Chapter 12: The Banquet at Hongmen

Ye Dajun sucked the blood oozing from his arm and gloomily complained to Old Shepherd, “Master, could you not compare me? How did Xiaosan become like this? No wonder he was beaten so badly by Chen Jia Tang and nothing happened!”

Old Shepherd’s expression was grave as he said, “You practice martial arts too. You know the stages of advancement, right?”

Ye Dajun nodded vigorously. “I know. At first, you’re called a Martial Student, then you become a Martial Master like me. One rank higher is Martial Guard, like Chen Tianlei. Above that is Martial King! Master, you’re at the Martial King level, aren’t you?”

Old Shepherd nodded, telling him, “Above Martial King, there’s one more stage: Martial Emperor. Legend has it that if a martial artist reaches the Martial Emperor level, he transcends the ordinary and enters the sacred—the martial arts connect to the divine.”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s eyes lit up. Wearing only oversized shorts, he sprawled onto the grass and asked Old Shepherd, “What does it mean for martial arts to connect to the divine?”

Old Shepherd sighed lightly and replied, “To tell if someone is a Martial Student, just look at their eyes. If they’re clear and bright, they’ve reached the stage of Clear Eyes and Bright Spirit—a Martial Student.”

Ye Xiaoxuan scoffed, “I know that too! To reach Martial Master level, look at the fists. If there aren’t any protruding bones when you clench your fist, it means you’ve advanced from Martial Student. Then, when the temples bulge, that’s Martial Guard level. Finally, when you have internal energy, you’re at the Martial King stage.”

Ye Xiaoxuan snorted, rolled his eyes at Old Shepherd, and lay on the grass. “Who doesn’t have internal energy in their belly? I do! That stuff’s just for farting!”

Old Shepherd spat at him, cursing, “You know nothing! Internal energy is used to refine the inner pill. Martial Emperor is the stage where the inner pill is fully formed!”

Old Shepherd, like Ye Xiaoxuan, lay on the grass, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds above with a face full of longing. “I once saw an illustrated book. An immortal with long flowing hair rode a giant ghost horse, flying to the heavenly palace. That man was the Martial Emperor! And on his body, he wore Dragon Seal Armor! Martial Emperor is a celestial immortal—immortal and unmatched in martial arts!”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s mind felt muddled—heavenly palace, giant turtle, Dragon Seal Armor. Had he seen these things somewhere before? But in his eighteen years of life, apart from going to the market in the township, he’d never left Reed Village. Where could he have seen what Old Shepherd described?

Ye Dajun also lay down on Old Shepherd’s other side, uninterested in talk of Martial Emperors and immortals, but inexplicably curious about Old Shepherd’s origins. He tilted his head and asked, “Master, earlier you mentioned some Ancient Martial Sect and Turtle Shell Secret Scroll. What are those things?”

Old Shepherd scowled and barked at Ye Dajun, “There’s no such thing as Ancient Martial Sect! If you want to be my disciple, don’t ask so many questions. What I say about martial arts is serious; everything else is drunken talk, understand?”

Ye Dajun pressed his lips tightly and nodded hard, not daring to say another word. Old Shepherd nodded in satisfaction and said in a weighty tone, “From now on, you’re considered a member of the Ancient Martial Sect.”

Ye Dajun: “…”

Ye Xiaoxuan shook his head, sat up, and asked Old Shepherd, “So, does this mean I’ll be impervious to blades and spears?” Old Shepherd nodded solemnly. “It’s very likely. I never expected the Martial Emperor to be reborn in you!”

Ye Xiaoxuan scoffed, rolling his eyes at Old Shepherd. “Are you stupid? If I’m impervious to blades and spears, what’s there to be afraid of? What can knowing do to me? Martial Emperor reborn? I think I’m still far from that level, aren’t I?”

Old Shepherd looked at him disdainfully and said, “You’re not just a bit off—you’re a complete martial arts idiot! Not fit to practice any technique! If this really is Dragon Seal Armor on you, it’s a waste! Even your brother has more potential than you!”

Ye Xiaoxuan rolled his eyes at him and gave him the finger. “Even if what you say is true, it still doesn’t sound pleasant…”

Ye Dajun sat up excitedly and said to Old Shepherd, “Master, do you really think I have great potential?”

Old Shepherd scowled and admonished him, “Potential is the most unreliable thing. You were born with a disabled left arm, but your right arm is more agile and powerful than others. So from now on, I’ll train your right arm exclusively! Starting today, every night you’ll carry a bundle of firewood to my house!”

Ye Dajun: “…”

“Big brother, Xiaosan!” Jiaran suddenly ran over, seeing Ye Xiaoxuan lounging on the grass in his oversized shorts, sunning himself. Her cheeks blushed, and she turned to scold, “Look at you! Get dressed properly! Chen Jia Tang wants you and big brother to have dinner at his house!”

Ye Xiaoxuan scrambled up, hiding behind the earthen slope, frowning and muttering, “That bastard wants us over for dinner? He’s up to no good! Probably an ambush—a fool would go!”

Ye Dajun took off his shirt and tossed it to Ye Xiaoxuan. He was tall and burly, nearly two meters, while Ye Xiaoxuan was not even one meter eighty, thin and scholarly looking. With glasses, he’d look more like a scholar than a thug.

Jiaran looked at Ye Dajun with worry. “Brother, second uncle and aunt were called over by Chen Jia Tang too…”

“Chen Jia Tang, I curse your wife! If you dare touch a hair on my parents’ heads, I’ll burn your house down!” Upon hearing that his parents were taken by Chen Jia Tang, Ye Xiaoxuan couldn’t hold back, bolted toward the village.

Ye Dajun hurriedly bid Old Shepherd goodbye and followed close behind.

Jiaran sighed, her eyes full of concern. She knew Ye Xiaoxuan’s temperament well. Normally timid and cautious, but like his big brother in one thing—anyone who threatened his parents touched his reverse scale.

Seeing her worried look, Old Shepherd took a big swig of wine and chuckled, “If you’re worried, worry about your brother. As for Ye Xiaoxuan, not even Chen Jia Tang, not even Chen Tianlei, could hurt him.”

Jiaran glanced strangely at Old Shepherd, not understanding why he said that. But knowing the secret of Ye Xiaoxuan’s body, she thought about it and realized it was true.

Ye Xiaoxuan rushed home, changed into proper clothes. Going half-naked to a fight lacked the right aura…

Dressed, Ye Xiaoxuan and Ye Dajun headed straight for Chen Jia Tang’s house at the north end of the village. Ye Dajun kicked open the door and shouted, “Chen Jia Tang, let my uncle and aunt go! If you have guts, come out and…”

Ye Dajun stood at the doorway like an idiot, staring blankly at the courtyard. Ye Xiaoxuan pushed him from behind. “Are you stupid? Is there a ghost inside?”

He was dumbfounded too. In the courtyard was a large round table, seating over a dozen people—all the village’s prominent figures. Ye Father’s cane lay to the side, a chicken drumstick in hand, mouth gleaming with oil, gnawing away with great relish.