432: Chapter 432 A Masterpiece, Senior Brother Wei

In the darkness, the messenger bag lay quietly on the somewhat damp steps.

Its blackened surface was covered with water droplets, the product of the cave's scorching air cooling and condensing.

Fang Cheng reached out to take it, and the moment his fingertips touched the body of the bag, his expression changed slightly.

The tactile sensation of picking it up lacked its usual resilience, replaced instead by a charred and brittle texture.

With just a light touch, fragments rustled down from the surface of the bag, as if it were a decayed object that had survived for centuries.

Come to think of it, that made sense.

He had visualized the True Sun Fire here, running the "Thunder Fire Cauldron" Cultivation Technique for several days, almost turning the entire water prison into a massive blast furnace.

This old companion that had accompanied him for many years was made of wear-resistant canvas.

But to still retain its outline and not be burned directly to ashes under such continuous high-temperature roasting was already nothing short of a miracle.

"Sigh, you've truly given your all."

Fang Cheng shook his head and sighed, "It is time to change to a new one."

Pinching the zipper, he moved extremely lightly, carefully pulling it open and reaching his hand inside.

The spare clothes in the bag fared no better than the bag itself; they shattered at a touch, turning into a handful of gray powder.

Fang Cheng rummaged through it carefully, finally revealing a trace of a gratified smile on his face.

At the bottom of the clothing remains, he pulled out a pair of boxer briefs whose texture still felt normal.

These boxer briefs were entirely bright red in color and ordinary in style, yet they were blended from a certain special fire-retardant fiber.

It was truly because in the past, when his transformation burst forth, too many pants had been blown apart and too many clothes had been burned.

That was why he had specially searched the market for such a treasure.

It was said that this brand of underwear used aerospace-grade innovative fabric, widely applied in the clothing of special professions such as astronauts, firefighters, and air force pilots.

Although it could not be said to be impervious to swords and spears, wear resistance, high temperature resistance, and excellent elasticity were its biggest selling points.

Fang Cheng shook off the ash on it, confirmed that it was basically intact, and that it could barely still be worn.

"After this practical test, it seems GG didn't boast too outrageously..."

Muttering a sentence, Fang Cheng quickly put on the boxer briefs and straightened his back once more.

Having solved the most crucial problem of covering his modesty, his heart settled greatly, and his gaze turned sharp once again.

It was time to leave.

However...

Fang Cheng looked around, his gaze falling on the stone wall engraved with the poems of predecessors.

Many predecessors of the Martial Forest had secluded themselves here to comprehend the Dao and carved poems to commemorate it.

He had also fortuitously condensed his True Self and undergone a rebirth here; if he didn't leave something behind, it seemed somewhat unreasonable.

Pondering for a moment, Fang Cheng joined his index and middle fingers together, his fingertips lingering with a wisp of incomparably condensed golden True Qi.

He then walked over to the flourishing and unrestrained poem, found a blank spot, and swung his arm.

Wherever his fingertips passed, stone chips flew everywhere, and the hard rock wall was easily sliced open like tofu.

A line of handwriting, completely different from the predecessor's disdainful and heroic brushstrokes yet equally filled with personal style, was deeply engraved:

"Igniting a sun within my heart, there is no other heaven outside my body."

"Fang Cheng completed his cultivation here, initially establishing his Martial Dao. His stomach is extremely hungry, so he takes his leave first."

After finishing writing, Fang Cheng nodded with satisfaction.

This message paid homage to his predecessors, recorded the joy of his successful cultivation, and incidentally expressed his most genuine demand at the moment, which could be called a Peak work.

If his elementary school Chinese teacher were here and saw such a fine sentence combining heroism and realism, they would definitely slam the table in applause and award full marks without hesitation.

Fang Cheng narcissistically admired it for a moment.

Without lingering any longer, he casually strolled up and grabbed the charred messenger bag, striding towards the stone steps he had come from.

Rumble—

With a casual push, the heavy stone door isolating the water prison emitted a muffled roar and slowly opened.

Fang Cheng walked briskly up the deep and damp steps.

His figure was so light as if it had no weight, his toes tapping continuously on the stone steps, leaving only a series of blurred afterimages.

In just a few breaths' time, he had arrived at the cave entrance, standing before the final stone door leading to the outside world.

He stopped his steps and took a deep breath.

Afterward, he shoved the stone door open.

A breath of fresh air mixed with the fragrance of rain and soil instantly rushed into his face, causing every pore all over his body to relax.

Fang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, adapting to the external light before looking up.

The scene before him, however, made him slightly startled.

The sky overhead was at some point covered with dark clouds, so thick they couldn't be melted away.

Heavy clouds pressed down on the mountain Peak, seemingly within arm's reach.

Bean-sized raindrops pelted down from the clouds, splashing fine water flowers on the ground at the cave entrance.

However, when Fang Cheng's line of sight crossed this hill, passed through fields and villages, and cast further into the distance.

The scenery was completely different.

The city a few kilometers away was bathing in brilliant sunshine.

