Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 985: Defying Fate (1)

Mo Xiaofei and Chasing Wind exchanged glances, unable to figure out the origins of these two uncles.

"Um... Uncles, did you get something wrong?" Mo Xiaofei stood up. "We're just passing through, not some 'young masters' you're looking for."

The one who introduced himself as Song Qingshu, Song Da, responded solemnly, "Young masters, there's no need to hide it. My brother and I already witnessed your miraculous qinggong skills earlier. Truly impressive!"

Mo Xiaofei was stunned. He had been choosing deserted places to fly, usually traveling at night. Today, because of the mountainous terrain, he'd decided to fly a bit during the day—and he was indeed seen.

"To be honest, my brother and I are also martial artists." Song Da, who called himself Song Qingshu Two, exhaled slowly and placed his palm on a large tree trunk beside him.

When Song San removed his hand, the tree trunk bore a deep, clear palm imprint—about an inch or two deep.

"Wow, how did you do that..." Chasing Wind curiously approached the tree trunk to examine the mark.

With his demonic strength, breaking this tree wasn't difficult. However, achieving such precision with just a press of the hand was beyond him.

Song San smirked with pride and said, "It's merely a soft-palm technique, far inferior to the qinggong displayed by this young master, which is truly otherworldly."

Martial arts experts?Mo Xiaofei blinked. Given the existence of beings like Chasing Wind, the True Dragon of Shenzhou, and even himself as a superpowered individual, the idea of martial arts experts wasn't all that surprising.

Still, Mo Xiaofei felt it was better not to expose his superpowers. Since these two uncles mistook it for qinggong, he decided to go along with it.

"May I ask, which school do the young masters belong to?" Song Da clasped his hands and asked respectfully.

Mo Xiaofei coughed lightly. "Well... sorry, I promised my teacher not to reveal that."

"Understandable." Song Da nodded, seemingly unsurprised, and continued courteously, "Apologies for the disturbance, but my brother and I have been practicing martial arts for years. However, finding genuine martial artists in this vast land has become increasingly rare. We have made little progress for a long time. Would the young masters be willing to offer us some guidance?"

Song Da's tone was polite, and it was clear he meant no offense. Seeing their flying skill earlier had deeply impressed him, hence the respectful address of "young masters." Otherwise, given their youthful appearance, he might not have taken them seriously.

Mo Xiaofei felt a little bad about refusing, especially given the eager looks in the two uncles' eyes. But... he didn’t actually know any martial arts!

"I'll give it a try!"

Unexpectedly, Chasing Wind chimed in enthusiastically. He mimicked Song San's posture, closed his eyes, and pressed his palm against the tree trunk.

Nothing happened for a while.

Song Da and Song San exchanged a glance. Song San chuckled and said, "Young master, soft-palm technique may not be the highest form of martial arts, but it does require years of—"

Before he could finish, a wild, fierce energy suddenly erupted from Chasing Wind. A suffocating aura filled the air, as if countless killing intents surged skyward.

Under this overwhelming presence, Song Da and Song San felt their throats dry up, their minds buzzing in terror.

Boom!

When they looked again, their eyes widened in disbelief. The entire tree trunk beneath Chasing Wind's hand had exploded into splinters, the thick trunk reduced to dust.

"Oh, this is hard..." Chasing Wind muttered, glancing at his palm. He seemed ready to try again on another tree.

Startled, Mo Xiaofei rushed over and smacked him on the head. "Are you crazy? This is a scenic area! What if we have to pay for the damage?"

"I already held back..." Chasing Wind pouted, looking dejected. He feared few things in the world but couldn't seem to defy Mo Xiaofei's scolding.

Sighing, Mo Xiaofei rubbed Chasing Wind's head and turned to speak to the uncles—only to find they had disappeared.

"Huh? Where'd they go?"

Chasing Wind sniffed the air and pointed in a direction. "I think they went that way. Should we follow them?"

"Forget it. Let’s deal with this tree first," Mo Xiaofei replied, shaking his head.

It seemed the uncles had been frightened away by Chasing Wind's demonic aura. To Mo Xiaofei, it was just a minor incident.

---

Outside the forest, beneath the power pole, Song Da and Song San leaned against it, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

"That killing intent... was that really released by a human?" Song San trembled as he spoke. "For a moment, I thought I was going to die..."

He fumbled for a cigarette but couldn't steady his hands enough to retrieve one.

Song Da muttered a chant to calm himself, his face pale. "Back when we were at Shaolin, our master often said that the world is vast, with many capable individuals. Even the blind monk mentioned that those stronger than him are numerous..."

