Chapter Five: The Martial Arts Family

Never dare to come again? Ling Tian scoffed at these words. Baldy was an old hand at running wild in the underworld—a lie out of his mouth was as casual as passing gas. He’d be back the moment he wanted to.

Ling Tian wanted nothing more than to kill him, but he knew that even if he did, it would be meaningless; the most important thing was the man’s boss behind the scenes. With this in mind, Ling Tian asked, “Who’s your boss?”

Baldy gritted his teeth against the pain, his lips drawn back in a grimace. “Brother, I’m innocent. All of this was arranged by Young Master Gu.”

“Young Master Gu? What’s his background?” Ling Tian frowned. He’d just dealt with a scion of a powerful family today, and before the dust had even settled, another one appeared.

He’d barely returned to Yunhai City, hadn’t even found a place to stay, and already he’d offended two prominent families. It seemed things were about to get interesting.

Baldy was stunned for a moment before he realized Ling Tian really didn’t know. He had thought this domineering young man must be familiar with Young Master Gu’s reputation. “Young Master Gu is the eldest son of the Gu family, known as one of the Four Gentlemen of Yunhai. The Gu family is one of the city’s four great clans…”

Ling Tian paid no further attention to his words. Two of Yunhai’s four great families offended, just like that.

“Go back and tell him he’d best give up on the idea of taking the orphanage. And in one week, I’ll pay him a personal visit. If you dare show up here again, I’ll cripple you for good,” Ling Tian said coolly. A week’s time would be enough to heal—once his injuries stabilized, even if the other side sent top assassins, Ling Tian would deal with them easily.

Baldy, grateful to be alive, scrambled to gather his men and fled in utter disgrace.

“Director, just stay here and rest easy. I doubt they’ll dare act rashly for now,” Ling Tian said.

“My child, the Gu family isn’t someone we can afford to provoke,” the old director sighed helplessly. There was something he didn’t say: he’d been holding the Gu family at bay for some time now, relying on his modest reputation in Yunhai to keep their hands clean—so far. But now, with Ling Tian having dealt with their lackeys, the Gu family finally had an excuse to act.

He knew Ling Tian meant well, so he kept his worries to himself. In his opinion, no matter how capable Ling Tian was, it was impossible for him to stand against the Gu family, a clan with over a century of history in Yunhai.

If he knew that Ling Tian had already taught a lesson to the heir of the Li family—another of Yunhai’s four great clans—upon his arrival, he would likely be astonished beyond words.

“Child, I’ve been thinking. Even under the terms the Gu family offered, we’d receive over two million in compensation. With the money you gave, we can rebuild an orphanage in the suburbs. Though funds will be tight, it’s enough. I’m preparing to move right away,” the old director said earnestly.

Ling Tian’s nose stung, and tears nearly welled up. He knew the director was yielding to protect him. He remembered how, as a bullied orphan, the old director had always stood up for him like a mother cow guarding her calf… Ling Tian’s eyes reddened.

“Director, don’t worry. I’ll settle this. Please, just stay here and rest,” Ling Tian said, helping the old man to a stone bench before going inside to bring out a pot of tea.

The director accepted the cup, his gaze vacant as he looked at Ling Tian, clearly unconvinced he could manage it.

Ling Tian poured himself a cup and said, “Director, have you ever known me to boast? I’ll stay at the orphanage for now, protecting the children until it’s all resolved.”

The old director said nothing more; he had already prepared for the worst. Even if he had to give the land away for nothing, he would protect the children—and Ling Tian.

After tea, the director offered Ling Tian his old room, but Ling Tian politely declined. Wanting to stabilize his injuries quickly, he chose the small cabin by the bamboo grove behind the orphanage.

The cabin, once the gardener’s, had long been unused but was kept tidy enough.

Carrying the bedding the director gave him, Ling Tian walked to the backyard. Before he reached the bamboo grove, his face suddenly lit up with joy—he sensed spiritual energy. Though it was chaotic, to Ling Tian it was a priceless treasure.

Inside the cabin, the spiritual energy was even denser. Having traveled great rivers and mountains, Ling Tian knew well that Earth’s spiritual energy was scarce and often messy, making it hard to absorb. But in the ruins of a dragon vein, he had found a cultivation technique that allowed him to ignore the chaos of spiritual energy. The only drawback was that each advancement required far more spiritual energy than other practitioners.

“It seems I was right after all,” Ling Tian said with delight. One of the main reasons he’d chosen Yunhai City was the orphanage—built for charity, it had been constructed on a site chosen by a feng shui master.