Golden light slanted down onto high-rise buildings, and the glass curtain walls even reflected dazzling light.

It formed a stark sense of disconnection with the torrential rain scene directly above his head.

It was as if there was an invisible dividing line splitting the world into two.

On this side was fierce wind and heavy rain, while on that side was clear skies and thousands of miles of sunshine.

The entire Tianxin Village seemed to be covered separately by a huge glass dome, performing a solo act.

"What kind of ghost weather is this?"

Fang Cheng stood at the cave entrance, looking at this sunshower that could be called a spectacle, a slightly strange expression appearing on his face.

Scratching his newly grown and still somewhat prickly short hair, he ultimately just shrugged indifferently.

Whatever.

Even if the sky fell, he had to fill his stomach first.

He then turned around and grabbed the heavy stone door with both hands.

Accompanied by a muffled rumble, he resealed this cultivation Holy Land of the Ma Family.

Having finished all this, Fang Cheng lowered his head to look at the charred messenger bag in his hand, as well as the clothing remains inside the bag that had long since become brittle into powder.

Thinking for a moment, he suddenly brought his hands together and rubbed them vigorously.

Sizzle—

With a soft sound, the canvas bag that had completed its historical mission, along with the clothes inside, was instantly completely annihilated by the golden True Qi overflowing from his palms.

He spread his palms, letting that handful of delicate black powder be blown by the mountain wind, drifting gracefully into the rain and melting into this mountain forest.

After dealing with the final traces, Fang Cheng was bare-chested, wearing only a pair of bright red boxer briefs, and thus stepped into the cool rain curtain in one step.

...

Raindrops pelted against the windshield, converging into a blurred water curtain.

The wipers swung left and right dutifully, and every creak could only buy a few brief seconds of clear visibility.

A dark green old-fashioned jeep was Driving on the highway in the suburbs of Jiangbei.

On both sides of the road were continuous farmland and smoking township factories, all looking gray in the rain.

"His grandpa's, this ghost weather."

Next to the driver's seat, a man built as robustly as a bear complained:

"Didn't the weather forecast say this week would be all sunny? Why does it rain as soon as it says so, with not a shred of accuracy?"

This sturdy man was none other than Ma Donghe.

Driving was a middle-aged man with ordinary looks and a steady temperament.

He smiled upon hearing this:

"Ma Donghe, this isn't your first day experiencing this. When we came over from Dingqiao, wasn't it still bright and sunny? As soon as we entered the territory of your Tianxin Village, the sky turned overcast."

"What does this show? It shows that this place of your Ma Family is a geomantic treasure land, capable of gathering clouds and taking in rain. No wonder your ancestors have always stayed here and refused to move away."

"Oh come on, Senior Brother Wei, please don't pull my leg."

Listening to the other person's teasing words, Ma Donghe curled his lips:

"If it really were a geomantic treasure land, I should be a chaebol young Master right now. How could I have been chased all over the courtyard by my dad every day when I was a child, telling me to win some respect for him?"

"When you were learning Tai Chi at my house back then, it's not like you hadn't seen it."

The man called Senior Brother Wei was named Wei Zheng.

A trace of nostalgia flashed in his eyes as he slowly spoke:

"How old were you back then? You were like a little cannonball, feeling uncomfortable all over if you didn't cause trouble for a day."

"Junior Martial Uncle Ma was also driven to no other choice by you, but having said that, I heard from my Master that he is much more satisfied with you now."

"That's for sure."

Mentioning this, Ma Donghe rarely revealed a trace of smugness on his face:

"Ever since I made up my mind to take the exam for the Special Investigation Team, the old man's look at me became completely different."

"In the past when I went home, at most he would 'hum'."

"Now it's good; not only does he personally brew tendon-strengthening and bone-stretching soup for me every day, saying preparing for the exam ruins the body and needs proper nourishment, but he also always catches me to ask about my condition after practicing, even more naggy than my mom."

"A few days ago seeing me practice Stance Training too fiercely, which pulled my muscle, at night he even took out his precious medicinal wine and personally gave me a Tuina Massage to promote blood circulation."

Ma Donghe said, chuckling twice, and then changed the subject:

"Right, this time thanks to Officer Shi's help, otherwise I don't know when my background check would have gotten stuck. In a few days I'll buy some fruit and go visit him too."

"Officer Shi was recently transferred to logistics and has become a lot more leisurely."

Wei Zheng skillfully turned the steering wheel, and instructed in a flat tone:

"Donghe, if you pass your re-examination and enter the team, look more, listen more, and speak less in everything."

"We are different from those orthodoxly trained ones, especially when executing missions, don't always think about rushing forward."

"Remember, your primary task is to survive, and only then is it to complete the mission. Our line of work is not a place to play the hero. Most of the time, a bullet is much more useful than a fist you've bitterly trained for ten years."

Wei Zheng was a Tier 2 Administrative Officer of the Special Investigation Team, having worked in the team for over ten years with rich experience.

