True Solution of the Sword Dao

Chapter 36: Chapter 32

Chapter 36 -32

In the thin mist of early morning,

Lin Fei settled into the black Crown driven by Lu Jun. Through the car window, he could see people jogging as part of their morning exercise routine on both sides. At this time, the streets weren’t as noisy as they are at noon, only quietly buzzing with the faint sounds of people and cars.

Lin Fei noticed that Lu Jun’s gaze occasionally followed a pretty young girl in a white tracksuit, who was walking a large yellow dog about half her height. The dog’s glossy fur added a touch of majesty, matching the girl’s milky complexion to create an almost perfect picture. Lin Fei followed the gaze, admiring as the girl jogged along the sidewalk until the Crown passed her completely. Then, he withdrew his gaze.

“Seeing these girls makes me truly feel old,” Lu Jun sighed heavily.

Hearing this phrase, which sounded familiar, Lin Fei said indifferently, “Why do people of your age always like to say that?” He had just heard the same thing from Chen Jingde the previous night.

“It’s nothing. Just feeling a bit sentimental,” Lu Jun said with a smile, appearing to have no desire for conversation. Lin Fei wasn’t much for small talk either. Perhaps in front of family, he needed to hide his true nature, but with Lu Jun, they were alike; there was no need, nor was it necessary to pretend to be someone they weren’t.

The two were silent for a while. Only the muted sound of the Crown’s engine filled the space.

As time ticked by, Lin Fei noticed that they were not heading to the branch office hotel but were heading towards the southern suburban district instead.

“Not going to the branch?”

“No, the branch doesn’t have the sword you want,” Lu Jun said with a smile, glancing at Lin Fei through the rearview mirror. “We’re going to the home of a senior member of Shueisha. They have the longsword you’re looking for.”

Lin Fei was surprised, “A collector’s item?” he guessed immediately.

“Smart!” Lu Jun nodded, “The old man is a well-known arms collector in the province. He’s eighty-six this year. Be polite, he’s the one who offered to gift you a longsword when he heard you wanted one, allowing you to choose from his collection.”

“Why? The arms suitable for collecting must be quite expensive,” Lin Fei wondered.

“Mr. Fei is fond of helping promising young people as much as he can, especially those who are members of Shueisha. The guy you beat up before was also invited to Mr. Fei’s house, but it seems there was some unpleasantness, and he didn’t catch the old man’s eye. Generally, some of the older members once received favors from Mr. Fei when they were young.”

*********

The Crown turned off the highway and slowly entered a small road in the suburban area. After about fifteen minutes, it finally turned onto a yellow mud road, stirring up dust all the way until it stopped in front of a solitary large villa.

“This is the place,” Lu Jun said as he got out of the car, with Lin Fei following closely behind.

Just stepping out of the car, a refreshing breeze greeted them, incredibly crisp and invigorating. Lin Fei looked around the environment.

The villa occupied a large piece of land, bordered by a tall wall adjacent to the mud road. The wall had no broken glass embedded on top, nor was it topped with barbed wire.

Directly in front of the villa’s gate were paddies. At this early hour, several farmers were toiling in the fields.

Lu Jun closed the car door and walked up to the gate to bang forcefully. The thunderous knocking broke the surrounding silence.

“Who’s that??” A robust voice called out from inside the yard, with a clear Shu Region accent.

Lu Jun yelled back, “Lu Jun! Your brother Jun! Open up!” He seemed quite familiar with the person asking.

Lin Fei asked in surprise, “Isn’t there a doorbell? Isn’t it inconvenient for such a large property to not have one?”

“The old man doesn’t like electronic devices. Can’t help it,” Lu Jun said with a wry smile, explaining.

With footsteps growing closer in the yard, there was a clang as the iron gate opened. A rugged man, his hair a mess and his face covered in stubble, poked his head out. Upon spotting Lu Jun, his face immediately lit up with a smile.

“Well, if it isn’t Brother Jun, come on in!” The man didn’t even glance at Lin Fei as he yanked the door wide open and stepped back.

