Suppressing his impatience, Chen Xiao respectfully asked, "Sir, may I ask... do you know the origin of the words left on this counter? Do you... do you recognize the person who left these words?"
As he spoke, his tone was full of anticipation.
"You recognize me?"
Old Master Xiao glared, then sighed and said with a wry smile, "How could that be? How could someone like me be qualified! This Old Master Lin is like a dragon that never appears, a legendary figure! Someone like me can only admire him..."
Chen Xiao couldn't help but feel annoyed: his friend had been kidnapped by this man, and this old man was telling the kidnappers in front of him that he admired them greatly, with a look of respect and longing on his face.
“Grandpa…” Xiao Qing noticed the hint of displeasure in Chen Xiao’s eyes, gently tugged at the old man’s hand, and whispered a reminder: “This… Chen Xiao’s friend has been kidnapped by the person who left the note…”
"What? Kidnapping?" Old Master Xiao shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this. "Impossible! How old is this kid? How old is his friend? What kind of person is Elder Lin? How could he possibly bully a junior! Hmm... even if Elder Lin really did take his friend away, he had his own reasons! Hmph... what 'King with a Knife'... kid, are you a swordsman?"
Helpless, Chen Xiao forced a few words to explain, omitting Lao Tian's identity. He only said that he did know someone skilled in swordsmanship, and that the other party must have left the challenge specifically for that.
"A challenge? Impossible." Old Master Xiao sneered, "What kind of status does Elder Lin have! In this world, who is there that he can challenge? Others can only look up to him!"
Seeing Chen Xiao's growing impatience, Xiao Qing sighed and could only quickly ask, "Grandpa, let's put everything else aside for now. Could you please tell us who this Mr. Lin you're talking about really is?"
"Old Lin..."
Old Master Xiao sighed, casually sat down on the sofa next to him, raised his hand and made a gesture. Immediately, one of the young men standing in the distance stepped forward and respectfully presented a hookah with both hands.
The old man took a couple of puffs, then, disregarding his image, tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe, exhaling bluish smoke. His eyes were filled with longing: "Ah... who was he? Back then, everyone who knew him respectfully called him Master Lin! Hmph, in the Republic of China era, from the bandits outside the Great Wall to the outlaws beyond the Great Wall, from the outlaw leaders of the Central Plains to the Green Gang, as long as Master Lin uttered a word, who dared to utter a single word of dissent! Heh heh, back then, when Master Lin was mentioned, everyone would respectfully clasp their hands in a salute! A sword that supports the Kunlun Mountains, he is the number one hero under heaven! He is a truly great hero!"
With a sword that reaches the Kunlun Mountains and supports the heavens, he is the number one hero in the world.
Looking at the old man's admiring expression, Chen Xiao was very unconvinced.
Optimus Prime? Pshaw, I'm Megatron!
Chapter 223 [Third Master Lin]
Chen Xiao was still quite young, and his indifference was unconsciously reflected in his expression.
Old Master Xiao saw this, snorted, and slowly said in a deep voice: "Young people are ignorant and do not know how powerful Elder Lin is. Back then, when Elder Lin gave an order, all the heroes in the world obeyed. As long as you had Elder Lin's name card, you could travel from Shanhaiguan in the east to Yili in Xinjiang in the west, or from the north to Fujian in the south. No matter if you were a bandit or a thug, no one would dare to lay a finger on you."
Chen Xiao merely raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
Grandpa Xiao, puffing on his water pipe, looked at Chen Xiao's raised eyebrow and simply sighed, "You don't understand, you don't understand. Young man, talking nonsense. If it weren't for... I would have spanked you. Master Lin's martial arts are unparalleled; how could ordinary people like us possibly fathom his abilities!"
When Old Master Xiao said this, Chen Xiao didn't react much, but to the ears of others, including Xiao Qing and the few young men standing beside him, their expressions changed drastically!
This old man, Master Xiao, may seem like just an ordinary country bumpkin, but his actual identity is quite extraordinary! As the current patriarch of the Xiao family, and given the status of the Xiao family as a martial arts clan that has been powerful for generations, Master Xiao, to exaggerate a bit, is practically the number one person in the martial arts world right now! (Of course, this doesn't include reclusive old monsters like Old Tian).