It was said the orphanage’s foundation was linked to the underground spiritual vein of Lingguang Mountain, so spiritual energy was abundant here.

Ling Tian sat cross-legged, entered meditation, and slowly guided his internal qi through twelve cycles in his meridians. The external spiritual energy was drawn in like mist, forming a tiny vortex that Ling Tian absorbed. Nourished by the energy, his internal qi flowed much more smoothly.

His damaged meridians quickly healed, his dried-up dantian began to revive…

In less than a minute, spiritual energy accumulated over more than a decade was completely absorbed by Ling Tian. Deprived of its nourishment, he woke from his meditation and slowly opened his eyes. “If there were more, I could fully recover in less than three days. What a pity,” Ling Tian sighed, resigned.

Once the king of mercenaries, Ling Tian had always been a martial artist. As king, he had learned only the finest techniques and thus had broad experience. But when searching for the dragon vein, he had acquired a strange cultivation method, one entirely unlike any martial art he’d ever known.

Now, he was practicing that very technique—the Chaos Formula—completely different from any ordinary martial discipline.

With it, Ling Tian felt as though a new window had opened before his eyes, revealing a world he had never seen… Perhaps this was the true path of martial arts.

At dawn, when violet qi rises from the east and spiritual energy is at its most plentiful, Ling Tian, eager to heal, rose early the next morning. Facing the first light, he began his breathing exercises, absorbing what little spiritual energy he could.

After thirty-six cycles of internal qi, Ling Tian slowly exhaled a turbid breath. The injuries sustained during his search for the dragon vein were under control, but to heal fully, he would need more time and spiritual energy. Otherwise, if it dragged on too long, it might affect his foundation.

Just as Ling Tian was preparing to stretch and practice his forms, a commotion erupted in the front courtyard. Ling Tian frowned. It seemed the Gu family couldn’t wait to seize the land.

The same Baldy, now crippled, was wheeled into the yard, followed by a burly brute who stood in the center, clutching a terrified, wailing child.

“Well, old man, you’ve got more guts than I thought. Not only do you refuse to sign the contract, you even dared lay hands on my men. I’d like to see just what kind of character dares challenge me,” the thug said, swinging the child before the director and flexing his thick arms for effect.

The old director straightened his stooped body, trying to look tough, and glared at the brute. “Old Wolf, if you have a problem, take it up with me. Leave the child out of this.”

Old Wolf laughed and tossed the child into the director’s arms. “Old man, I’ll give you ten minutes to decide. And I mean, decide when you’re moving out—not whether you’re signing or not. Do you understand me?”

The director soothed the sobbing child and handed him to a staff member before replying, “Are you trying to wipe us out?”

“Don’t be stupid,” Old Wolf sneered. “My patience is limited. Ten minutes. If you don’t sign, I’ll burn this place to the ground. If any of the kids don’t escape and die in the fire, well, that would be a real shame. Boys, is the gasoline ready?”

“Ready… ah—!”

The underling holding the gasoline was sent flying before he could finish his sentence, slamming into a tree and passing out.

“Boss, that’s him—the one who hurt me!” Baldy shouted as soon as he saw Ling Tian. “Boss, you have to avenge me!” He stared at his own shattered arm and leg, tears of frustration in his eyes, wishing he could hack Ling Tian to pieces.

Old Wolf, to his credit, kept his composure. Though he’d missed Ling Tian’s move, anyone who could take down his man in a single strike had some skill.

He waved Baldy aside, signaling him to be patient, then strode toward Ling Tian and cupped his fist. “Friend, I am Old Wolf, a disciple of Yunhai Dayi Boxing Gym. May I ask, what master do you hail from?”

“You’re not qualified to know,” Ling Tian replied coldly, giving Old Wolf a dismissive glance. He was tall, muscular, with knobby knuckles—a trained fighter who, to ordinary people, would seem formidable. But in Ling Tian’s eyes, the man hadn’t even entered the gates of true martial arts.

His pride wounded, Old Wolf’s face darkened. In Yunhai, Dayi Boxing Gym wasn’t the largest, but it was famous, with hundreds of members, and Old Wolf was among the elite. On the streets, people gave him respect—he was acknowledged even among those in the underworld.

Yet the man before him showed no regard.

Was it ignorance, or genuine skill? In Old Wolf’s eyes, this young man could be no more than twenty. Even if he’d studied under a renowned master, he couldn’t be that strong.

Besides, Old Wolf had faith in his own prowess. The title of Yunhai’s golden-glove boxer wasn’t just for show—it was earned with his fists.