“Xia Tian, you’re really amazing!” Yang Fan gave me a thumbs up.
I smiled helplessly. “What’s so amazing about that?”
“You crippled Miyagi Sawano in just a few moves—way stronger than my master!” Yang Fan was practically glowing with excitement.
But Yang Xue, who was supporting him, wasn’t happy hearing that. “Oh, so you dare badmouth my dad now?” With that, she pinched Yang Fan’s ear.
“Ouch, ouch! Senior Sister, I was wrong! I was really wrong!” Yang Fan begged for mercy. But as soon as Yang Xue let go, he whispered to me, “My master is just an old man who drinks all day, but Senior Sister respects him a lot.”
I chuckled but didn’t comment. Judging by Yang Fan and Yang Xue’s skills, their master couldn’t be that strong.
“Don’t listen to his nonsense. My dad was really powerful when he was younger, but after my mom left, he became a mess,” Yang Xue said with a sigh.
“Let’s not talk about that. Xia Tian, who taught you those skills?” Yang Fan waved his hand and looked at me curiously.
I paused for a moment, then grinned. “Also a messy old man!”
Yang Fan’s question reminded me—I’d completely forgotten about Wang Haoming’s request. I needed to find time to call Old Man Long later.
“By the way, Xia Tian, what’s that ‘Ancient Martial Arts’ thing you mentioned last time?” Yang Xue asked, puzzled.
Hearing that, I quickly brushed it off. “Oh, just ancient fighting techniques. Nothing special, just a bit more powerful.”
“I see…” Yang Xue was smart. Sensing I didn’t want to elaborate, she dropped the subject.
“You beating up that Japanese guy might cause some serious trouble. After all, they were invited by the university board,” Yang Xue said, looking at me with concern.
I smiled nonchalantly. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. No point worrying now.”
Even though I said that, I knew this wasn’t over.
What I was worried about wasn’t any punishment from the university board—with Qin Shousheng backing me, the university wouldn’t dare do much.
No, what concerned me was what Lin Youchen had mentioned—Kyokushin Karate. The founder of Kyokushin, Masutatsu Oyama, was a man who could fight multiple bulls and win. Even I couldn’t pull that off right now.
His successors definitely wouldn’t be pushovers either. As for why Miyagi Sawano was so weak, I had no idea. But if China had an Ancient Martial Arts system, then other countries must have their own hidden strengths. Otherwise, the world would’ve been China’s long ago.
After sending Yang Fan back to the martial arts club, I made an excuse to leave. I still had to beg Old Man Long to take Wang Haoming as a disciple.
I took out my phone and dialed. After a few rings, someone picked up.
I grinned. “Hey, old man, guess who?”
“You’re the old man! Who the hell are you, talking so rudely?” Instead of Old Man Long’s cold voice, a girl’s voice came through.
Did I dial the wrong number? I checked the screen—nope, it was definitely Old Man Long’s number.
“Ahem!” I coughed awkwardly. “Uh… sorry, I was looking for Elder Long Qingyang?”
“What do you want with my grandpa?” The girl didn’t hand the phone over. Instead, she interrogated me further.
Damn, this girl was tough! I hadn’t expected a girl to answer.
I took a deep breath and said apologetically, “Miss, I’m really sorry. Could you just tell Elder Long Qingyang that Xia Tian is looking for him?”
“My grandpa is training right now. He’s busy. Bye!” And just like that, she hung up.
What the hell?! What kind of attitude was that?! Well… I had been rude first. Maybe I should call back later.
Just as I put my phone away, it rang again. I looked at the screen—oh shit! It was Wang Haoming! He must be asking about Old Man Long. What do I do now?
Ignore it? But he did help me before. Wouldn’t that be ungrateful?
Screw it, I’ll answer.
The moment I picked up, Wang Haoming’s voice came through. “Brother-in-law! How’s that favor I asked you about going?”
“Uh… well…” I stammered, struggling to respond.
Wang Haoming immediately sensed something was off. “Brother-in-law, you can’t screw me over! I paid over a thousand for your phone bill last time!”
“What?! A thousand?!” Holy sh!t! You could’ve just given me the cash instead!
“I’m not screwing you over, I swear! I was just about to call Old Man Long!” I laughed awkwardly. I had called—but the girl hung up on me. What else could I do?
For now, I just needed to keep him calm.
“Alright then, go ahead and talk to Elder Long. I’ll hang up now. Remember to put in a good word for me!” Wang Haoming sounded excited before abruptly ending the call.
I sighed. Since he was already pushing me, I had no choice but to call again.
“Hello, who is this?” The same girl answered.
Still embarrassed from last time, I said carefully, “I’m looking for Elder Long. Could you let him take the call?”
“Sorry, my grandpa is training—”
Knowing she was about to hang up again, I quickly begged, “Sis, please, just let Old Man Long take the call!”
The moment the words left my mouth, I realized my mistake. Shit! I called him “Old Man Long” again!
Sure enough, the girl sounded pissed. “It’s you again! I told you, my grandpa is training!” Then—click—the line went dead.
But I couldn’t just give up. I had promised Wang Haoming! So, gritting my teeth, I dialed again.
This time…
“Damn it! She turned it off?!” Was I really that annoying?!
I shook my head and sighed. Looked like I wouldn’t be reaching Old Man Long today.
But when did Old Man Long even get a granddaughter? He never mentioned her before.
With a temper like that, she *definitely* wasn’t pretty. Yeah, that had to be it.
Since I couldn’t get through, I decided to head back. I still hadn’t eaten lunch.
When I returned to the apartment, only Qin Mengdie was left in the kitchen, washing dishes. The dining table was spotless.
“No way! No food left?!” I groaned. Could my luck get any worse?
Qin Mengdie glanced up. “Your food’s here. I knew you hadn’t eaten, so I saved you a portion.” She pulled out a lunchbox from the cupboard and handed it to me.
I opened it—there was a bit of everything, except for the sweet and sour pork I’d made. Still, I smiled at her. “Thanks.”
“No need…” she replied indifferently before going back to washing dishes.
Her personality was as cold as ever. I sighed, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and sat in the living room to eat.
But just as I was about to take my first bite—my phone rang again.
Grumbling, I put down my chopsticks and answered. “Hello, this is Xia Tian. Who’s calling?”
“This old man is Long Qingyang!” came the familiar voice from the other end.