With the status and position of Old Master Xiao, a top figure who could shake the martial arts world in the north and south with a stomp of his foot, how could anyone not be shocked to say that he didn't even dare to guess about Old Master Lin's martial arts skills?
"Back then, Master Lin wielded his sword with unparalleled skill, truly like a sword immortal! However, such a person was someone we ordinary mortals could never have the chance to befriend. But he was very approachable and humble, and many martial arts heroes from all over the country benefited from his kindness."
Chen Xiao frowned: "So, he's just a powerful figure in the underworld. Does he deserve such respect?"
Old Master Xiao waved his hand: "You're wrong. If it were just about great ability, there would be no shortage of talented and extraordinary people in this vast world, but true heroes like Elder Lin are few and far between! In the past, Elder Lin was passionate and kind-hearted. Besides his unparalleled abilities, he did several earth-shattering things, which ultimately established his lifelong reputation! Alas... it's just a pity that good people don't always get good rewards!"
Chen Xiao nodded and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Hmph, what do you mean? I was too young back then, and it was my father who told me about this. It's a pity I was born a few years too late, and I couldn't do that earth-shattering thing with Elder Lin! Alas, otherwise, even if I were to die for him, what would I have to fear!"
Xiao Qing couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa, what earth-shattering thing did this Old Lin do to earn your such respect?"
Old Master Xiao chuckled, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table. He glared and said, "Back in the Sino-Japanese War, those little Japanese devils occupied the three northeastern provinces and then extended their claws to the Great Wall! During the Battle of the Great Wall, Elder Lin sent out invitations, calling on all the brave men of our Han people to serve their country! At that time, Elder Lin joined the Jin Army to assist General Fu Zuoyi. All sorts of capable men from all over the country—lone rangers who rode a thousand miles alone, powerful local tyrants, and bandit leaders—gathered together a hundred or so heroes. Any one of them could be a formidable figure." They were top figures in the area! Under Elder Lin's leadership, everyone formed a special operations battalion under General Fu Zuoyi. During the Great Wall Campaign against the Japanese invasion, they fought a major battle against the Japanese devils! In the face of thousands of enemy troops on the front lines, we were no match, but Elder Lin led everyone out of the pass and behind enemy lines. The special operations battalion specifically targeted and raided Japanese supply convoys and logistical outposts like outposts and bunkers! Hey! It was at that time that everyone completely devoted themselves to Elder Lin!
After a pause, Old Master Xiao sighed. His previously ruddy face darkened. "It's a pity that in those days, no matter how much blood those heroes were willing to shed, the bastards in charge were soft-hearted. Old Lin led a group of heroes and fought bravely behind enemy lines, but they couldn't stop the traitors above! In the end, we lost the Great Wall Battle and lost North China. Later, the Japanese took the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Puyi, and established Manchukuo, trying to seize our three northeastern provinces under a legitimate name. In a fit of rage, Old Lin decided to assassinate that bastard emperor! Unfortunately, Japan had also sent countless experts to the Northeast at that time, and the assassination attempt ultimately failed. I heard that after Old Lin killed several high-ranking officers of the Kwantung Army, his long robes were stained with blood, and a group of Japanese experts, including some surnamed Abe and some surnamed Hojo... were killed by him, seventeen or eighteen of them."
Someone surnamed Abe?
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao's heart skipped a beat. This Japanese expert surnamed Abe was probably not a martial artist, but an Onmyoji!
He had initially harbored considerable resentment towards "Old Lin," the man who had kidnapped his friend, and had been rather dismissive of Old Master Xiao's high praise of him. However, now that Old Master Xiao spoke of this man, who was actually a great hero who had stood up in the national war years ago, he genuinely felt a sense of respect for him.
"Alas, back then, during that assassination attempt in Manchuria, I heard that Old Lin fought his way from the palace all the way to the outskirts of the city, leaving the roads stained red with blood! It's just a pity that the fake emperor Puyi was hiding somewhere, and Old Lin couldn't find him! He was right there among thousands of troops, and no one could stop him! Although the news of that incident was kept under wraps, anyone who occasionally knew a little bit of the inside story would give him a thumbs up and praise him as a true hero! It's just a pity that such a good person was treated unfairly by God!"
