The Shadowed Master’s Legacy

With such thoughts swirling, my left hand, still holding the two blood-stained Nine-Revolving Bear-Snake Pills, felt utterly lost. Leaving them there was certainly wrong, but retracting them also seemed improper. Gritting my teeth, I finally resolved myself and asked, “Senior, what exactly is wrong? Since you are an old acquaintance of my father, and, well, if even the Nine-Revolving Bear-Snake Pills are useless, this junior can return and ask him for the Heavenly King’s Life-Preserving Pill.”

“Heh heh, the Heavenly King’s Life-Preserving Pill was a sacred healing artifact that little brat went through countless hardships to acquire back then. How could he possibly be willing to give it to a mere child like you, based on an empty promise?” Perhaps it was because he had coughed out that mouthful of fresh blood, but the shadowed senior’s coughing indeed subsided. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, tinged with disdain.

His words immediately ignited a stubborn streak in me. Without a moment’s hesitation, I declared, “If he refuses, I’ll find a way, whether through open request or covert theft!”

“Oh, then tell me, little one, you and I are complete strangers, we’ve never even met. Why would you go to such lengths for me?” The other party, perhaps due to the temporary relief from coughing and wheezing, continued to inquire with a hint of interest.

“I…” I had initially intended to blurt out something about upholding justice and saving lives being the duty of martial artists, an answer practically lifted from some martial arts manual. Yet, a thought quickly shifted, and I found such a reply rather shameless. So, I answered truthfully, “There are two reasons, I suppose. Firstly, I don’t really know why, but I simply can’t bear to see others, like you, Senior, so afflicted by illness and suffering… Secondly, it’s likely related to the recent friction between this junior and my father. Stealing his precious elixirs would not only save you, Senior, but also allow me to witness his furious reaction. Why wouldn’t I do it?”

“Haha, you’re quite an interesting child! While you’ve inherited some of your father’s cunning and trickiness, you haven’t lost the benevolent heart of that girl, Lin Qing. And your honesty is refreshing! Haha, who would have thought that the fickle ‘Seven Fiends Asura’ would actually raise such a fine son! Haha, he’s truly surpassed his master, colder than ice!” He laughed as he spoke, and I secretly felt my face flush. From childhood, all the overt and subtle hints from relatives and friends had always suggested that I, as a son, was far inferior to my father’s childhood brilliance and exceptional intelligence. The best compliments I ever received were backhanded ones like ‘a tiger begets no dog,’ implying I was merely adequate. To hear someone say I was stronger than my father—this was the very first time.

Before I could fully absorb the sentiment, the shadowed senior, perhaps having laughed a bit too much, was seized by another uncontrollable fit of coughing and wheezing.

“Senior, Senior, please take it easy. Why not at least try these Nine-Revolving Bear-Snake Pills? Even if they don’t work, it’s better than nothing, isn’t it?” I suggested, gently patting his back.

“Cough, cough, no, there’s no need. It’s an old ailment, accumulated over years, far beyond the reach of medicine. You needn’t trouble yourself further with it, little one,” the old senior said between coughs.

“Far beyond the reach of medicine… but Senior, you mentioned my father’s Heavenly King’s Life-Preserving Pill…” I paused, then instinctively asked.

“That was merely me testing you, little one. You’re truly excellent!” he chuckled softly, suddenly praising me.

However, I had no time to offer humble replies or other polite formalities to his praise. Instead, I urgently pressed, “But, but if that’s the case, Senior, what about your injuries then?”

“My internal injuries have accumulated for nearly fifty or sixty years now. By my reckoning, my time is drawing near. At that point, there will be no need to worry about the injuries,” he said with an air of indifference.

At first, I didn’t grasp the meaning behind his words. Only when the realization dawned upon me did I perceive the profound weariness within them.

“Senior…” I could only utter that single word before a sense of profound sorrow welled within me, rendering me unable to continue speaking.

“It’s fine, don’t be sad. Ah, following that little girl Lin Qing’s nature is precisely this kind of trouble—a heart too soft. I, The Old Senior, have roamed the world, crowned in martial arts. To die now would not be in vain. Moreover, these internal injuries have tormented me for over fifty years; this, in a way, is a release!” Though his voice possessed a slightly eerie, high-pitched quality, his words carried a majestic sense of surveying the martial world and looking down upon all under heaven.

I discerned the immense grandeur in his words, yet I was far from achieving his level of unburdened detachment. Birth, old age, sickness, and death; the melancholy of spring and sorrow of autumn—these were, after all, not things my young age could yet comprehend.

