Chapter Forty-Four: Master in Folk

  "A few of you gentlemen, this inn is the owner's hard work for many years, how can we let you easily destroy it." The old man in hemp clothing slowly walked forward, step by step, and slowly pulled out the broom from the marble floor. His tone was calm and indifferent as he said, "The destroyed tables, chairs, decorations, etc., are worth about 100 taels. Which of you gentlemen will settle the bill?"

  Lu Renjie suppressed his anger, a good man doesn't take advantage of the situation in front of him. He raised his hand and made a fist, saying: "Junior Qingcheng Sect's direct disciple Lu Renjie has met senior, my master is Yu Canghai, the owner of Qingfeng Guan. He has always liked to make friends with high-ranking people in the Jianghu. If he knew that junior was fortunate enough to meet senior, he would be overjoyed and come from afar to pay his respects."

  "As the master of a renowned sect, Yu Guan's martial arts skills are exceptionally high and he has become a grandmaster of his generation. I'm just an ordinary old janitor, so I'm afraid we don't have much to talk about. Let's continue discussing the compensation for the damaged furniture in the inn instead."

  Ma Yi's words were flattering, but her tone and expression revealed a hint of mockery. You Yu Canghai may be formidable, but I'm not someone to be trifled with either. If we really clashed, I wouldn't lose to you by much. In this day and age, who doesn't have a few friends who are roughly equal in strength? If you dare to come at me, I'll gather a group of old folks to gang up on you.

  "Senior, don't you have any face at all? Our Qingcheng Sect is a renowned sect in the Jianghu, with a rich foundation. Our Master is even praised as a master of martial arts for generations to come! If we really compare, Senior's power is weak and alone, I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand it!"

  Lu Renjie was also somewhat annoyed, you may have high martial arts skills far superior to mine, but after all, you are just a lone and weak sweeper in the inn, while my Qingcheng Sect is a well-known large sect on the rivers and lakes, with countless masters, it won't take too much effort to deal with a lone Jianghu wanderer like you.

  "Oh? So that's how it is."

  Ma Yī elderly said, suddenly swift and decisive movement, wielding a broom to sweep away four or five Qingcheng Sect disciples, then swiftly appeared beside Luo Rénjié, grasping his collar, directly slapping him with five or six loud ear-boxing slaps, instantly turning Luo Rénjié into Pighead Three.

  "Damn you, you son of a bitch! You're simply asking to be beaten up. I'm speaking nicely to you and you still refuse to listen, and then you have the nerve to tell me about giving face? Who do you think you are? Don't you know that back in my day, my nickname was 'Furious Vajra', the one who slaughtered the entire Huangfeng gang in one night and killed 108 evil bandits?"

  "My god, this is also possible!" The old man's fierce performance directly shocked Lin Hu Dung to pee.

  "It's fine if you have money, but if you don't, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your lives." The old man in gray clothes shouted loudly.

  ……

  The final result was a tragedy, Luo Renjie and others wanted to shirk responsibility, but were severely punished by the old man in hemp clothing. All their valuables were confiscated, including their swords, leaving Luo Renjie with only a red underpants, wearing a pig head, and slinking away dejectedly. Of course, before leaving, he left behind some ruthless words as usual.

  The play is over, Linghu Cong was about to withdraw, but unexpectedly, the old man in hemp clothing directly transmitted his voice, wanting to have a conversation with him. It was just that earlier, the old man's fierce performance had shocked Linghu Cong, and for a moment he forgot to gather his breath, which was detected by the old man.

  Mei's way of doing things was very much to his liking, and since the old man had also helped take care of the Qingcheng Sect disciples, he had inadvertently helped him out, so he didn't rush off. Instead, he went up to the second floor wing room to discuss and chat with the old man for a while.

  Respecting the elderly and loving the young is a traditional virtue of us Chinese, thought Linghu Chong with satisfaction. But he automatically ignored the old man who had been teased by him at Mount Hua.

  In the cabin, Linghu Cong and Old Man Ma sat cross-legged, sipping fragrant tea, exchanged names, and asked each other questions.

  "Linghu Shaoyou is indeed the most outstanding young hero in the Jianghu, his cultivation is probably even beyond mine. The reputation of the White-Clothed Sword God is well-deserved, and it's been decades since a talent like him has emerged in the Jianghu. Alas, we have all grown old." said the Old Man in Grey Clothes with a sigh.

  "Senior's reward, junior is ashamed and dare not accept it. I didn't expect that in this small place, there would be a senior with such extraordinary abilities living here, it's really surprising." Linghu Chong was also secretly amazed, the old man's martial arts skills had reached the middle stage of the highest level in Jianghu, even compared to the leaders of various famous schools and sects, he was not inferior in any way. Yet, he chose to hide in a small inn as a sweeper, could it be that like in wuxia stories, all high-level cultivators have a sweeping complex, and after retiring, they all like to sweep the floor?

  "Haha, when we were young, we too had our moments of vigor and laughed proudly. But this world is treacherous, with endless storms and bloodshed. My old brothers and I grew tired of the constant fighting and killing, so we settled down here and opened an inn to spend our remaining years. Even in idleness, one can't be idle all the time, so occasionally I sweep the floor." The old man in the hemp garment chuckled, a completely different person from when he was scolding the Qingcheng sect disciples earlier.

  "The countryside has many strange and extraordinary people, the land of China is vast and rich, boundless and endless. It's only natural that there wouldn't be a lack of top-notch experts. I underestimated the heroes of the world." Linghu Chong also felt a sense of emotion, this world was indeed not as simple as he had imagined. Just in an ordinary inn, one could meet people comparable to the leader of the Five Mountains Sect, how many more such experts were hidden among the common folk elsewhere?

  "Once you enter the Jianghu, life is no longer your own. There are too many life-and-death separations, sword lights and shadows, and one day you will inevitably become weary. Many famous masters in their later years will abandon their swords and retreat from the world. Some move far away from the bustling areas, hiding in mountain streams with heaven and earth as companions, grass and trees as neighbors. Others hide in the midst of the city, slaughtering pigs and selling dogs. And then there are those like us who spend the rest of our lives in a certain inn." The old man in the hemp garment sighed.

  "How many of these hidden top masters are there in the world? Do you have contact with others, senior?" Linghu Chong asked curiously.

  "This vast land, boundless and endless, is home to exceptional people and places. It's only natural that there won't be a lack of top-notch experts. In our small town alone, Zhang the pig butcher and Wang the seamstress are both unparalleled masters of martial arts. Other regions must also have many hidden talents. Over the past few decades, the overall strength of the Central Plains' Jianghu has declined significantly. It's just that we've all grown tired of the strife in the Jianghu world, so we won't bother with these things anymore."

  ……

  Linghu Cong had a long and in-depth conversation with the old man Ma, gaining a lot of insight. It turned out that this period was not as simple as it seemed. Why did many famous masters suddenly disappear? Some second- or third-rate characters could rise to fame, but it didn't seem right.

  Huashan sect wants to unify the orthodox martial arts world, it's probably not as easy as imagined, forget it, report this matter to Old Yue and let him handle it, who made him the leader, let him worry about it.