socalfunplaces Chapter 6: The Grandmaster Seeks Defeat, I Just Want to Take a Nap!
Chapter 6: The Grandmaster Seeks Defeat, I Just Want to Take a Nap!
"Tell your men to hurry up and clean this place up."
Li Zhenguo lowered his voice and gave instructions to his most trusted deputy.
"Keep it down, don't disturb the neighbors."
He then signaled to the others to temporarily retreat outside the courtyard.
The deputy immediately took the order and began to mobilize personnel, using professional methods far exceeding those of conventional criminal investigation to handle the scene.
The body was quickly stuffed into a specially made black bag and carried away.
The bloodstains on the ground were also cleaned up completely after being sprayed with a special chemical reagent, leaving no trace.
The courtyard, which had been filled with blood just moments before, was restored to its original state in the blink of an eye.
Soon, only three people remained in the noisy courtyard.
Lin Fan.
Li Zhenguo.
And Fang Qingxue, who was signaled to stay by Li Zhenguo with her eyes, was now standing awkwardly to the side.
"Mr. Lin, would you mind if this old man... had a cup of tea?"
Li Zhenguo had a smile on his face that was typical of a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person from the martial arts world), but he was extremely humble, even showing a hint of seeking advice.
Lin Fan stood up from the flower bed, patted the loose soil off his hands, and glanced at him indifferently.
"We have tea, but it's all broken pieces."
He was referring to the tea dust that old Beijingers often drank, implying that it wasn't anything expensive.
"Haha, high-energy drinks are great! High-energy drinks are so refreshing!"
Li Zhenguo laughed heartily, completely unconcerned, and walked naturally to the stone table in the courtyard. He pulled out a stone stool and sat down without any hesitation.
Lin Fan didn't say anything more and turned to go into the house.
A moment later, he came out carrying a chipped enamel tea tray.
On the tea tray were a large blue-and-white porcelain teapot and three rough porcelain teacups printed with the words "Serve the People".
He poured tea for all three of them.
The tea was a deep color, and a rich aroma of jasmine mixed with the roasted scent of tea leaves filled the air.
Fang Qingxue looked at the vintage teacup in front of her, feeling somewhat at a loss.
She usually drinks either top-grade Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao or a special family-supplied spiritual tea containing a faint spiritual energy.
This kind of "gaosui" with its strong local flavor was something she had never seen before in her life.
Lin Fan picked up a glass, blew on the foam, took a sip, and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Speak, sir."
Lin Fan put down his teacup and got straight to the point.
"Everyone's gone, and we've had our tea. Just say what's on your mind. I don't like beating around the bush."
Li Zhenguo picked up his teacup and, imitating Lin Fan, took a big gulp.
As the scalding tea rushed down his throat, a sudden glint appeared in his weathered, shrewd eyes.
He did not answer immediately.
The next second, an invisible pressure emanated from him and spread outwards.
That was a majesty that did not belong to this secular world; it was the overwhelming aura honed by a master of internal energy through countless trials, enough to crush even the most steely will!
The air temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and the light became viscous.
This is not hostility.
This is a test.
It is the instinctive search of a ferocious beast for another, even more terrifying being.
Between martial artists, a single clash of their auras instantly reveals their superiority. He wanted to see for himself just how deep this young man's abyss truly was.
The aura of a master of neutralizing force is like a mountain pressing down on a skilled practitioner of both overt and covert force.
Ordinary people would instantly lose their composure and feel their liver and gallbladder rupture.
However, the oppressive aura that could make even a tiger bow its head had only spread to within three feet of Lin Fan.
Then it disappeared.
It didn't dissolve, it didn't annihilate, it simply vanished into thin air.
It was as if there was nothing there; that aura was simply projected into a true void.
Lin Fan continued to leisurely drink his tea, without even lifting his eyelids.
The air around him was as still as an ancient well that had stood for millennia.
Li Zhenguo's imposing presence, capable of altering the very fabric of the world, was thrown in, yet not even a wisp of wind was stirred.
Li Zhenguo's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.
He got it.
This is not a matter of brute force in terms of spiritual level.
This is an absolute crushing defeat on a level of life!
His "momentum" was nothing compared to the opponent's; it was merely a negligible movement of air.
This feeling is absurd and powerless.
Fang Qingxue, being a psychic, was more acutely aware of this invisible clash of auras.
She felt that the terrifying pressure emanating from Li Zhenguo that made her tremble disappeared the moment she got close to Lin Fan.
That's it.
The look in her eyes as she gazed at Lin Fan held an indescribable awe beyond mere shock.
"Sir, if you keep glaring at me like that, I'm going to charge you for the tea."
Lin Fan put down his teacup, his voice calm.
Li Zhenguo was startled and instantly came to his senses. His old face turned bright red, and he quickly withdrew his imposing manner, letting out two awkward, dry laughs.
"Mr. Lin, you flatter me. It's an old problem, an old problem."
He knew he had lost.
They suffered a crushing defeat, without a doubt.
"Mr. Lin, since you speak so frankly, then this old man will not hold back either."
Li Zhenguo stopped all probing and his expression became more serious than ever before.
"The world today is no longer what we used to know. Various supernatural organizations are rampant overseas, including gene warriors, psychic beings, vampires, werewolves, and more. They are eyeing China with hostility, and their infiltration and sabotage have never stopped."