He let out a bitter laugh. "Years of isolation abroad have dulled not only our martial arts but also our perception. If that young master's palm had landed on me, I doubt my iron body could have withstood it."

Song San nodded, adding, "And... maybe that wasn't just martial arts strength we saw."

"You mean... they're like the blind monk?" Song Da asked.

Song San replied, "Think about it. After all these years of practice, do you believe martial arts alone could allow someone to fly? It's something we've always fantasized about but never truly achieved."

Song Da fell silent, agreeing inwardly.武当山 was indeed a sacred place, hiding dragons and crouching tigers.

“This path is all mountain roads, everything looks the same, and there aren’t even any signposts... As long as we haven’t wandered into the ocean, that’s already good enough, right?” Chasing Wind stuck out his tongue before suddenly saying, “Big Brother, there’s a light up ahead—it looks like someone lives there.”

The light came from deep within the bamboo forest, seemingly from a wooden house.

“Why don’t we ask if we can stay the night here?” Chasing Wind suggested.

Mo Xiaofei thought about it. After traveling through the night and the entire day, flying for about fifteen hours, he was nearing his limit.

Feeling a headache creeping in, he knew he couldn’t push himself further and reluctantly nodded.

The two quietly landed in front of the wooden house. It was an exquisitely built structure, clearly not something hastily thrown together.

“Excuse me, is anyone home?”

After waiting outside the door for a while, they finally heard footsteps. An elderly man with white hair and a weary expression opened the door.

“Good evening, sir,” Mo Xiaofei said politely. “My younger brother and I got lost in the area and stumbled upon your place. Our phones just ran out of battery... Would it be alright if we stayed here for the night?”

The old man studied Mo Xiaofei and Chasing Wind for a moment, his gaze heavy and unsettling. It made the two feel vaguely uncomfortable—until the old man suddenly broke into a smile and kindly said, “Come in, it’s cold outside. Rest for now, and we’ll talk later. I was just cooking—if you don’t mind simple food, you’re welcome to eat some.”

“Thank you, sir!” Mo Xiaofei quickly expressed his gratitude.

The old man led them into the house and then headed to the kitchen, leaving the two in a small living room.

The wooden house’s structure was more ancient than anything Mo Xiaofei had ever seen, yet it was spotlessly clean, indicating someone had been living here for a long time.

Chasing Wind rested his hands behind his head and said, “Big Brother, this old man seems pretty strange. Be careful later... Living alone in the middle of nowhere like this is odd.”

Mo Xiaofei nodded. The old man’s gaze earlier had indeed been peculiar—lifeless at first, but suddenly lighting up.

Chasing Wind yawned and leaned on the table, saying, “Big Brother, I’m a bit sleepy. Call me when it’s time to eat.”

Mo Xiaofei shook his head at Chasing Wind’s casual attitude, smiling wryly at how quickly he fell asleep.

The bamboo forest was eerily silent. As the sun set, the quiet deepened, broken only by the flickering candlelight. Watching the flame dance, Mo Xiaofei also began to feel drowsy and soon closed his eyes.

For someone like him, rest and sleep were the best ways to recover mentally.

A night breeze blew through the window, extinguishing the candlelight in the room.

Not long after, the door to the hall slowly opened. The old man returned from the kitchen, carrying food. He didn’t bother relighting the candles, relying on the faint light from outside to move around.

The old man looked at the sleeping Mo Xiaofei and Chasing Wind, then silently picked up a bowl of food and began eating.

As he ate, he spoke to himself, “I used to eat delicacies every day, living a life of luxury. I never thought it was bad, nor did I ever grow tired of it. Occasionally, I’d try plain meals for variety. The doctor said I should eat lighter, but I always thought life is short—why deny yourself anything?”

Mo Xiaofei and Chasing Wind remained asleep.

The old man continued muttering, “Heh, now I think being able to eat simple food is a blessing... But unfortunately, my life won’t last much longer. Tell me, what should I do if my time is running out?”

The old man’s gaze darkened as he stared at Mo Xiaofei and Chasing Wind. “You’re both so young, with plenty of time ahead of you... Why not lend me some of it?”

The principles of geomancy and metaphysics allow one to reverse yin and yang, defy the heavens, and even borrow lifespan to extend life.

“Don’t blame me. You’re the ones who came to me...” The old man’s eyes suddenly widened, and he said coldly, “I, Huang Qifa, have spent my life helping others defy fate. Now it’s time for me to do it for myself.”

(End of Chapter)