“Master mentioned yesterday that you’d be coming over. I didn’t expect that just after Master Kang Ziliang arrived, you’d be hot on his heels. Hurry and come with me; they’re all at the martial arts practice site.”

Lu Jun gave Lin Fei a knowing look before entering through the gate, and Lin Fei, getting the hint, quickly followed suit, turning to close the iron gate behind them.

It was then that Lin Fei had the chance to take a good look at the man who had opened the gate for them.

In a military green tank top clinging tightly to his muscular upper body and camouflage pants, with white leg wrappings tied high on his legs and a pair of black shoes whose make was indiscernible, the man exuded an air of roughness. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The villa’s courtyard was full of ponds and rock gardens, with a small goldfish pond on the right side where a few goldfish swam leisurely in the crystal-clear water. Lu Jun and Lin Fei followed the man as they bypassed the villa and walked down a side path. After walking for two minutes, the view suddenly opened up. They had reached the rear of the villa compound.

By now, they could faintly hear the aged but resonant laughter of their host.

The man hadn’t yet seen anyone but already started yelling, “Master, Brother Jun has brought someone to see you!”

The voice from the other side immediately ceased laughing, “Come on over, Lu Jun. It just so happens that Master Kang Ziliang is here today. Let me introduce you two.”

After another turn, the three arrived at an open space similar to a playground, a large lawn where a bald elder in a black robe was looking their way. Despite his bald head, the elder’s physique was robust, and his muscles were distinctly visible beneath his black robe. With a long goatee, he looked exceedingly formidable. One could easily sense the strength and vigor from his youth despite his age.

The moment Lin Fei saw the elder, he thought, “This is a bear-like strong old man!”

Next to the old man stood a middle-aged woman with short ponytail hair, dressed in white martial attire, slightly stout in figure. Across from her stood two men facing off. On the left was a man holding a longsword, his complexion pale and eyebrows drooping at the corners, giving him a sorrowful appearance. Behind him stood a young girl holding a sword sheath. The man he faced off against was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, his hair thickly slicked with mousse, legs apart in a V-shape, fingers curled into hooks, his expression stern, and forehead slightly sweaty.

Lu Jun approached with a hearty laugh, “Old Master Fei, Lu Jun has come to visit you!” and went in for a solid hug.

The old master laughed heartily and hugged Lu Jun back, his palm thudding loudly against Lu Jun’s back, “You little rascal! It’s been a while!”

“Cough, cough… no, Old Master! You’re too strong!” Lu Jun coughed involuntarily from the thumping and quickly wriggled free of the old man’s embrace, leaving Lin Fei in a cold sweat.

“Old Master, you’re trying to crush me to death!” Lu Jun couldn’t help but complain.

“It’s because you’re as skinny as a bean sprout, and you blame my strength?” The old man glared and bellowed.

Lin Fei, sweating profusely, looked at Lu Jun’s leopard-like stout build and thought, “If he is considered a bean sprout, what does that make me?” He glanced around and noticed the sympathetic looks from everyone; clearly, Lu Jun wasn’t the only one to have experienced such treatment.

After exchanging a few courtesies, Lu Jun steered the conversation to Lin Fei. He reached a hand behind him.

“This is Lin Fei, the one I’ve told you about. Lin Fei, this is Old Master Fei Fei, who can also be considered one of your seniors.”

As he spoke, everyone around was taken aback, as they had originally thought the youth trailing Lu Jun must be his nephew or someone younger. But listening to Lu Jun’s introduction, it was clear that he was presenting Lin Fei as a peer to both himself and the old master. All eyes immediately focused on Lin Fei.

Hearing this, Lin Fei took a step forward in understanding and respectfully greeted with a fist wrapped in the other palm, “Old Master Fei!”

The bald elder Fei Fei narrowed his eyes at Lin Fei, swiftly scanned him, and also adopted a solemn fist-in-palm salute, “Young friend Lin Fei.” This was evidently a recognition of Lin Fei as a peer.

Both displayed the courteous demeanor befitting chivalrous heroes.