Duan Tianlang nodded slightly and said, "That's good. Tianbao, go tell them to pack their things and we'll go with Team Leader Xiao now."
Not only was I dumbfounded, but the heroes were also instantly petrified. We never expected Duan Tianlang to suddenly say something like that—we never expected him to agree.
Finally, Zhang Qing, being the outspoken person she is, couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going?"
Duan Tianlang smiled and said, "I know you all look down on me now, thinking that I, Duan, am willing to become a clown for the sake of saving face."
I quickly said, "No, no."
Duan Tianlang waved his hand to stop me from speaking and continued, "My Duan family has always been small in number. It's already considered good for my generation. At least I have a cousin. To be honest, this martial arts has been passed down from generation to generation. Before my father passed away, he warned me that martial arts should be passed down to men, not women, and to sons, not daughters-in-law."
Unlike my scoffing, the heroes nodded in agreement: "That's only right."
Duan Tianlang said, "But in my generation, I have spent half my life studying martial arts and am now in my forties, and I am still unmarried. As for my cousin, you have all met him; he is a bit dull. My brother and I have depended on each other for 20 years. Until a few years ago, we suddenly realized that martial arts should be studied and discussed by everyone. One genius may not be able to catch up with ten mediocre people. After reaching a certain level, it is far from enough for one person to comprehend it. Only when heroes gather can it be carried forward and developed. So we recruited many disciples and opened the Tianlang Martial Arts School."
Lin Chong said with deep respect, "Master Duan's breakthrough has already earned him the title of a grandmaster."
Duan Tianlang smiled bitterly, "But then we realized that even if we wanted to teach, there might not be anyone willing to learn. Right next to our martial arts school, there are two computer training classes and an English training class, which are always packed with students, while our huge martial arts school only receives a handful of people a month. Tianbao and I looked at each other speechlessly, and could only smile bitterly. We realized that in this society, no one is willing to spend their time on things that don't bring monetary rewards."
Wu Yong said, "But I see that Mr. Duan's school is still very prosperous."
Duan Tianlang said, "Under these circumstances, Tianbao and I came up with a last resort: to challenge various martial arts schools, gradually earning ourselves a bad reputation. But even so, we only attracted some hot-blooded ruffians." Duan Tianlang waved his hand outside, saying self-deprecatingly, "That's what I have now, these good-for-nothings. Fortunately, after my lessons, they're relatively well-behaved. Then came the martial arts tournament. Beforehand, I secretly resolved to win first place, so that my Tianlang Martial Arts School could gain widespread fame and attract true martial arts enthusiasts from all over the world. I was too hasty, thinking that attracting attention was nothing more than a show. So I simply adopted the slogan 'Invincible Under Heaven.' Actually, I often find it amusing that a martial arts practitioner could be so arrogant. As for what happened afterward, you all know; I, Duan, deserve my punishment."
Wu Yong sighed, "Mr. Duan truly has good intentions."
After hearing the whole story, the heroes were all deeply moved, and their impression of Duan Tianlang changed completely. I never expected him to be such a radical anti-feudal and anti-old-fashioned thinker. However, judging from their words and actions, the Duan brothers' minds are still out of touch with modern society. Otherwise, even their tiger-fighting skills would have so many followers, so why wouldn't their genuine talents be appreciated?
Lu Junyi couldn't help but ask, "Master Duan, did you ever see the person who injured you again?" He had heard Wu Yong say that he suspected that the person was Wu Song, so he was particularly worried about him.
Duan Tianlang showed no embarrassment and said naturally, "No, I also really want to see him again. I am proud and arrogant, but I really have nothing to say about this person. I am completely convinced."
Zhang Qing and the others looked at each other and shook their heads in disappointment.
Duan Tianlang stood up and said, "We're all fellow martial arts practitioners, so you must understand that in our line of work, the younger the apprentice, the better. I heard that Yucai is going to expand, so I came up with this idea." He turned to me and said, "Team Leader Xiao, as for my former apprentices, just find them any job they want, like sweeping or cleaning toilets. Although they're useless, they've taken a lot of my effort, and I don't want to see them give up halfway."
I couldn't help but curse inwardly; no matter the situation, he couldn't shake off his arrogant attitude. His tone made it sound like I was the one sweeping the floors and cleaning the toilets at his martial arts school. But at the same time, I admired his obsessive spirit. He and Yan Jingsheng, one a martial artist and the other a scholar, were quite similar.
With the matter settled and things cleared up, we and Duan Tianlang's disciples hurried outside. Suddenly, a loud shout came from the opposite balcony: "Hey, are you from Liangshan?"
Duan Tianlang and the others didn't seem to care, but when the heroes and I heard that, we turned around in shock and saw a huge, iron-like man standing on the second floor opposite us. He must have been over 1.9 meters tall, was in his thirties, and had a bluish scalp. He was standing there, making the floorboards creak. He was holding a toothbrush cup in his hand.