At the same time, he was also the disciple of another founder of the Martial Arts Research Association—Zhang Haixiang, the Sect Head of Xingyiquan.

Speaking of seniority, Ma Donghe indeed had to call him Senior Brother.

Facing this Senior's teaching, Ma Donghe rarely didn't refute, only nodding with suppressed patience:

"Got it, got it, Senior Brother Wei."

Wei Zheng glanced at his Junior Brother, clearly knowing his temperament in his heart.

His talent was actually quite good, and coming from a martial arts family, as long as he was willing to put in the effort, his future prospects wouldn't be bad.

It was just that Master Ma Jianguo had a son late in life and spoiled him fiercely when he was a child, causing him to take a detour for a few years and actually run off to mix with the underworld.

However, once he entered the team, this experience might instead be an advantage.

Thinking of the situation in the team, Wei Zheng couldn't help sighing again:

"You'll know after you come in; right now in the team, we practitioners of traditional martial arts are becoming less and less popular."

"The ones with the most power are that bunch doing scientific research, pondering genetic optimization and human body enhancement plans every day."

"Martial Artists like us who are pure are getting fewer and fewer, basically all being sent to garrison small cities, or guard warehouses, sitting on the bench."

He had worked conscientiously in the Special Investigation Team for over ten years, only to end up being a Tier 2 Administrative Officer.

These words inevitably sounded somewhat despondent.

"Those guys don't know a damn thing!"

Ma Donghe immediately perked up:

"Senior Brother Wei, that's why I asked you to come and see my buddy."

"I'm telling you, he is simply a monster, able to train like that purely by practicing martial arts, punching a concrete wall straight through with a single punch!"

"When we see him later, you'll know what a true Genius is!"

Wei Zheng smiled, not taking it too much to heart.

No matter how strong a Martial Artist was, to what extent could they be strong? Could they be faster than a gun?

Even if he himself started practicing martial arts and Qigong since childhood, he was only stronger than ordinary people and recovered stamina a bit faster.

In the end, they were flesh and blood.

When it really came to executing missions, what they relied on were still various firearms, equipment, and modern weapons.

Who would be so foolish as to go bare-handed into hand-to-hand combat with those monsters with special abilities?

While speaking, the jeep had already driven to the entrance of Tianxin Village.

Strangely enough, the torrential rain from just a moment ago had suddenly become much lighter at this moment.

"Turn into the intersection ahead and we'll be there."

Ma Donghe peered out and reached out to point the way.

"I haven't been here for many years, I've almost forgotten the road."

Wei Zheng sighed a sentence, Driving the jeep windingly through the narrow dirt road of the village.

"Senior Brother Wei, stop for a moment."

Ma Donghe suddenly said:

"There's no wine at home, I'll go to the grocery store to buy two good bottles, and later I'll let you taste my craftsmanship, the two of us brothers will have a good drink!"

Saying that, he pushed open the car door, braving the pattering light rain, and ran toward a nearby grocery store hanging a sign reading "Tobacco, Alcohol, and Groceries".

Wei Zheng parked the car on the side of the road, rolled down the car window, and rested his arm casually on the window frame.

He pulled out a cigarette pack and lit a cigarette, looking at the hazy scenery outside the window in the rain, slowly blowing out a smoke ring.

The parking spot happened to be at a fork in the road.

A trail meandered toward the hill behind the village, and under the washing of the rain, the grass and trees along the road appeared increasingly lush and green.

The reason he came this time was not entirely because of Ma Donghe's warm invitation.

Last month, when he led a team to execute a mission, it failed.

Two teammates who had followed him for many years—one was killed on the spot, and the other was still lying in the hospital to this day.

Because of this, he was also given a long vacation, under the fine-sounding name of "adjusting his psychological state".

Wei Zheng seemed bold and unrestrained, but at this moment alone, a trace of hard-to-conceal fatigue unconsciously revealed itself on his face.

Chatting and laughing with Ma Donghe just now was merely putting up a front; there was always a heavy stone pressing down in his heart.

Today Ma Donghe specially invited him to be a guest at the Ma Family, saying he wanted to introduce a "peerless martial arts Genius" to him.

Anyway, with him suspended at home having nothing to do, he might as well come over to relax his mood.

"Peerless Genius..."

Wei Zheng laughed self-deprecatingly and took another puff of the cigarette.

Suddenly, his gaze slightly condensed.

I saw that on the trail leading to the back mountain, a man was walking down unhurriedly.

That man was bare-chested, his bronze skin emitting a layer of healthy luster under the rain threads.

The contour of every muscle was clear and distinct, yet unlike the dead muscles trained in the gym that were bloated, it was instead filled with a fluid sense of power.

Water droplets slid down his well-defined abdominal muscles, disappearing into that... extraordinarily eye-catching bright red boxer briefs.

He walked step by step like this barefooted, stepping on the damp mud.

Clearly he was just walking, yet it gave people an indescribable sense of oppression.

It was like a fierce tiger that had just finished a full meal in the mountain forest and was patrolling its territory down the mountain.