Chapter 598: Chapter 597 No Problem
And as soon as Liu Zheng took his seat, a powerful soul fluctuation transmitted from the depths of the elder’s mind.
"Hmm, are you a martial artist?" the elder asked, looking into Liu Zheng’s eyes.
"Yes, I am a martial artist," Liu Zheng nodded.
"Your aptitude is indeed not bad, if only..." Upon hearing Liu Zheng’s words, the elder sighed softly.
"If only what?"
At the sound of Liu Zheng’s puzzled words, the elder slowly stood up and said, "It’s a pity that you are an abandoned infant!"
"Abandoned infant?" Upon hearing the elder’s words, Liu Zheng was taken aback.
"You are an orphan, and so am I," the elder sighed and continued, "In our lineage, there are three generations. Apart from me and your master, the other four disciples have all died! Among the third generation of disciples, your master and I had the best talents, and thus, the highest gifts. So, I was assigned to take care of you, while your master was responsible for attending to the bodies of those deceased disciples."
At the elder’s words, Liu Zheng was deeply shocked.
"I had thought that the martial arts of our sect were the strongest, but I didn’t expect there to be other martial arts such as..."
"Correct, you have guessed right, our sect’s kung fu is vast! I shall now take you to meet your master!"
"Yes!"
Having said that, the elder walked toward the outside of the courtyard, with Lin Yi closely following behind him. All the while, Liu Zheng’s mouth remained agape, evidently very surprised.
"Elder Uncle, how did you know my surname?"
"Haha..." At Liu Zheng’s question, the elder laughed and said, "Because your fate is governed by the Five Elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. In our sect, these five elements each correspond to a controlling cycle, which is why I was able to deduce your fate and accept you as my disciple!"
"The controlling cycle of the Five Elements!" Liu Zheng muttered to himself upon hearing the elder’s words.
After that, the elder led Liu Zheng towards the backyard.
In the pavilion in the backyard sat two middle-aged men and women. One of the men was dressed in white clothing, the other in a black robe, with long hair cascading over the shoulders, looking quite bizarre.
"Liu Zheng, how about you introduce us?" one of the men in black robes spoke to Liu Zheng.
Hearing the two’s words, Liu Zheng replied, "This is my master, and this is my senior brother; his name is Li Yuan!"
At Liu Zheng’s introduction, Li Yuan nodded slightly and said, "So you’re Liu Zheng. I didn’t expect that you would also be skilled in potion making; truly, I hadn’t thought you possessed such talent!"
At Li Yuan’s words of praise, a hint of excitement appeared on Liu Zheng’s face as he said, "Actually, I don’t understand the medical arts very well, it’s just that I once received guidance from a senior!"
"Oh? Who might that be?" Li Yuan’s face showed a touch of interest as he inquired.
"His name is Zhao Yu; he’s from the Huatuo family of Huaxia," Liu Zheng explained.
"The Huatuo family!" Li Yuan’s eyebrows raised, obviously familiar with the name.
"Yes!"
"How well did you get along with him?" Li Yuan continued to ask.
Hearing Li Yuan’s question, Liu Zheng shook his head and said, "I’m not very familiar with him. I came to Sichuan to visit an old friend, but that friend suddenly disappeared, and I lost the things he left behind. So, I ended up here looking for clues to find that old friend."
After listening to Liu Zheng’s story, Li Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking, "Since you’ve come to Sichuan and also found clues about your old friend, I can tell you some news that might help you; I hope you can lend a hand!"
Hearing Li Yuan’s words, Liu Zheng immediately stood up excitedly and said, "Please tell me, Master!"
"That old friend of yours may no longer be in Shu now. His disappearance was due to being killed by a martial arts master!"
"A martial arts master?" Liu Zheng was shocked to hear this.
"Yes, a martial arts master, and what’s more, I suspect this martial arts master is no ordinary individual. Otherwise, your old friend definitely wouldn’t have died an unnatural death!" Li Yuan said.
"What kind of martial arts master?" Unable to restrain himself, Liu Zheng asked upon hearing Li Yuan’s words.
"Although my cultivation level is not high, I still pay close attention to the affairs of the jianghu. From what I’ve observed, that martial artist’s cultivation level must be of the Innate Realm, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to kill that person!"
Hearing Li Yuan’s explanation, Liu Zheng fell silent once more.
"Alright, don’t think too much about it. What you need to do now is to enhance your strength as quickly as possible, to reach the Innate Realm. Only by reaching the Innate Realm can you protect your friends, understand?" Li Yuan said lightly, patting Liu Zheng’s shoulder.
"Yes!" Hearing Li Yuan’s words, Liu Zheng hastily nodded.
"Alright, you should go back and rest for the night, and then come to me first thing tomorrow morning!"
"Yes!" Liu Zheng said respectfully.
Afterward, Liu Zheng turned and left the small courtyard.
Watching Liu Zheng’s retreating figure, the black-robed elderly man shook his head slightly, saying, "This child, although his talent for cultivation is not too high, his comprehension is quite exceptional. If he can seize the opportunity to become my disciple, he will surely accomplish great things in the future!"
"Uncle-Master, I feel that the boy is not suitable to become your disciple; instead, he should become your protégé. He’s a good seedling, and if he grows up in the future, he may become a rival to me!" said the man beside the black-robed elderly man.
"Hehe, that boy is indeed a very promising child. However, I feel that he is not suited to become my disciple but to be an aid to my protégé. I hope my protégé grows to a level where he can compete with me. In that case, he’ll have enough of a foundation to face various dangers while my protégé will need to rely on him to protect me, understand?" Li Yuan spoke upon hearing the black-robed elderly man’s words.
"Yes, Master!" The black-robed man nodded.
"Well, you should also get some rest. Tomorrow, we will head to Shuzhou City together. I want to see who dares to kill my protégé!" Li Yuan said in a cold voice.
"As you command!" The black-robed man said respectfully.
"Hmm." Li Yuan nodded in response.
...
Shuzhou City.
The location of Shuzhou City is not very far from the capital of Shu. However, because the capital is close to Shuzhou City, the flow of people between them has become crowded, especially when night falls and the entire city bustles with activity.
At the moment, on the streets of Shuzhou City, figures were moving back and forth, everywhere.
However, since Liu Zheng had just entered Shuzhou City, to him, Shuzhou City was like a labyrinth, with streams of people coming and going everywhere, making it difficult for even his sight to clear, let alone seeking the information he desired.
Liu Zheng weaved through the crowd, hoping to find some clues he could inquire about.
However, to Liu Zheng’s disappointment, almost every intersection on this main thoroughfare was overcrowded; he simply couldn’t find any information about Shu.
This made Liu Zheng feel somewhat disheartened.
"Alas, it seems I must find someone and ask around to get the news of Shuzhou City," Liu Zheng thought to himself.
