Chapter 64: My Heart is Most Sincere

Lu Chengwen did not even hesitate, striking back with a single palm.

Are you kidding me?
I am in the entertainment industry now too, do you really think you are the only one who knows martial arts?
I couldn't beat you at your peak, but now, after getting beaten to a pulp by the Iron Block King and taking such a fall, what makes you think you can beat me?
It's already merciful of me not to kick you while you're down!

Long Aotian never expected that Lu Chengwen would actually know martial arts.
He had always suspected that there must have been something fishy about that so-called Immovable Ming Wang Art back in the warehouse!
Even if Lu Chengwen were a supreme prodigy who started practicing inside his mother's womb, it would be impossible for him to master the Immovable Ming Wang Art to that extent!
It was simply too terrifying, terrifying beyond reason, terrifying and defying all logic.
Unless Lu Chengwen had colluded with the Iron Block King, he honestly could not figure out how it was possible.

But at this moment, Long Aotian understood that Lu Chengwen truly knew a thing or two.
Although his skill was limited, he had clearly crossed the threshold.

Ancient martial arts are divided into several major tiers:
The Lower Four Gates, the Middle Four Gates, and the Upper Four Gates.
It was rumored that there were even the Heavenly Four Gates above them, but no one had ever seen them.
In order to reach the height of the Upper Four Gates, he had needed to integrate the Four Great Families to serve as his financial backing.
Right now, he was already an expert of the Middle Four Gates.

And yet, Lu Chengwen had actually set foot into the realm of ancient martial arts as well, clearly at the initial entry stage of the Lower Four Gates—Body Refining!
Once someone reached this stage, they had officially entered the ranks of ancient martial practitioners.
Do not underestimate this Lower Four Gates Body Refining level; it already represented a chasm as vast as heaven and earth compared to ordinary people.
Although Body Refining experts were at the very bottom of the ancient martial hierarchy, among the bustling masses, they were absolute unicorns—one-in-a-million masters.

For a Body Refining expert, their basic physical potential had been thoroughly awakened and unleashed. Their bodily toughness, recovery speed, as well as speed, strength, and explosive power were entirely beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
To put it simply, a qualified Body Refining expert could effortlessly beat up twenty or thirty ordinary people like it was a game. It was the equivalent of a gym teacher walking into a kindergarten toddler class, allowing them to walk sideways with absolute swagger.

Lu Chengwen’s retaliatory palm vastly exceeded Long Aotian's estimates. After trading blows directly, neither of them had an easy time.
For Long Aotian, it was because his injuries were far heavier than Lu Chengwen's.
Not only had he fallen down the mountain, but he had also been brutally beaten by the Iron Block King beforehand!
The Iron Block King, you guys understand, right?
In his mind, Long Aotian was an unforgivable villain who had repeatedly deceived him.
That was an anger and hatred so intense he wanted to smash Long Aotian's very bones into powder to brew soup and feed to dogs!
Therefore, he had practically chased Long Aotian down, beating him to within an inch of his life. Before Long Aotian fell off the cliff, he had already been hammered to the brink of collapse by him.
If not for the fall off the cliff, he certainly would have been beaten to death by the Iron Block King.

Thus, at this moment, Long Aotian was not much stronger than Lu Chengwen, and was in fact far weaker.
When their palms collided, Long Aotian felt several of his ribs shift out of place once more. The pain was so intense he couldn't catch his breath, blackness flooded his vision, and he almost passed out again.
Lu Chengwen was also heavily injured, and a mouthful of fresh blood welled up at the corner of his mouth.
The two men glared at each other, both wishing to put the other to death.
However, neither of them currently had the capacity to do so.

Behind them, Hun Tiangang chuckled.
"Not bad at all, both little imps have some foundation in them. Not bad, not bad."
Hun Tiangang said, "It looks like you two have some bad blood between you?"

Long Aotian gritted his teeth, "We are irreconcilable enemies!"
Lu Chengwen also glared at Long Aotian, "Sooner or later, I'll dismantle your bones and feed them to dogs!"
"Hahaha! Truly, brothers of one mind can cut through metal!"