He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Fan.
"Mercenaries like those today are just the tip of the iceberg. Behind them are massive organizations with terrifying power. Although China has people like us protecting it, we are ultimately unable to hold it up alone. Mr. Lin, with your extraordinary cultivation, you should..."
"Stop."
Lin Fan raised his hand, directly interrupting his long speech.
"I have no interest in being a savior."
Lin Fan leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed.
"If the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. You are citizens of the country, receiving salaries from the country, and it is your responsibility to protect our homeland."
"I'm just an ordinary citizen."
"My biggest responsibility is to take good care of my yard, water my flowers on time, and prevent Grandpa Wang's cat from coming in and causing trouble."
These words nearly choked Li Zhenguo to death.
He has met reclusive masters, aloof masters, and masters who negotiate terms.
But Lin Fan is definitely the first person to declare so confidently, "I just want to lie down and not bother me!"
"But Mr. Lin, with great power comes great responsibility..." Li Zhenguo still refused to give up.
"Go say that to the people in the movies." Lin Fan curled his lip. "I don't have any grand ambitions. Whoever messes with me, I'll beat them up. Whoever doesn't mess with me, I don't care even if the King of Heaven himself comes."
"They kicked down my door today, trying to kill me, so I took action."
"If they were committing murder and arson next door, I wouldn't even bother to lift my eyelids as long as it didn't disturb my sleep."
"..."
Li Zhenguo was completely speechless.
This unyielding attitude made him feel as if his all-out punch had landed on nothing but empty air, leaving him utterly frustrated.
He remained silent for a long time before deciding to ask the biggest question in his heart, the ultimate question that had troubled him his whole life.
"Mr. Lin, please forgive my intrusion."
"I've practiced boxing my whole life and I consider myself to have some experience in neutralizing internal energy. But whether it's your 'swallowing energy' technique against Zhao Tiehu or the way you dealt with these scum today, it has completely exceeded my understanding of martial arts."
He stared intently into Lin Fan's eyes and asked, word by word.
"Beyond the Transformation Realm, is there... truly an even higher realm?"
This problem has troubled him for half his life and has also troubled the entire Chinese martial arts community for nearly a century.
The Transformation Realm expert is already seen as a terrestrial immortal by the world.
What's above that?
No one knows.
Perhaps, there is no such thing as "further up".
Upon hearing this question, even Fang Qingxue, who was standing next to her, held her breath, her heart almost leaping out of her throat.
Although her family was powerful, they were also stuck at this bottleneck. Countless talented people spent their entire lives without ever being able to glimpse the scenery behind that door.
Lin Fan, this young man who appeared out of nowhere, may be the answer himself!
Lin Fan picked up his teacup, watching the tea leaves bobbing up and down inside, but did not answer.
The courtyard was eerily quiet.
The rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves became exceptionally clear.
Li Zhenguo and Fang Qingxue were both on tenterhooks.
for a long time.
Lin Fan slowly opened his mouth, his voice not loud, but it made the two of them stop beating instantly.
"The frog in the well thinks that the sky above the well is the whole world."
He put down his teacup, raised his eyes, and his gaze was calm and undisturbed.
"You haven't even climbed to the top of the well, yet you're asking me what the world outside is like."
Does it make sense?
Li Zhenguo was struck dumb, frozen in place.
He understood.
He understands it all too well.
Lin Fan meant that he was not even at the "wellhead" level of the Transformation Realm!
Just as Li Zhenguo was deeply shaken and unable to control himself, Lin Fan suddenly stood up and patted the wrinkles on his clothes.
"Alright, we've finished our tea and our conversation."
"You can leave now, I'm going to take a nap."
The order to leave was given swiftly and decisively, without any politeness.
Li Zhenguo suddenly came to his senses.
He knew he wouldn't get anything out of Lin Fan today, but Lin Fan's words had already stirred up a storm in his heart.
Looking at Lin Fan's lazy, seemingly sleepy appearance, a crazy idea surged into his mind.
No!
We can't just let this go!
He had to try it himself, he had to experience firsthand what the scenery "outside the well" was really like!
"Mr. Lin!"
Li Zhenguo suddenly stood up, his aura instantly soaring to the peak of his life, his clothes fluttering wildly even without wind!
"This old man dares to ask you... for a lesson!"
He shifted his feet and firmly planted himself on the ground, assuming the starting stance of Bajiquan, his whole body resonating with energy!
"I have practiced martial arts all my life, seeking only to understand the Dao! Today I am fortunate enough to meet a master; if I cannot experience it firsthand, I will die with regrets!"
"Please, sir... generously offer your guidance!"
His voice carried a hint of determination, and a martial artist's supreme plea for the Dao.
Fang Qingxue's face turned deathly pale. She wanted to stop him, but she found that Li Zhenguo's powerful and concentrated fist intent had already suppressed her firmly in place, and she couldn't even speak!
Lin Fan stopped and turned around.
He looked at Li Zhenguo, who was standing at attention with a serious expression, sighed helplessly, and rubbed his temples.
"Sigh, why are they all so belligerent?"
"Alright."
"Just one move."
"But let me make this clear first," he said, holding up one finger with a troubled expression.
"If you damage the flowers and plants in the yard, you have to pay for them."