"What's so unfair about it?" Xiao Qing's eyes were already brimming with excitement, and she couldn't help but press for an answer. Old Master Xiao sighed, raised his hand, and pointed northwest: "You're in K City, so you naturally know this place. K City was the capital during the Republic of China era. Back then, the Japanese devils invaded here, suffered a crushing defeat, and abandoned their entire territory to the Japanese. At that time, Master Lin lived here. The army's retreat was so rapid that a batch of important supplies hadn't been transported in time and were stuck at the Yanziji Wharf. The Japanese army had already advanced. Master Lin and a group of heroes fought a bloody battle against the Japanese at Yanziji. Unfortunately, most of those heroes fell under Japanese machine gun fire! Hey! Speaking of those heroes, weren't they all incredibly skilled? Guns and cannons—if they wanted to escape, they would naturally be killed too." They couldn't leave! The cargo ships at Yanziji Wharf were right behind them; if they ran, it would be like handing them over to the Japanese! Poor men! I heard of a hero named Grasshopper, said to be incredibly agile, so fast bullets couldn't hit him! But in that bloody battle, he couldn't run; he could only endure the Japanese bayonets and guns, eventually riddled with bullets! In the end, they all died! Even a godlike figure like Master Lin was seriously wounded. When the Japanese surrounded him, they knew he was the one who had caused such a ruckus in Northeast China and were determined to capture him alive. Master Lin jumped into the Yangtze River! Later, somehow, he was swept downstream and miraculously survived. Alas… what a pity…”
"What's a pity?" Even Chen Xiao couldn't help but ask this time.
Old Master Xiao's face was ashen, and the muscles around his eyes twitched violently: "Third Master Lin's wife and children had all moved from the north and were living in K City. Third Master Lin was fighting a bloody battle against the enemy at Yanziji, but he didn't have time to go to the city to bring his wife and children away! The Japanese invaded too quickly, and they were all trapped in the city..."
Chen Xiao and Xiao Qing both changed their expressions.
They both understood the meaning behind those words!
During that national calamity years ago, K City, as the capital, was occupied by the Japanese army, and a horrific massacre ensued, turning the entire city into a river of blood! Hundreds of thousands of unarmed civilians and prisoners of war who had laid down their arms were slaughtered! If Master Lin's wife and children were still in the city at that time... then there would have been absolutely no chance of survival!
After a moment of silence, Old Master Xiao's voice carried a hint of loneliness: "After that incident, although Third Master Lin survived the ordeal, he fell seriously ill. I heard he vomited a liter of blood and became depressed, no longer concerning himself with worldly affairs. What a pity for such a hero of unyielding spirit!"
"Why...why didn't he take revenge?" Xiao Qing asked.
"Revenge?! How?" Old Master Xiao sneered coldly, "Even if we martial artists reach the pinnacle of skill, like Master Lin, who's practically a demigod, how many armies can one person withstand? A hundred? A thousand? The Japanese army numbered in the tens of thousands! Even if Master Lin possessed unparalleled martial arts skills, even if he were made of iron, how many nails could he crush? Hundreds of thousands of troops were routed. Are we supposed to let these civilians fight back with their own flesh and blood?! How can Master Lin take revenge? Can he single-handedly wipe out the hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops occupying K City?!"
He paused, then said in a low voice, "Later, after Master Lin recovered from his illness, he went to Yanziji alone, got a stone tablet, and engraved the names of more than a dozen heroes who died in the bloody battle of Yanziji on it... I still have a rubbing of that stone tablet at home. It's just a pity that by then, Master Lin's heart had already turned cold! In defeat, what use is it even if you give your life and shed all your blood?! After that, there was no more news of Master Lin!"
Chapter 224 of the main text [4S]
Chen Xiao was already somewhat dazed.
With a sword that reaches the heavens, he stands as the foremost hero under heaven…
According to this old man Xiao, this Third Master Lin seemed to be the kind of legendary "great hero who serves the country and the people," but why did he come to cause trouble for him?