novelraw Chapter 288 283: Qin Fan, Master Qin! (5)
Chapter 288 283: Qin Fan, Master Qin! (5)
PFFT!
He spat out the sand that had rolled into his mouth. The plainly dressed middle-aged man scrambled up from the ground, looking disheveled.
He knew the only reason he hadn't sustained any internal injuries from that palm strike was that the young man opposite him had perfectly controlled his force.
How terrifyingly powerful must someone be to have such control over that overwhelming Inner Strength? A young man, not even twenty, possessing such formidable strength? What kind of monster is this?
This thought filled the simple-faced man's features with utter disbelief.
Subconsciously, the phrase "young Grandmaster" surfaced in his mind.
Though he lived in seclusion, it didn't mean he was completely ignorant of the affairs of the Martial Arts World. According to rumor, on the seventh day of the seventh month, amid the sea of clouds beside the Golden Summit on Emei Mountain, a young man had conjured a sword from water. With a single strike, he had slain Lan Xiaosheng, who had returned to Huaxia after twenty-five years with the full might of the Transformation Realm.
On that day, his name shook the Martial Arts World.
On that day, the title of Young Grandmaster was etched into the annals of martial history.
Could it be that the youth opposite me is the very same young Grandmaster who slew Lan Xiaosheng?
When this idea emerged, the middle-aged man didn't find it crazy. On the contrary, the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. He gulped, his throat dry from shock, and his expression turned to one of immense reverence.
He quickly walked back toward Qin Fan, cupped his fists in salute, and said, "Thank you for your mercy!"
Qin Fan didn't reply, only shaking his head slowly with a smile.
In response to Qin Fan's gesture, the middle-aged man's heart began to race. After a moment of internal struggle, his eyes shone with resolve. He gritted his teeth for courage and asked again, "Might I be so bold as to ask if you are Master Qin?"
"Hn." Qin Fan wasn't surprised that the man had discerned his identity.
"I was ignorant to have offended you, Master Qin! I beg for your forgiveness!"
Upon hearing Qin Fan's confirmation, the middle-aged man trembled from head to toe.
A Grandmaster! A Transformation Realm Grandmaster! And I, a mere ant at the Middle Stage of Dark Energy, actually tried to trade blows with a Transformation Realm Grandmaster?
The awe and fear reserved for Grandmasters in the Martial Arts World surged through his heart. He then recalled his earlier words.
In an instant, a scorching heat spread across his thick-featured face. I actually dared to give advice to the young Grandmaster who slew Lan Xiaosheng? I told a Transformation Realm Grandmaster that arrogance wasn't a good thing?
Madness! This is absolute madness!
The Martial Arts World had a fifteen-word maxim: A Grandmaster must not be insulted, a Grandmaster must not be deceived, a Grandmaster must not be offended! These words not only served as a warning to the world but also hinted at the mercurial tempers of such masters.
The man in plain clothes suddenly realized that the fact he was still standing here, safe and sound, was an absolute blessing from his ancestors.
Seeing the man's trembling body, Qin Fan smiled faintly. "Ignorance is no sin. Let it be."
"Thank you, Master Qin! Thank you, Master Qin!" The man bowed repeatedly as if granted a great pardon.
Qin Fan just chuckled softly and said nothing more.
Seeing this, the plainly dressed man quickly turned to the old man in the military uniform. "Elder Liao! I shall take my leave now!"
With those words, he strode away hastily, leaving the old man staring after him with a look of utter shock. Given the man's attitude, Liao Yuan didn't ask any questions. His mind was completely consumed by the name "Master Qin."
Though he knew little about the Martial Arts World, he was not ignorant of the significance of the title "Master." Hua Xiaotian, the strongest man in Huaxia, who resided in Beijing, was addressed as Master Hua. And yet, this plainly dressed man had addressed this youth with such extreme humility and even fear, reverently saluting and calling him "Master Qin."
Could it be... that this young man is a Grandmaster? No! Impossible! Would a Grandmaster come to the Northwest Military Region to take on such a task? What a joke! But how else can I explain the man's humility and his use of "Master Qin"?
"Old Han, this... this... who is he?" Liao Yuan's voice trembled slightly as a sense of panic began to set in.
Even if this young man isn't a Grandmaster, anyone who can make a Middle Stage Dark Energy Martial Artist so humble and terrified has to be a monster of a talent!
He panicked. If he had truly offended such a person and earned their resentment, what would the consequences be? He dared not imagine; he could not imagine.
Han Rongguang paused for a moment before giving Liao Yuan, a man slightly his senior, a sorrowful smile. He then said vaguely, "He is the instructor I traveled to Jiangzhou for overnight. Together with Elder Ye of Lingnan, we sincerely visited his home and repeatedly pleaded for him to come."
With that, Han Rongguang turned to Qin Fan. "Master Qin, we won't disturb you any longer. Jiguang and I will take our leave."
"Hn, go on," Qin Fan replied with an indifferent nod.
"Master Qin, farewell!"
"Master Qin, farewell!"
Han Rongguang and Ye Jiguang cupped their fists in unison before departing.
After they left, Liao Yuan stood rooted to the spot, completely dumbfounded. His already frightened face grew deathly pale.
An overnight journey. Elder Ye of Lingnan. A sincere visit to his home. Repeated pleas.
When these phrases linked together in his mind, the implications were staggering. At his age, there was no way he wouldn't understand.
In Jiangzhou, a place where even Elder Ye had to personally and sincerely beseech him... just how high does this person's standing have to be?
He then connected it to the plainly dressed man's address: "Master Qin."
Suddenly, Liao Yuan recalled a rumor he had heard a few days ago. It was said that Lan Xiaosheng, who in his time had been on par with Hua Xiaotian in Huaxia, had returned, only to be killed by a youth. At the time, he had simply shaken his head and laughed, dismissing the news as a complete fabrication, a case of a rumor becoming fact through repetition. Lan Xiaosheng was a titan in the global Underworld; after so many years, his Martial Arts Cultivation must have reached an unimaginable level. How could a mere youth possibly kill him, especially within Huaxia's borders?
But now, he believed it.
A gut feeling, a baseless intuition, told him that the young man he had so deeply resented was none other than the one from the rumors, the one who had killed Lan Xiaosheng. As this near-certain intuition surfaced, a terrifying chill shot up his spine. Deep panic flooded his ghastly pale face.
GULP.
GULP.
A few ragged swallows echoed in his parched throat.
His trembling gaze shifted to Qin Fan as he stammered, "Master Qin, I... I-I was presumptuous! I have failed in raising my son!"
Uttering those words drained nearly all of Liao Yuan's strength, leaving him with a profound and dreadful sense of terror. What did it mean to offend a godlike figure whom even Elder Ye of Lingnan had to treat with sincerity and humility? Whatever it meant, one thing was certain: it was not something his Liao Family could ever hope to withstand.
Recalling his earlier remarks, Liao Yuan, a man who had climbed the ranks through flattery and sycophancy, broke out in a cold sweat that drenched his entire body.
"GET OUT!!!"