“Little one, though I, The Old Senior, have no attachments and deem this life sufficient, there remains an inescapable, weighty responsibility upon me. In days past, I acted with willful abandon, not taking the burden upon my shoulders seriously. Coupled with other reasons, I had originally intended for my lineage’s martial arts to end with me… Now, with my final days approaching, and my ascension imminent, I’ve come to regret my rash decision from back then. Moreover, my cultivation has grown increasingly refined over the years, and the obstacle that once prevented me from passing down this lineage’s martial arts has found a proper resolution. Alas, though the karmic hindrance has dissipated, I lack the strength to seek out a suitable successor to inherit this mantle. Who would have thought that you, child, would stumble upon me by chance?” He held a breath, recounting this narrative slowly, finally without any signs of coughing or wheezing. Once that breath dissipated, he paused. In the darkness, a pair of profound eyes silently cast their gaze of expectation upon me.

Listening intently, I felt both a flicker of confusion and a surge of secret delight. From his tone, could it be?

“Little one,” he asked softly after observing me for a long moment, “I ask you, are you willing to learn my set of martial arts and internal energy?”

His words were not particularly loud, yet to my ears, they resonated like a grand bell, a thunderclap shaking the heavens.

This… this shadowed old senior, was he truly planning to take me as a disciple and impart his martial arts to me?

Recalling his elusive, silent palm techniques that left opponents nowhere to hide and no way to evade, as well as his internal cultivation that could shake the entire cave system, I was overcome with an uncontrollable surge of inner ecstasy!

Heaven truly had eyes! Deep in ancient mountains, within a secluded cave, to encounter a martial arts senior and receive peerless martial arts—such an old, clichéd, dramatic stroke of luck, was it actually happening to me?

Without a second thought, I immediately replied, “Of course I’m willing! Your martial arts, Senior, are so extraordinary; it’s something this junior wouldn’t even dare to dream of!”

Then, without waiting for his reaction, or perhaps fearing he might change his mind, I shamelessly dropped to my knees and kowtowed.

“Master above, please accept your disciple’s bow!”

As I did so, my mind simultaneously conjured an image of my father, thousands of miles away, and wondered what kind of fury he would unleash if he knew of my treacherous act of abandoning my master and betraying my ancestors.

From another perspective, however, it sounded as though this old senior might be a venerable figure from the Foreign Affairs Academy. My father himself had studied for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees there. Considering this, perhaps my actions could even be seen as a return to my ancestral roots?

As these assorted thoughts churned in my mind, I heard the shadowed senior ponder for a long while before slowly speaking, “You, little one… you’re a bit too quick on your feet… I had originally intended to explain the grave implications to you.”

His words startled me, and my heart immediately skipped a beat. Secretly, I began to worry if there were some strange rules, like having to become a monk? Heaven above, I certainly hadn’t seen through the mortal world yet, nor had I reached the point of forgoing a girlfriend!

Despite such anxieties in my heart, I could only brace myself and say, “This disciple was simply overjoyed at the thought of learning Master’s formidable martial arts, perhaps a little too much so, heh heh. However, since I am fortunate enough to be counted among Master’s disciples, no matter how strict the requirements, this junior is confident I can meet them all!”

Though I spoke thus, my heart was silently praying: ‘Please don’t make me become a monk, please don’t make me become a monk! I still want a girlfriend, the Liu family cannot be without an heir!’

The shadowed senior listened to my words, then nodded slightly. “Let’s hope so… As for the first rule, you must inherit my title. Our lineage is passed down through a single successor each generation, and the title is also inherited through the ages!”

Upon hearing this, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. It didn’t seem as harsh as I had imagined. What a relief, what a relief.

“Then, what’s the second rule?” I asked, a little too eagerly, feeling somewhat optimistic, buoyed by what seemed like a fairly ordinary first condition.

“The second rule was originally the most difficult hurdle for our lineage,” he said in a low voice. “However, thanks to the method I, The Old Senior, devised to overcome the obstacles in passing down our martial arts, this rule is no longer important. I can explain it when I impart the cultivation to you!”

My mind eased considerably. Inheriting a title, I thought, was a trivial matter. I didn’t know about others, but my own father’s collection of nicknames and aliases was enough to form an entire football team. So, for me, this was hardly a big deal.

“Then, if this disciple may be so bold, I humbly ask for Master’s revered title,” I said, rising to my feet and offering another long, respectful bow.

The shadowed old senior suddenly let out a faint chuckle, his voice still sharp and thin. After his laughter subsided, I heard him say faintly, “I, The Old Senior, am Dongfang Bubai…”