Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 124: Chapter 101: My Senior Brother Can Break One of Your Legs, and So Can I

Thankfully, no one was following them.

On the way, Wan Ze pulled out his communicator and composed a message for Zhai Jia.

BEEP!

A reply came back quickly.

A moment later, Wan Ze put his communicator away.

Miss Ling had taken a detour, finding a restaurant in an old neighborhood with a particularly inconspicuous storefront.

When she parked, she had a strange impulse and found a few branches to cover the license plate.

”There, now no one will easily guess we’re here, right?”

She dusted off her hands, looking at her handiwork with satisfaction.

’She wanted to pat herself on the back for being so clever.’

Although she believed Wan Ze could handle the situation, what if their pursuers got desperate?

It was better to be cautious than to parade around openly, asking for trouble.

’Yep! That’s right!’

”...What do you think? The tofu in An City is one of a kind. Back when I was in college, a good friend of mine was from An City. She was the one who took me to a tofu feast, and that’s when I discovered there were so many ways to prepare it. You can pan-fry it, deep-fry it...”

Miss Ling seemed much better today than she had been yesterday. She was more talkative, almost back to her old self, chattering away endlessly.

But as she spoke, something seemed to come to mind, and she couldn’t help but sigh. ”Tell me, what is this life all for? All this endless striving and fighting, and on top of that, we have to deal with so many... inexplicable things.”

Wan Ze paused his chopsticks and glanced at her.

The question was too big, and too personal.

He thought for a moment before speaking. ”That’s a question everyone probably has their own answer to... There’s no standard.”

”Then... what’s your answer?” Miss Ling pressed, her eyes filled with pure curiosity.

”Me?” Wan Ze chuckled. He picked his chopsticks back up but didn’t take any food. ”To live, and then... to engage with the world.”

”To live... and engage with the world?”

Miss Ling grew even more confused, muttering his words to herself.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Wan Ze explained softly, ”You don’t need to be fixated on finding one exact answer. Living in the moment and truly experiencing the flavor of each second might be more important. What makes people noble is that we have free will, the ability to feel joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—not to live as cold tools for achieving some goal. So, just experience your life, feel it fully. That in itself might be part of the meaning.”

”...But I feel so powerless. This whole situation... it’s completely beyond my abilities... I feel like... I can’t do anything. I’m just dragging others down.” Miss Ling lowered her head, unconsciously twisting a napkin between her fingers.

Wan Ze looked at her, feeling a wave of emotion.

This young woman could have lived a peaceful life, but because of a secret left behind by her ancestors, she had been dragged into a vortex that defied the understanding of ordinary people.

”Once we figure out the secret behind the ’Mountain Ghost Patrol Hunting Painting,’ if it turns out to have widespread implications and isn’t something an ordinary person should possess, I will ask my master to step in and transfer it to... a place where it should be kept, or to someone who has the ability to handle it,” Wan Ze said slowly.

He looked at Miss Ling and added, ”If you’re willing, that is.”

”Of course I’m willing!” Miss Ling looked up almost instantly and blurted it out without a shred of hesitation.

Wan Ze was slightly taken aback.

Miss Ling looked at him, her expression more serious than ever. ”I trust you. Whoever you say it should go to, that’s who it’ll go to. This painting... for me, it’s become more of a source of trouble than anything else. If we can figure out what it truly means and then give it to someone who can actually handle it, I... I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Her words were pure and direct.

Wan Ze’s heart stirred.

He nodded and said no more, just offering a small smile as he started eating again.

’But in his mind, he was wondering...’

’That ”second personality” who’s dead set on getting this painting... would she be willing?’

Just then, the glass door of the restaurant behind them was yanked open, and a fierce, cold wind rushed in.

’Whoever it is, they’re here for trouble.’