Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 101: Chapter 88: Waiting for You to Refine Viscera

Sun Fan stood in the hallway, several thick books in her arms. As soon as she saw Wan Ze emerge, she offered them to him with a smile. ”These are some books I had a friend find for me. There are three on psychology and one Daoist School classic I thought might be relevant... Take them back and have a look. They might be useful.”

Wan Ze was surprised.

He took them and flipped through them briefly. He could tell she had put a lot of thought into it.

In truth, he no longer needed these books, but he didn’t let it show. He thanked her sincerely, ”Thanks. It’s been a while, but you still went to all this trouble for me. If you’re free, want to have dinner together tonight? My treat.”

Sun Fan was taken aback. After all, hearing such an invitation from Wan Ze was quite a surprise. Her eyes lit up, and dimples appeared on her cheeks. ”Okay! Of course I’m free.”

’She had imagined a quiet little restaurant under the night sky... a candlelight dinner with just the two of them.’

She never expected Wan Ze to have Zhou Xianchuan trailing behind him.

”H-hello, Senior...” The moment Zhou Xianchuan saw her, he gave a dry laugh, looking completely out of place. He felt like he shouldn’t be here at all, but it was rare for Ah Ze to treat someone to a meal. He had to take advantage of it.

Sun Fan was only stunned for a moment before her smile returned. She waved her hand generously. ”Since you’re here, don’t just stand there. Go on, have a seat. The more the merrier.”

Greatly relieved, Zhou Xianchuan obediently sat down.

While they were ordering, Sun Fan looked at Wan Ze and said, ”You haven’t been to the martial arts hall these past two days. I was hoping to spar with you. My Secret Martial Arts have improved again!”

She raised her lovely eyebrows as she said that last part, looking quite proud.

Zhou Xianchuan was filled with envy upon hearing this. He hadn’t even reached the stage of Qi and Blood Refining yet. ’I’m so jealous they have something in common,’ he thought. ’Unlike me... I don’t even have a sister who cares about me.’

Wan Ze smiled and poured three cups of tea. ”I just got back from a trip to Laojun Mountain. Since your hands are itching for a fight, how about we head to the martial arts hall tonight and spar?”

”Sure,” Sun Fan agreed readily. Then, she asked curiously, ”You went to Laojun Mountain? I’ve always wanted to go. It’s one of the famous mountains... Is it super crowded on weekends now?”

Wan Ze nodded. ”Yeah, it was pretty packed. The incense offerings are thriving.”

Zhou Xianchuan’s ears twitched as something suddenly occurred to him.

He seemed to recall overhearing someone mutter that their class president had also gone to Laojun Mountain over the weekend... He glanced furtively at Wan Ze, then at Sun Fan, and could only sigh internally. ’Ah Ze really has more to him than meets the eye.’

”By the way, Senior, there’s something I might need your help with,” Wan Ze said after a moment’s thought.

”Go ahead. If I can help, I definitely will,” Sun Fan said decisively, without a hint of hesitation.

Wan Ze smiled, choosing his words carefully. ”I’ve been studying history lately and have grown quite interested in old artifacts. Preferably... ones with some kind of Martial Dao background. I’d like to observe them...”

”Are you thinking of... hunting for hidden treasures?” Sun Fan misunderstood.

Wan Ze chuckled. ”It’s not about finding things to sell for a profit. I just want to broaden my horizons. You have a wide network and know a lot of seniors. If it’s convenient, I was hoping you could show me the ropes.”

”Count me in, too,” Zhou Xianchuan chimed in, quickly raising his hand.

”Sure, that’s easy. A few of the older gentlemen I know enjoy collecting old artifacts. I’ll get in touch with them later to schedule a time and take you guys there,” Sun Fan readily agreed.

Wan Ze smiled. ”Then I’ll be troubling you.”

”Just a ’thank you’ won’t be enough. You have to spar with me for two days!” Sun Fan said with a mischievous smile.

”A whole week is fine,” Wan Ze also chuckled, agreeing without hesitation.

Zhou Xianchuan suddenly felt like a third wheel, silently fiddling with his utensils. ’Is this the kind of rapport Celestial Beings have? Waaaah.’

In truth, Sun Fan wasn’t the only route Wan Ze had considered for getting access to ”old artifacts.”

Initially, he had also thought about starting with his senior brothers.

Zhai Jia had a wide and wild network, but when Wan Ze brought it up in the car yesterday, Zhai Jia scratched his head and admitted he had zero connections in that area. The most he could do was ask Zhai Yu for him.

As for Zhai Yu, that would involve official channels, and he was currently busy handling Jie Zhengyang’s case. Wan Ze could only wait for a future opportunity to approach him.

As for his master, Situ Bai...

Wan Ze dismissed the thought almost immediately.

If the old master were to get involved, given his identity and status, it would no longer be a small matter of a ”young person broadening their horizons.” It would inevitably attract too much attention, and even lead to all sorts of probing inquiries and incurred social debts.

This went against his original intention of discreetly exploring the art of Stealing Celestial Secret.

What he needed was a relatively private and controllable channel, not a major spectacle of an appraisal event.

Sun Fan’s connection, for the time being, seemed just right.

「It was exactly six o’clock after dinner.」

The three of them returned to the martial arts hall.

Zhou Xianchuan tactfully went to the outer courtyard by himself, while Wan Ze went to Sun Fan’s training room. After a simple warm-up, the two began to fight.

Having personally witnessed the fight between Zhai Jia and Miss Gu that day, Wan Ze had gained a deeper understanding of power control.

Zhai Jia’s precision in applying his power was far superior to his own; one could say he made it look effortless.

So this time, he deliberately controlled his power. He wasn’t aiming for a thunderous strike, but instead traded blows with Sun Fan, intentionally drawing out the rhythm of the fight, continuously feeding her moves, deconstructing them, and controlling his strength.

After they had been sparring for over half an hour, Sun Fan’s breathing finally grew ragged. Sweat beaded on her temples as she suddenly took a step back to create distance, a look of frustration and shock on her face. ”I can feel it... You’re so much stronger than me now.”

She had thought that since she had achieved Blood Tempering only three weeks after Wan Ze, the gap wouldn’t be that large. But in a real fight, it felt like she was facing an old master who had been practicing for a decade.

This wasn’t a gap that could be created in just three weeks!

Wan Ze was just completely at ease!

’The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she felt.’

Wan Ze withdrew his fist, his breathing steady. He smiled and said, ”In the Martial Dao, diligence can make up for a lack of talent, but what’s more important is your willpower... You must believe you can keep walking this path and banish any thought of retreat. The moment your spirit falls, your Fist Intent scatters. That’s my understanding from these past few days. Let it be an encouragement to us both.”