“Wha-what?” Startled by the sudden actions of the old man, Zhi Fen fell back. He had seen scammers selling useless martial arts books on the streets of Jinan City who used similar lines.

“Young man, it is fate that you wandered to my stall today. With a talent like yours, you can master this famous 36 Plum Blossom Sword Technique in no time. I’ll sell it to you for a small price of 3 iron coins.”

It had taken three months for the senile grandpa at the street stall across the restaurant to realize that he had been using the same lines on Zhi Fen every few days.

“Oho! You have got an excellent constitution, young man. If you just take this pill, all the impurities will be cleansed and you will immediately catch up with students from large clans.”

“What about your age? Just eat this millennium ginseng and you will have the perfect constitution for practicing martial arts.”

In his most desperate moment, he had almost bought a shriveled carrot that a scammer was selling as the millennium ginseng.

The scam culture was already very developed and thriving even the ancient times. Scams related to martial arts which most ordinary people were ignorant about seemed especially widespread.

Old Man Ji realized his mistake and apologized with an embarrassed smile, “I have shown you my ugly side. I am sorry. I just got excited at the thought of finding a prospective disciple.”

Zhi Fen calmed down and looked at the old man suspiciously. “So you are a martial artist?”

Old Man Ji nodded and answered proudly, “That’s right!”

Zhi Fen took a step back from the man. Not because he was scared that he was a warrior but because he thought the geezer was crazy. He didn’t speak up but looked around the dark room they were currently locked inside. His eyes were screaming, if you are a martial artist, why are you locked in here with me?

Although he didn’t say it out loud, the way Zhi Fen blatantly treated him like a crazy person embarrassed Old Man Ji even further. He scratched his head, “I can see how you might misunderstand me in this situation. These idiots stole something precious when they took my goods. I let myself get caught to find out the location of that object. I was thinking of investigating slowly.”

That would certainly explain the way Old Man Ji had acted so casually since earlier. But Zhi Fen didn’t let his guard down. He was still wary of the old man. “I believe you.” He answered.

Anyone with normal vision could tell from Zhi Fen’s face that he didn’t believe the old man at all. Old Man Ji sighed, “I know you don’t believe me. I can see it in your eyes.”

But Zhi Fen remained adamant with a poker face, “No, I do.”

Old Man Ji was dumbfounded and froze for a second while staring at Zhi Fen. Then he began to laugh out loud. It wasn’t a maniacal laugh that stereotypical villains had but it wasn’t a laugh that expressed joy either. It felt somewhat sinister to Zhi Fen.

“hahah… You are a very funny and interesting kid. What do you say? Do you want to be my disciple? I may not be one of the Ten Martial Stars but I am pretty good. And the martial arts of our school are also treasures that many would covet.” Old Man Ji began his sales pitch.

It would be a lie to say that Zhi Fen wasn’t tempted to shout, ‘Master!’ and kneel to the old man. But with the circumstances being as they were, and all the scams that he had dodged, he was wary of the strange old man he met in captivity at a bandit hideout.

“You want to take me as your disciple? What about my age? I have tried going to so many sects but they all rejected me for being too old.” Zhi Fen cautiously asked. There was a layer of hope hidden in his tone.

“Ha! What about your age? If you have the right mindset, you can learn martial arts at any age.” It sounded like something he had heard before, Zhi Fen took a step back. Old Man Ji continued, “If your muscles and bones are beginning to harden, then we just have to make them soft again.”

“Huh? Why are you stepping back like that? Anyway, with the excellent techniques of our sect, I will turn you into a great expert in no time, you don’t have to worry at all.” Old Man Ji said proudly.

Zhi Fen, who was now backed onto the wall was looking at Old Man Ji with eyes even warier than before. Those were all the things that he had heard from scammers before. Was he being scammed while imprisoned by bandits? It seemed unlikely but as they say, once bitten twice shy.

Despite his turbulent emotions, the tiny spark of hope inside his heart called out to him. Either the old man is crazy or he is a real martial artist. In this situation, he had nothing to lose either way. “So, how much do I have to pay to join your school? Or what do I have to do?” Zhi Fen spoke with resolve.

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“You don’t have to pay anything. Just by becoming my disciple, you will be a part of the Eclipse Syndicate school.” Old Man Ji solemnly answered. “I’m not a scammer.” He added.

Eclipse Syndicate… Zhi Fen muttered under his breath. It didn’t sound like any sects or families that he had heard about in all his time in this world but it didn’t matter. He made eye contact with Old Man Ji and asked, “Can I ask why you want me to become your disciple?”

“Hmm… certainly. It isn’t some big secret. I have been looking for a disciple for some time now. I don’t need a heavenly talent with a unique constitution as a disciple. What I want is a wise, tenacious, and desperate disciple who is hungry for more in life. By some fate, I met the perfect candidate here.”

