“What? Full armour fighting? Aren’t you just bullying people?” Lin Wan looked shocked. Her eyes on Lu Zheng were full of disbelief, as if to say she never thought he was this kind of Lu Zheng.
In the afternoon, after “sparring” with Zhang Tiexia and basically securing the spot, Lu Zheng waved goodbye and left.
Zhao Wenyu wanted to keep him for dinner, but Lu Zheng declined.
How could eating with a bunch of guys compare to eating with a beautiful policewoman?
During dinner, Lu Zheng roughly explained the full armour fighting event to Lin Wan.
“So you decided to join?” Lin Wan said helplessly. “This competition looks so unprofessional. It’s just for fun!”
“Yes! That’s exactly why I’m joining!” Lu Zheng nodded. “Who would a proper person join a real competition with?”
Lin Wan: ⊙ω⊙
What do you mean? I don’t understand!
“For example, UFC is so professional. Fighters’ info is transparent, crowds are huge, exposure is massive, and there are all sorts of restrictions.” Lu Zheng said. “That’s why I’m not interested. I don’t want to be a spectacle for people.”
Lin Wan nodded, roughly getting it.
“This is different. It’s purely entertainment, with few participants, so not only are weight classes unfair, but armour is too. It’s far from professional.”
Lu Zheng smiled. “So I can just have some fun.”
“But what if you, with your not-so-tall build, completely crush the opponent?” Lin Wan asked. “Wouldn’t that make you stand out even more?”
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Don’t joke. Netizens will fill in the blanks themselves. No matter how loud the praise, haters just need one line.”
Lin Wan asked, “What line?”
“Why so skilled, but not joining pro events like UFC?”
Lu Zheng said seriously. “So there must be something shady. The waters run deep…”
Lin Wan, “…”
“Sigh, if only you were just exceptionally skilled in combat.” Lin Wan said helplessly. “I’d definitely drag you to UFC.”
Back when Li Changyang and Lv Tieling wanted Lu Zheng to join UFC, Lin Wan’s worry was that Lu Zheng wasn’t strong enough and might get hurt.
Now…
Lin Wan’s worry was that Lu Zheng might get too excited and pull off a flying sword beheading or daylight invisibility spell.
“You have to hold back during the match.” Lin Wan reminded him. “This one’s at Haicheng Sports Hall, and they sell tickets.”
“Got it. Don’t worry. You come watch too.” Lu Zheng said. “Competitors can bring family.”
“Alright!” Lin Wan nodded and asked, “How many can you bring?”
“Who else are you bringing?”
“Xiu Min, and Xiao Ying.”
“Xiao Ying?”
“Li Ying, colleague at Haicheng liaison office, tech department.” Lin Wan said.
“Fine. I need three front-row tickets.” Lu Zheng nodded and called Zhao Wenyu right there.
Done!
Seeing Lu Zheng sort it out, Lin Wan fiddled with her phone for a bit, then smiled at him. “Xiu Min and Xiao Ying will go. They asked me to thank you.”
Lu Zheng blinked. “How to thank?”
Lin Wan looked up and saw Lu Zheng’s suggestive gaze. Her heart fluttered. “How do you want to be thanked?”
“I mean…”
Lu Zheng whispered a few words. Lin Wan gritted her teeth, but…
Why did I nod without thinking?
…
The next day, Lin Wan pinched Lu Zheng’s arm hard before heading to work.
Lu Zheng picked up the scattered Wonder Woman outfit from the floor, then leisurely crossed to ancient times for breakfast.
“Young master, yesterday Abbot Yuan Jing visited, but you were out.” Uncle Li said. “He left a message for you to go up the mountain when you return.”
Lu Zheng’s heart tightened. He looked up sharply. “Did he say what for?”
“He did.” Uncle Li nodded.
Lu Zheng’s eyes flashed.
“It’s that Abbot Yu Ting has arrived. He wants you up the mountain to play chess with him.” Uncle Li said.
