Qian Kun's eyes flew open, shock flashing in them as he stared at the young man before him.
Although he had been circulating his true qi, he had not truly entered a meditative state. Facing a Japanese ninja, how could he possibly let his guard down and entrust his safety to a mere youth?
One move!
Just one move—and that ninja, already at the late stage of Dark Jin, was dead.
What kind of terrifying power was this? Injured as he was now, even in his prime he would never have been able to do such a thing.
Could it be… this young man had already stepped into the Grandmaster realm?
But at his age…
He had heard that beyond the Grandmaster level, one could take a further step into the Innate realm, a realm where one could turn back the clock of age itself. Could this youth…?
Qian Kun's thoughts ran wild, unable to stop.
Suddenly, Li Muchen barked, "The medicinal effect of the Small Return Pill won't last forever. What are you dazing off for?"
It was like waking from a dream. Qian Kun hurriedly shut his eyes again and began circulating his qi, this time with no stray thoughts.
Two hours later, Qian Kun opened his eyes once more. His entire body felt light and comfortable, his energy brimming. Since his injury, it had been many years since he'd felt like this.
He clasped his fists toward Li Muchen. "Grandmaster, may I know your name?"
"My name is Li Muchen, and I'm no Grandmaster."
"Could it be… you're a Daoist cultivator?"
"You could say that."
"So you are Daoist Li!"
"We Daoists don't have such a thing as 'ordained' or 'secular.' No need to call me Daoist. Just call me by my name."
"This…"
Seeing how naturally Li Muchen spoke, Qian Kun couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Truly, experts lived unbound and carefree, nothing like those worldly martial artists who spent their whole lives chasing fame, just for others to address them as 'Grandmaster.'
"In that case," Qian Kun smiled, "I'll take advantage of my seniority and call you Brother Li. You can call me Old Brother. How about that?"
"Sure." Li Muchen shrugged. "Now I'm going to perform a golden-needle treatment on you and open your Yin Linking Vessel."
Qian Kun's eyes lit up. "Then I'll trouble you, Brother Li."
Li Muchen had him sit down, then picked up the fishing line Qian Kun had been using. "I didn't bring any needles, so I'll borrow your fishing line."
He pinched the line between his fingers, snapping it into thirteen short segments.
Picking up one piece, he flicked it lightly. The line shot out like a steel needle, piercing into Qian Kun's Tian Shu acupoint. Then came the second piece, the third… in moments, thirteen pieces of fishing line were embedded into thirteen different points, each at varying depths, their ends still trembling and standing rigid as if made of metal.
Qian Kun was stunned by the display.
Earlier, he had sent fishing lines flying with his own externalized inner force, piercing the wrists of a few street punks—a skill he'd been proud of. But compared to Li Muchen, it was laughable. It wasn't just the precision of entering each acupoint; the fact that a limp fishing line could remain stiff and trembling after leaving the hand, infused with qi that did not dissipate—that was unheard of.
And the sequence and method of these thirteen needles… Could this be the legendary Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles?
At that moment, Qian Kun truly believed he had met a great benefactor—perhaps the greatest fortune of his entire life.
Li Muchen's technique was deft and sure, and soon the treatment was finished. He removed the lines, tossed them aside, and clapped his hands.
"Alright. Your injury is basically no longer a serious issue. With your foundation, you'll be back in shape in half a year with proper care. If you want to recover faster, I can give you a prescription. Take the herbs for half a month, then I'll give you another needle session—you'll be fully healed."
Qian Kun was deeply moved. "I've been injured for nearly ten years, sought out every famed doctor under the heavens, and none could help me. I never thought that Brother Li would heal me so effortlessly. You truly are like an immortal among men."
Li Muchen listed several herbs, instructing him carefully on their usage and dosage. "Half a month from now, when I come to give you the second treatment, how should I find you?"
Qian Kun replied, "I live in Qiantang. I'll come to Hecheng to pick you up. Leave me your number."
Li Muchen took out an old Nokia phone he'd been using for over a decade, and the two exchanged numbers.
Before leaving, Li Muchen noticed Qian Kun seemed to have something on his mind. "Is there something else, Old Brother Qian?"
Qian Kun hesitated. "The Lin family in Hecheng is a well-known clan. I don't know what grievances you have with them, but perhaps there's some misunderstanding? I know Lin Shangyi personally. If you wish, I could act as a mediator."