Old Man Ji might have seemed frivolous but he wasn’t making a random decision out of impulse. With his years of experience and the skills he had accumulated, he was able to make a quick judgment about Zhi Fen. The tenacity and desperation he saw in Zhi Fen’s eyes and the calmness that he displayed despite all that was going on was what attracted Old Man Ji.

“Just to be clear, I am not saying that I will make you my direct disciple right away. You will be registered in our school as an ordinary disciple first and after assessing you for some time, I’ll decide whether to take you in as a direct disciple.”

Instead of being disappointed, the additional explanation about starting as an ordinary disciple actually relieved most of Zhi Fen’s worries. This meant that Old Man Ji hadn’t made a thoughtless decision and he was serious about recruiting Zhi Fen.

“Please take care of me, master!” Zhi Fen bowed and firmly called Old Man Ji master. This pleased the old man who smiled brightly and patted Zhi Fen’s shoulder.

“Now, let’s get out of this dump. I am starting to feel stuffy here. We can expedite the process of getting the information a little.” Old Man Ji’s calm voice followed his hand waving at the door and the door shattering with a fist-sized hole where the latch should have been shut from the outside.

Zhi Fen froze at the casual display of power from Old Man… no, Master Ji. He casually flicked his wrist and blasted a hole in the wooden door like it was nothing. Zhi Fen’s eyes turned into stars as a sense of excitement rushed through his mind. This was a real martial artist!

‘All those years of bad luck have finally paid off! Now it is time for me to enjoy the golden luck of a protagonist.’

“What are you doing in a daze there? Come quickly. We have to get my things and get to the city before sunset. We should have a celebration feast tonight.” Old Man Ji urged.

The loud sound of the door being blasted open was enough to alert the bandits. When the two captives came out of the locked door, they found themselves in a small compound in the middle of the forest. They seemed to have been locked in a small shed next to a fairly large house made of wood.

The bandits were seen running out of the house in a hurry. They were shouting at Zhi Fen and the old man. “Do you want to die? Who told you to come out?” “Get back before I chop your head off.”

In the middle of the sudden commotion, the bandits didn’t even have the time to think about how the two captives had gotten out of the bindings, broken through the door, and come out. And unfortunately for them, they would never get the chance to think about anything ever again.

Old Man Ji suddenly disappeared out of thin air from Zhi Fen and the four bandits’ eyes and reappeared behind the bandit leader holding him by the nape.

And like the stylized action movies that Zhi Fen remembered from his past, the heads of the other three bandits flew off with blood gushing from their necks. Surprisingly, their bodies kept running for a few steps before limply falling to the ground.

Zhi Fen had seen a few bloody scenes while working at the restaurant. Restaurants and inns were the hotbed for arguments to break out. Although the owner’s influence could stop most fights, if the arguing warriors were of a higher stature than the owner, physical fights would break out sometimes.

But all the severed limbs and blood puddles that he had seen and cleaned could not train Zhi Fen for the scene going on in front of him. If there was a glass screen in between the scene and him, he would have enjoyed it with a tub of popcorn but when it became his reality, he felt nauseous.

In the distance, Old Man Ji was lifting the bandit leader who was a head taller than himself by the neck. The bandit was struggling with all his might, scratching and hitting the old man’s arms. His face was starting to turn blue and he was choking and gasping for air.

“There was something important of mine in the cart of liquor that you looted last week. I know you haven’t sold the goods yet, where did you put the box? And don’t try to lie. I’ll give you a quick death if you tell me honestly. If not...” The old man’s voice was perfectly fine and cheerful when talking to Zhi Fen but now it sounded like metal scratching on metal. It was eerie.

The bandit leader’s eyes were shaking violently out of fear. He tried speaking but with his throat being clenched in the vice grip of the old man he could only make choking, gurgling sounds. So he urgently pointed with his hand and eyes toward the house they had run out from.

“Oh, is it in there? Show me.” The old man then turned to Zhi Fen who was still frozen in place and looking around with shaky eyes. Seeing that the boy hadn’t completely lost his composure even in this situation, the corners of his lips twitched upward. He shouted, “I’ll be back in a minute, just wait there.”

When Old Man Ji went into the house with the bandit leader, a part of Zhi Fen was screaming at him to run away from there. It was questionable whether he could get very far before the monstrous old man caught up with him but his instincts told him to run.

‘This is the reality of this world. No matter where I run, I will face similar if not worse scenes. It is better to tag along with the monstrous man instead of going out into the world alone.’

Zhi Fen controlled his instincts and calmed his nerves. He had to become like the old man if he didn’t want to be like one of those headless corpses. In a world where the rule of the jungle permeated the entire society, it was best to become a hunter.

By the time Zhi Fen was done introspecting and steeling his nerves, the old man had already returned. “Come on, if we move quickly, we will reach the city by evening.” He beckoned Zhi Fen who ran to follow the old man.