No need for Lu Zheng to order custom armour; Zhao Wenyu’s factory already had a set of fish-scale chainmail crafted especially for himself.
Coincidentally, Zhao Wenyu and Lu Zheng were about the same height.
However, since the armour was made, Zhao Wenyu had only worn it once before stowing it away.
Why? It was too heavy.
For authenticity, Zhao Wenyu had used top-grade steel, resulting in a full forty kilograms of solid, honest-to-goodness weight.
The protection was sufficient, but wearing it, even walking a few steps left him breathless, let alone fighting in it.
It was practically a death sentence.
Typically, full-armour combat athletes wore armour weighing between fifteen and twenty kilograms.
So, after lunch, at Zhao Wenyu’s invitation, Lu Zheng visited his Divine Weapon Crafts Co., Ltd.
…
“An absolute perfect fit!”
Zhao Wenyu gave a thumbs-up, and Du Lin looked astonished.
Lu Zheng’s physique filled out the fish-scale chainmail perfectly. With a phoenix-winged helmet and lion-faced mask, holding a silver dragon lance, he looked every bit an ancient warrior.
The armour weighed forty kilograms, the lance twenty-five.
Over a hundred and thirty jin of weight, yet Lu Zheng seemed unbothered.
“Brother Lu! Badass!”
Zhao Wenyu had seen Lu Zheng wield a solid steel staff with Shaolin techniques, but Du Lin hadn’t witnessed his skills.
“How long can you move in such heavy armour?” Du Lin asked.
Zhao Wenyu chimed in, “An hour, easily!”
“That impressive?” Du Lin was surprised.
Lu Zheng just smiled, saying nothing.
Just then, Zhao Wenyu’s phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Alright, when?”
“Now? Perfect, I’m at the company. Come over.”
“We’ve got plenty of armour here. See if anything fits. If not, I can have a set custom-made quickly.”
“Weapons too. I always make an extra for my collection whenever I see a good one. Let him pick. If nothing suits, we can customise.”
“Great, see you!”
Zhao Wenyu hung up. “A friend says he’s invited an expert to try out weapons and armour.”
“Who?” Du Lin asked.
“Duan Xiaolong,” Zhao Wenyu replied.
Du Lin scoffed. “What kind of expert can he find? He’s lucky if he doesn’t get scammed.”
Zhao Wenyu laughed. “He said he went to Ji Province and found a traditional martial arts expert. We’ll see soon enough.”
“Brother Lu, you busy? If not, stick around?”
“Not busy.” Lu Zheng removed his helmet and began taking off the armour.
Though it didn’t hinder him, this was the modern world, not a wartime era. No need to stay armoured.
…
Zhao Wenyu led Lu Zheng and Du Lin to his office for tea and chat while waiting.
Less than half an hour later, the guests arrived.
Seeing them, Zhao Wenyu and Du Lin were taken aback.
The young man in his thirties leading the way was unremarkable, save for his sharp attire and spirited air, clearly a rich second-generation type.
The man behind him was different.
Standing one point nine metres tall, with a bear-like build, his massive frame strained against a large short-sleeved shirt, exuding an overwhelming presence.
“No wonder he needs to try armour. I might not have anything that fits him,” Zhao Wenyu muttered.
“Wenyu, Brother Du,” the young man greeted.
Introductions followed, and Lu Zheng learned the young man was Duan Xiaolong, while the giant was his hired expert, Zhang Tiexia.
A hereditary martial artist, recently retired from the military.
“Top ten in the all-army competition!” Duan Xiaolong said, giving a thumbs-up.
“Only top ten?” Du Lin was shocked, given Zhang Tiexia’s tank-like build.
Zhang Tiexia rubbed his head, grinning sheepishly. “The army’s full of experts.”
Duan Xiaolong asked Zhao Wenyu, “The match starts in ten days. You didn’t invite anyone?”
Zhao Wenyu glanced at Lu Zheng.
Duan Xiaolong blinked. “Isn’t he your customer?”
“Brother Lu’s interested and wants to join,” Zhao Wenyu said with a smile.
Duan Xiaolong nodded. “Group match?”
“Individual match,” Zhao Wenyu said.
“What? You’re joking, right? The Japanese came prepared this time. Letting him get beaten up is supposed to look good?”
Duan Xiaolong’s expression was dramatic, then he turned to Lu Zheng. “I’ll be blunt. I know you want to have fun, but…”
“No need to get worked up. There are others, and the individual matches have five categories. We’ll compete internally first,” Zhao Wenyu interrupted.
“Oh, right, I forgot in my haste!” Duan Xiaolong blinked.
Lu Zheng: “…”
“Don’t mind him, Brother Lu. He’s a bit off, but not a bad guy,” Zhao Wenyu said.
Lu Zheng gave a dry laugh.
Most people weren’t bad, just flawed in their own ways.
Duan Xiaolong was a typical rich second-generation, treating those in his circle or with skills as equals, but showing clear superiority toward others, often disregarding their feelings.
Seeing Lu Zheng’s silence, Zhao Wenyu smoothed things over. “Come on, let’s go to my collection room. I think I have a Song Dynasty infantry armour that might fit Brother Zhang.”
They returned to the collection room, practically a small warehouse, filled with racks of various weapons and armour.
Zhao Wenyu asked, “Which events are you entering, Brother Zhang?”
Zhang Tiexia said, “Long weapons, sword and shield, mixed combat.”
“What about you, Brother Lu?”
Lu Zheng thought for a moment. “Long weapons, short weapons, mixed combat.”
“Mixed combat?” Duan Xiaolong couldn’t hold back. “Brother, long weapons or sword and shield with gear is one thing, but mixed combat? You’re not joking, right?”
“Xiaolong!” Zhao Wenyu cut him off. “Brother Lu’s my friend!”
“Your friend, not mine… Fine, I’ll shut up,” Duan Xiaolong muttered, noticing Lu Zheng didn’t even glance at him. Annoyed, he smirked. “You and Old Zhang are both in mixed combat. Wenyu’s got all the gear here. Why not spar a bit?”
Zhang Tiexia rubbed his head, unbothered, and looked at Lu Zheng.
Honestly, he couldn’t see anything special about Lu Zheng. Sure, he had some muscle, but his fair skin didn’t scream fighter.
Yet Lu Zheng’s calm expression didn’t seem reckless either. But hadn’t he seen Zhang’s build? Where did his confidence for mixed combat come from?
Lu Zheng glanced at Zhang Tiexia, then Duan Xiaolong, and finally at Zhao Wenyu’s eager look and Du Lin’s slight concern.
“Sure, let’s try.”
Lu Zheng could tell Zhang Tiexia was a real expert. In that case…
“Might as well spar with Old Zhang. If others can’t even beat him, they shouldn’t dream of taking my spot, right?”
“Exactly, no problem!” Duan Xiaolong nodded eagerly, then turned to Zhang Tiexia. “Hear that? He plans to beat you and make you the gatekeeper.”
Zhang Tiexia nodded, his interest piqued.
Facing such a size disparity yet so confident, Lu Zheng was either a fool or a true master.