Both of them turned simultaneously to look at Hun Tiangang, thinking: *Are you even human, old man? Do you even have ears? Where on earth did you hear "brothers of one mind can cut through metal"?!*

Hun Tiangang continued, "How about this? I happen to have here a Pill of the Eight Inner Palaces, which can rapidly repair the six viscera and eight palaces, curing all internal injuries. There is only one such pill. Between the two of you, who wants it?"

Long Aotian clutched his ribs and dropped with difficulty to his knees. "Senior! This junior is named Long Aotian, practicing martial arts since childhood, and I consider myself to have a sliver of talent. I am currently an awakened expert of the Middle Four Gates. If Senior is willing to spare this junior's life, this junior will be forever grateful, remembering Senior's benevolence with absolute devotion. I am willing to die a thousand deaths to repay you, stepping through fire and boiling water without hesitation!"

Hun Tiangang nodded, "At this age, being an awakened expert of the Middle Four Gates is indeed extraordinary talent."

Lu Chengwen cupped his fists slightly, "Senior, this junior's life is humble. I accidentally fell into this valley, and seeing as I cannot escape, there's a high probability I won't make it out alive. However, this Long Aotian cannot be saved. I ask Senior to bestow this pill upon Miss Xuejing instead. She is young and kind-hearted, with a promising future, and does not deserve to die in a place like this."

Long Aotian hurriedly chimed in, "Senior! Xuejing is this junior's close attendant. Once my internal energy is restored and my internal injuries are fully healed, I can channel my energy to treat her injuries for her. Bestowing the pill upon me is equivalent to saving two lives! As for Lu Chengwen, he only possesses the primary introductory strength of Body Refining; he has zero capacity to channel energy and heal anyone."

"Hmm." Hun Tiangang nodded. "Lu Chengwen, is it? Your turn to speak."

Lu Chengwen thought for a moment and said, "Hua Xuejing's external injuries will heal, and after taking the Eight Palaces Pill, her internal injuries will heal as well. Can't an expert who is fully healed both inside and out turn around and save Long Aotian? Who knows, maybe she'll be in such a good mood that she ends up saving me too. Haha."

Hun Tiangang nodded. "You are both good children with kind hearts. Good children."
Hun Tiangang sighed, "You know, when I was young... sigh!"
With that, he let out another heavy sigh.

Lu Chengwen quickly asked, "You don't say?"
"Indeed." Hun Tiangang looked into the distance, his expression desolate. "Later on, my life took a completely different direction..."
Lu Chengwen sighed, "So that's how it was."
"But unpredictable are the fortunes of heaven; who would have thought that later... sigh!"
Lu Chengwen shook his head, "That truly makes one's heart ache."

Hun Tiangang slapped his thigh. "Yet I firmly believe! A living person can never be suffocated by urine, so I simply... you understand, right?"
Lu Chengwen praised admiringly, "Senior's perseverance is something all juniors should learn from. I never imagined that under such circumstances, Senior would still remain so strong and courageous."
"And so, decades later, the pugilistic world came to know someone like me. But... how does that saying go?"
"Extremes beget decline?"
"Right, right, right!" Hun Tiangang said. "Until after that great battle, my heart turned to ash, and I no longer held a shred of attachment to this mortal world."
"That is why you chose to live in seclusion here, seeking only peace and quiet."
"You know, a person's life in this world..."
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Yet some things simply tend to..."
"You're telling me!"
"I personally don't care, but even so, deep inside I always..."
"Say no more, I understand you completely!"

Long Aotian watched the one, then looked at the other, and back again.
Thinking: *What on earth are you two playing at?!*
What kind of double act is this? Are you chatting or performing a crosstalk routine?
*Good lord, what did he even say that you understand completely?!*
There isn't a single shred of concrete content! It's all fucking ellipses, how on earth are you playing the straight man to his jokes?!
Is this even how people converse?!

If you're going to say you two weren't chatting, you were tossing lines back and forth with supreme enthusiasm!
Full of emotion, baring your hearts and souls!
If not for the age gap, you'd probably be kneeling on the ground right now swearing a blood oath of brotherhood!
But if you're going to say you *were* chatting, what the hell did you actually say?
Not a single sentence of serious substance, it's all verbal seasoning!
Hmm, ah, exactly, sigh, hey, yo... and ending with "go fuck yourself!"
Are you fucking kidding me?!