Lu Zheng, “…”
“I see.” Lu Zheng curled his lip, but breathed a sigh of relief.
Finishing the last of his porridge, Lu Zheng crossed back to modern times.
He grabbed ten jin of apples, ten jin of oranges, bought some Rixiang Village pastries, loaded a few jars of wine back in ancient times, then hiked his robe and cast divine travel technique towards Shaotong Mountain.
The illusion technique Yu Ting taught Lu Zheng had turned the tide in several battles. That favour was no small thing.
Plus, after learning it, Lu Zheng kowtowed, and Yu Ting accepted it. Calling him half a master was fair.
If not for Abbot Ming Zhang saying he wasn’t great with swords, Lu Zheng would surely have gotten a cloud-pattern sword.
“Senior brother!”
“Eh? Junior brother Yuan Zheng is here.”
Yuan Ning saw Lu Zheng and knew why, so he said, “Master and Abbot Yu Ting went to the peak this morning. Just head up.”
“Got it. Thanks, senior brother!”
Lu Zheng didn’t stand on ceremony. The quickest path to the peak was through Baiyun Temple’s back gate, so he dashed through, greeting the uncles and brothers in the temple, then continued up.
“Master! Abbot Yu Ting! Senior brother!”
Lu Zheng thought, no wonder he hadn’t seen Yuan Jing in the temple earlier. He was here tending to the elders.
Approaching, without a word, he first offered the fruit platter and pastries.
Abbot Ming Zhang smiled and nodded, glanced at Yuan Jing, then at his nearly empty teacup.
Yuan Jing blinked, pulled his focus from the chessboard, and hurried to refill it.
Seeing Lu Zheng pull things from the gourd, Abbot Yu Ting was startled. “Oh my, you have a universe gourd?”
“Luck of the moment!” Lu Zheng chuckled.
“What luck!” Abbot Yu Ting laughed heartily, then popped a mung bean cake in his mouth. His eyes lit up. “Mm, nice flavour. Sweet but not cloying.”
“Yuan Zheng always brings good stuff. When you head down this time, visit his home first.” Abbot Ming Zhang smiled.
Yuan Jing nodded eagerly beside them.
As Lu Zheng’s cultivation grew and he got closer with Abbot Ming Zhang’s group, his gifts to Baiyun Temple increased.
Beyond the initial brushes and wine, he always brought fruit and pastries on visits, never empty-handed.
The temple disciples saw Lu Zheng and grinned ear to ear, warmer than with senior brother Yuan Jing.
Luckily, Lu Zheng was an outer lay disciple, and Yuan Jing was broad-minded, or Baiyun Temple might’ve had a sibling rivalry plot for the succession.
Eh? That’s not right. It sounds like Abbot Ming Zhang is about to die.
“Don’t change the subject.” Abbot Yu Ting nodded, eyes gleaming. “Fruit and pastries are nothing. Before I leave this time, you must give me a gourd of that stalactite ganoderma wine.”
“Think again!” Abbot Ming Zhang said at once. “Too much! Not too much either!”
Last night at dinner, Abbot Ming Zhang got cocky and brought out the wine Lu Zheng gifted him, brewed with cave stalactite essence and ganoderma, rich in qi and aroma. It whetted Abbot Yu Ting’s appetite.
Not only did he drink three cups on the spot, he now wanted a share?
No way!
So Abbot Ming Zhang righteously refused Abbot Yu Ting.
But Abbot Yu Ting wouldn’t drop it easily.
So…
Hearing Abbot Yu Ting’s words and Abbot Ming Zhang’s reply, Lu Zheng pulled two two-jin jars of medicinal wine from the gourd.
“And more. I have some here, just right to honour Master and Abbot Yu Ting.”
Abbot Ming Zhang and Abbot Yu Ting exchanged a glance and nodded approvingly.
Plan success!
Silently boosting goodwill, Lu Zheng was pleased too.
I’m truly an acting master!