"No need," Li Muchen said crisply. "It's a trivial matter. I can handle it myself."
Qian Kun wanted to say more but swallowed the words. He knew that what Li Muchen considered 'trivial' might not be trivial at all for the Lin family.
Watching Li Muchen's departing figure, Qian Kun sighed inwardly: Lin Shangyi, Lin Shangyi… to offend such a man, you can only pray for your own fortune.
---
Leaving Lingshan Lake, Li Muchen returned to the place where he had spent his childhood. But more than a decade had passed; the world had changed. The old, dilapidated houses were gone, replaced by neat rows of tall buildings. The muddy village paths had become clean, wide streets.
Standing by the roadside, he stared at the tidy storefronts, unable to pinpoint where exactly his old home had stood.
He was just about to leave when a girl stepped out of a restaurant across the street. She looked familiar. She too stopped in her tracks when she saw him, staring in surprise.
After a long pause, she asked timidly, "Brother Muchen?"
Li Muchen's heart skipped a beat. "You are… Ding Xiang?!"
"It really is you, Brother Muchen!" Ding Xiang's face lit up. She almost leaped into his arms but stopped herself halfway, cheeks turning red. "Where have you been all these years? Brother Ma Shan and I missed you so much."
Ding Xiang had been his childhood playmate. Back then, their families had been neighbors, both making a living by picking through trash. There had also been an orphan named Ma Shan, two years older than Li, who lived in the same courtyard and often looked after the two younger children. Ding Xiang was two years younger than Li, and Ma Shan two years older.
More than ten years had passed, and Ding Xiang's appearance had changed drastically—true to the saying that a girl transforms greatly as she grows, becoming more and more beautiful. The dark, grubby little girl of the past was now an attractive young woman.
Li Muchen, on the other hand, had cultivated diligently; though he had matured, his face still carried traces of his childhood self, which was why she had recognized him. He himself hadn't recognized her at first—until she called out "Brother Muchen."
Thinking of the old days, a warmth bloomed in Li Muchen's chest. "I've missed you too. By the way, what happened to the courtyard we used to live in?"
"It was demolished ages ago!" Ding Xiang smiled. "You haven't been back in so many years—you wouldn't recognize the place. The city changes so fast now, a new look every year. Too bad that house wasn't ours, or we could have gotten a nice compensation for the demolition."
Li Muchen nodded. Since the house was gone, there was nothing to be sentimental about.
"How have you two been these years?"
"Pretty good. Brother Ma Shan is a manager at a bar now—quite impressive."
"Hah, that guy's a manager now? Not bad."
"And me… I got into university. I'm working part-time to pay for my tuition." Ding Xiang's cheeks flushed slightly as she pointed to the restaurant. "I work there during the day, and sometimes help out at Brother Ma Shan's bar at night. You haven't eaten yet, right? Let me treat you."
Without giving him a chance to refuse, she pulled him toward the restaurant.
Li Muchen didn't resist; truth be told, he was hungry.
The restaurant's owner, a chubby middle-aged man, seemed kind and honest. Hearing that Li Muchen was an old friend of Ding Xiang's, he personally instructed the kitchen to prepare a few dishes and even gave Ding Xiang the rest of the day off to keep him company.
As Li ate, Ding Xiang chattered on about the past decade.
"Brother Muchen, enough about me—what about you? What have you been doing all these years? What's your job now?"
Li Muchen couldn't talk about his cultivation; she wouldn't understand anyway. So he simply said, "I don't have a job."
"Oh…" Ding Xiang looked embarrassed, glancing at his clothes, and couldn't help but ask, "You're not still…"
Li Muchen chuckled. This girl… she thinks I'm still picking up trash.
"I've been learning skills in the mountains all these years. I've just come down. Don't worry—I'll be making plenty of money soon. My little sister Ding Xiang has gotten into university—your tuition and living expenses will be on me from now on."
Ding Xiang laughed happily. "That's what you say—and what Brother Ma Shan says too. Fine, fine, I know you two are destined for great things. I can pay my own tuition; you two just focus on your big plans."
Li Muchen smiled as well. She was still the same as she had been thirteen years ago—pure and kind.
Ding Xiang said she would take him to Ma Shan's bar that evening. Maybe Ma Shan could help him get a job there.
The bar was one of the biggest in Hecheng, and in Ding Xiang's eyes, Ma Shan was a somebody there. Finding work for Li Muchen would be no problem at all.