Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 264: Chapter 172: Mastery Through Integration! The Incarnation Takes Shape

It was already noon by the time he got home.

Mrs. Wan busied herself making a few dishes, and the family of four gathered for lunch.

After the meal, Xiaoyu curled up on the sofa with her phone, Father Wan went to his room for a nap, and Mrs. Wan cleared the table.

Wan Ze helped with the dishes, dried his hands, said goodbye to his family, and headed out.

When Wan Ze arrived at the martial arts dojo, a black Jeep was parked not far from the entrance.

It was Zhai Jia’s car; he recognized it at a glance.

There were quite a few new faces at the dojo today. A dozen or so Inner Courtyard disciples were acting as instructors, guiding the new students.

The sound of ”BANG! BANG!” echoed one after another.

”Ah Ze!!!”

A voice suddenly called out in a hushed tone.

Wan Ze followed the sound with his eyes.

Zhou Xianchuan emerged from a nook next to the equipment room. His hair was a mess, but his eyes were alarmingly bright as he rushed over in just a few strides.

”You’re finally here!” Zhou Xianchuan grabbed Wan Ze’s arm, his voice low and excited. ”Big news! Seriously big news! You won’t believe it when I tell you...”

”What news?” Wan Ze asked, amused.

”Just last night...” Zhou Xianchuan glanced around, as if to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in and whispered, ”I was having dinner with my family at a Western restaurant... that one, Shangpin Western Restaurant, the one downtown... Halfway through the meal, the manager suddenly just... collapsed.”

”Collapsed?” Wan Ze’s brow twitched.

”Yeah! He was standing right next to our table. With a THUD, he just fell over, stiff as a board!” Zhou Xianchuan gestured with his hands in the air. ”My whole family was stunned. A young woman at the next table was so scared she just burst into tears... I mean, she was really bawling her eyes out. They called an ambulance, but it was too late. He was gone, right then and there.”

”Sudden death?” Wan Ze was taken aback.

”Yep, it’s even in the news.” Zhou Xianchuan pulled a heavily creased newspaper from his coat, clucking his tongue in amazement. ”Look... ’Western Restaurant Manager Dies Suddenly, Suspected Cerebral Hemorrhage.’”

Wan Ze took the newspaper and glanced at it. The article was short, just a few lines of text, accompanied by a photo of the restaurant entrance cordoned off with police tape.

”Let me tell you, that manager had a really nasty temper...” Zhou Xianchuan started to rant. ”We’d eaten there a few times before, and every time, he had this long face like we owed him money. And he loved to talk trash about customers behind their backs. One time, I was in the restroom and overheard him complaining to a waiter, saying the customers at some table were ’country bumpkins who don’t know how to eat Western food’ and ’paupers trying to act rich’... I mean, what was his problem? The restaurant owner is an idiot too, for not firing a guy like that... Unless he was being blackmailed or something?”

He grew more animated as he spoke. ”Oh, and I also heard that manager was deep in debt from betting on soccer games. His wife divorced him, too. Everyone’s saying it was karma, that he got what he deserved.”

Wan Ze stared at the name ’Liu so-and-so’ in the paper and suddenly raised an eyebrow. ”His surname is Liu?”

Zhou Xianchuan paused, blinking. ”Yeah, how did you know, Ah Ze?”

”I did a little divination,” Wan Ze said with a straight face.

”Whoa, that’s uncanny...” Zhou Xianchuan looked amazed, then continued with the gossip he knew. ”His surname is Liu, and his name was... Liu what was it... Liu Yuan? Right, Liu Yuan. I heard he was quite the player in his younger days. Dated a bunch of girls, and one even had an abortion for him, but he just turned around and got with someone else... a classic love-’em-and-leave-’em type. A total scumbag.”

He got more indignant as he spoke. ”Afterward, the girl who had the abortion apparently had health problems ever since. I wonder how she is now. You think a guy like that deserved to die, right?”

As Wan Ze listened, his mind was racing.

’Liu Yuan.’

’The man in the green robes was named Liu Yuan.’

’The restaurant manager was also named Liu Yuan.’

’One was killed in Huangliang Village, the other died suddenly in reality. Both happened after eight o’clock.’

’Is this a coincidence?’

Wan Ze recalled what Feng Jiuchen had said while burning Liu Yuan’s body... ”If you are killed in Huangliang, you will also die in reality.”

’So, the moment his Divine Soul was annihilated in Huangliang Village, his real-world self died as well.’

’Cardiovascular disease, sudden death... those are just explanations for the public.’

’The real cause of death was my sword.’

”Ah Ze? Ah Ze?” Zhou Xianchuan waved a hand in front of his face. ”What are you thinking about?”

”Nothing.” Wan Ze snapped back to reality. ”What did you say his name was again?”

”Liu Yuan,” Zhou Xianchuan repeated. ”What’s wrong?”

”Never heard of him.” Wan Ze shook his head, his expression as calm as if nothing had happened.

Just as Zhou Xianchuan was about to say more, a loud shout came from behind them...

”Zhou Xianchuan! What are you still doing here? Master is calling you over for the test! You’re the only one left!”

Tan Xiao strode over, dressed in a black training uniform with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing forearms that were even more solid than before.

He nodded at Wan Ze as a greeting, then hurried Zhou Xianchuan along.

Frustrated, Zhou Xianchuan had no choice but to say goodbye to Wan Ze and leave.

Only Tan Xiao and Wan Ze were left standing in the corridor.

Tan Xiao rubbed his hands together, took a step closer, and flashed a fawning sort of smile. ”Junior Brother Wan...”

”Hm?” Wan Ze looked at him, a bit baffled. ”Hey, Brother Xiao, if you have something to say, just say it. Don’t be like this.”

”Ahem, my recent Cultivation... I’ve gotten insanely strong!” Tan Xiao puffed out his chest, trying to make himself look more impressive.

Wan Ze: ”...”

”It’s true!” Seeing Wan Ze’s disbelief, Tan Xiao immediately started gesturing. ”Look at my arms, these muscles, this definition... I can punch through ten bricks with one fist now! Ten! I used to struggle with six!”