."
Disciples who fail to make a breakthrough usually choose to leave the martial arts school after their failure. This is the case whether they fail the first time or the second time.
Only Wu He failed several times but never gave up.
Many disciples in the outer academy regard him as a role model.
But now, he has given up.
Soon, Wu He packed his things, bowed towards the inner courtyard, and left the courtyard in the direction of the setting sun.
Many disciples had complex expressions.
Although they enjoyed talking about such things, they didn't want to become the same lonely figures.
Lu Li chased after him, calling out:
"Senior brother, I still owe you a jar of wine. Remember to come back and drink it!"
Wu He paused in his steps, then turned back and waved. He turned again and walked towards the setting sun until the light faded completely.