The heroes all looked up, and Lin Chong and Lu Junyi were the first to recognize the man: "Deng Yuanjue!" Before they could finish speaking, Zhang Qing hurled a stone. The stone, carrying a strong wind, flew through the air as a barely visible thin line, reaching Deng Yuanjue in the blink of an eye. Deng Yuanjue raised his toothbrush cup and slammed it down. With a loud "crack," the stone struck the iron cup, spinning rapidly at the bottom.
Duan Tianlang, who had been walking ahead of us, turned around and asked, "What's wrong?"
Wu Yong said calmly, "I've met an old friend, so it seems I can't return with Mr. Duan for the time being. Please forgive my rudeness. Shi Qian, you take Mr. Duan and the others back to the school first, and we'll follow shortly."
Shi Qian understood that the strategist had asked him to go back and report the news. He nodded and led Duan Tianlang and the others out of the courtyard.
Wu Yong gently closed the courtyard gate and nodded to Lin Chong and the others. I knew they were ready to kill. Sure enough, Zhang Qing and Yang Zhi stepped forward together and shouted sharply at them, "Come down and face your death!"
Deng Yuanjue poured the stones out of his cup and said to us, "Come up and talk." Then he turned and went back to his room.
Yang Zhi looked at Lin Chong and said, "Could there be an ambush above, or are all eight Heavenly Kings inside the house?"
Zhang Qing shouted, "Whatever their tricks are, let's go up first. We can't let them stop us!"
I rushed to the stairwell and told them, "Brothers, let's go upstairs and hear what he has to say first. Even if things break down, we can't fight here." If a fight breaks out, Deng Yuanjue alone can't possibly withstand Lin Chong and the other two masters. If they really commit murder, that's no joke.
I held the brickbag across my chest and charged into the room first. It was the same layout as Duan Tianlang's room across the street—very cramped, containing only a bed, a worn-out sofa, and a few stools. When I came in, I saw Deng Yuanjue putting down his toothbrush cup. Zhang Qing had hit the bottom of the cup with a stone; although it didn't leak, it had a large bulge and wouldn't sit steadily. Deng Yuanjue glanced at me and asked, "Who are you? I've never seen anyone like you before?"
I smiled apologetically and said, "I'm Xiaoqiang."
Deng Yuanjue nodded and said, "I've heard of it. Please sit down."
As I looked for a place to sit, I said, "You're the one who saved Li Shishi, right? I thank you on her behalf."
Deng Yuanjue waved his hand, ignoring me, and said to Lin Chong, who was the second to enter, "Instructor Lin, please sit down!"
Lin Chong went first because he was afraid of some kind of ambush. Seeing that Deng Yuanjue was alone and didn't seem hostile, he was at a loss and had no choice but to sit down next to me.
As soon as Zhang Qing came in, Deng Yuanjue said the same thing again: "Zhang Qing, sit down!" Then he pointed to the cup and added, "You have to pay for this."
No matter who came in after that, Deng Yuanjue would always say the same thing: first call out the person's name, then say "Sit."
The heroes were all unruly and unruly men; to resort to violence now would seem petty, so they all sat down. Once everyone was present, Deng Yuanjue walked over to Yang Zhi, who was sitting by the bed, and said, "Lift your foot." Then he pulled a large watermelon out from under the bed, snapped it into several pieces with two fingers, placed a piece in front of each person, and said, "Eat."
This left us completely bewildered, both amused and exasperated. Facing us, Deng Yuanjue said in a deep voice, "I know you, and you probably know me too, although my appearance has changed somewhat. That's right, I am the Precious Light Tathagata Deng Yuanjue."
Zhang Qing said sternly, "What do you intend to do?"
Deng Yuanjue waved his hand and said, "I won't argue with you, much less fight with you. I only ask you, where are Lu Zhishen and Wu Song from Liangshan?"
Fearing things would get more tense, I explained, "Since neither of them could come, you probably won't be able to see them."
Deng Yuanjue picked up a slice of watermelon and started eating it. He then sat down on the table and said, "Let me tell you about myself. In your eyes, I am Deng Yuanjue, but I also have another name, Baojin. I am a worker in a machinery factory, born in 1972, and I am 35 years old this year."
Yang Zhi said, "Why are you telling us all this? Don't worry, we won't gang up on you, but you're not getting away today!"
Deng Yuanjue laughed heartily, shaking the roof and sending dust flying—I could no longer eat the watermelon in my hand.
Deng Yuanjue said loudly, "Blue-faced beast, you underestimate me too much. What I'm telling you is that our grudges are from a past life, but since I've brought them up again in this life, I don't intend to deny it. But now I'm just an ordinary worker, and murder is a crime..."
I whispered, "You must have committed murder in your past life, that was also illegal."
Deng Yuanjue glared at me and continued, "In my past life, I had one major regret: I couldn't settle things with Lu Zhishen. Now that I'm back, I'm determined to fulfill that wish. Even if it means killing someone and getting shot, it will be Lu Zhishen who suffers. Do you understand what I mean? If you agree, I promise I will never be your enemy or fight your people during this time, until Lu Zhishen and I have finished our fight from our past lives. Then we'll go back to how things were before. If you don't agree," Deng Yuanjue rolled up his sleeves and said loudly, "you don't need to come at me one by one. I, the great monk, will take you on."