Long Aotian demanded, "Lu Chengwen, what the hell did you actually hear?"
Lu Chengwen wiped away tears, "Don't talk to me right now. Hearing Senior's experiences has left my heart heavy with grief!"
Long Aotian thought: *I genuinely want to slap your shameless face until you drop dead!*
You sure can act!

Long Aotian said, "Are you certain you know what happened to Senior? Tell me then!"
Lu Chengwen was so aggrieved he could barely speak, "When you hear about Senior's life story, aren't you even moved? Such experiences of a great hero, such loneliness, such... ah... aren't you filled with emotion? Aren't you heartbroken?"

At this moment, Long Aotian wished he could tear Lu Chengwen to pieces.
So shameless!
Truly, utterly shameless!
Oh lord! Can someone really act like this? Treating an old geezer like a complete idiot to play him for a fool?!

Just as Long Aotian was about to speak again, Hun Tiangang interrupted:
"How about this? Meeting is by fate. Regardless of whatever grievances you had before, today I shall call the shots. The two of you will swear an oath of brotherhood and enter my sect. Your past grudges are wiped clean, and from this day forward, you are fellow apprentice-brothers. What do you say?"

Long Aotian pointed at Lu Chengwen, "Me? Swear brotherhood with him?! And become fellow apprentice-brothers?!"
Lu Chengwen excitedly cupped his fists and bowed, "Big Brother!"
"Fuck your mother!" Long Aotian was about to explode. "I, the dignified Long Aotian, God of War of the Borders, an expert of the Middle Four Gates, the young master of a major organization! I'm going to become sworn brothers with *him*?!"

Hun Tiangang nodded, "Truly the children of the pugilistic world—open-hearted and magnanimous!"
Long Aotian looked at this befuddled old man, thinking: *I swear, when I get the chance, you'll be the first person I beat to death!*

Hun Tiangang instructed, "Hurry up and kneel down to kowtow. Once the apprenticeship ceremony is complete, I will heal your injuries."
Seeing no other option left, Long Aotian realized the reality of his situation.
Either he swore brotherhood with Lu Chengwen, or he would sooner or later be muddle-headedly schemed to death in this cave by this nutty old timer.
Suppressing his intense nausea, he slowly sank to his knees.
The two of them faced Hun Tiangang and knocked their heads against the ground once.

Hun Tiangang said, "The first kowtow is to pay respect to the heavens!"
Long Aotian said gloomily, "Entering Master's sect, forging friendship with..."
He gritted his teeth, "...my sworn younger brother Chengwen, from this day forth..."
He simply couldn't bring himself to say the rest!

Lu Chengwen chimed in, "From this day onward, we brothers are of one mind and will never betray each other! If we fail to show filial piety to Master..."
Lu Chengwen turned around, cupped his fists toward Long Aotian, and cried, "Big Brother!"
Then turned back to Hun Tiangang, "...may I die a horrible death!"

"If we commit atrocities in the future..."
He turned around again, cupping his fists toward Long Aotian, and shouted passionately, "Big Brother!"
Then faced Hun Tiangang, "...may I be torn apart by five horses!"

"If we betray the sect in the future..."
He turned back to Long Aotian, cupping his fists, "Big Brother!"
Then continued facing Hun Tiangang, "...may I bleed from all seven orifices and die!"

Lu Chengwen launched into a continuous stream of vows, shouting at Long Aotian before every single oath:
"Big Brother!"
"—May my intestines rot and my stomach burst!"
"Big Brother!"
"—May I be pierced by a thousand arrows!"
"Big Brother!"
"—May my head and body be separated!"
"Big Brother!"
"—May I be struck by lightning from the heavens!"
"Big Brother!"
"—May I have no descendants!"
"Big Brother!"
"—May I be chopped into mincemeat and fed to dogs!"
"Big Brother!"
"—May I be kicked in a circle by a hundred people, taking turns targeting my little ding-ding, kicked until burned with fire, then kicked again until..."

Long Aotian grabbed him by the shoulder, "That's enough, that's enough, I'm already dead inside."
Lu Chengwen paused, "I haven't vented all my grievances yet."
Hun Tiangang wiped away his tears, "Chengwen, ah, you are the most sincere young man I have ever seen when it comes to taking a master!"
Long Aotian couldn't hold it in any longer, and fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth once more.