Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 189: Chapter 146: Awe

The snow was still falling, carrying a slight chill.

Wan Ze threw on an outer robe and headed for the second floor of the rear courtyard.

Situ Bai was in the teahouse, enjoying some new tea that Zhai Yu had brought back on a special trip a couple of days ago.

Wan Ze knocked, then entered and asked about several problems he had encountered with his Refining Viscera cultivation over the past few days.

Half an hour later, he rose to take his leave.

Zhai Jia had gone with Zhai Yu to work on a case for the Police Headquarters and wouldn’t be back for a few days. The sparring session they had arranged would have to wait until he returned.

Tan Xiao had been grounded by Master Qin for his defeat against the Divine Martial Society in South City, forced to do nothing but train bitterly every day... otherwise, how would he have known that Wan Ze trained even harder than he did?

Wan Ze was passing through a covered walkway when he ran right into Zhou Xianchuan.

Fatty Zhou was wearing a brand-new training uniform, his face glowing with health, and he walked with a spring in his step. When he saw Wan Ze, his eyes lit up and he strode over. "Ah Ze! Ah Ze!"

He hurried closer, lowered his voice, and said excitedly, "I’m practicing Secret Martial Arts now, and it’s... it’s so fucking strong! I feel like I could kill a bull with one punch!"

Wan Ze looked at him and couldn’t help but laugh.

Fatty Zhou’s words sounded familiar.

Back when he had just succeeded in Blood Tempering, he’d had similar thoughts. That feeling of a sudden surge in Power could easily give someone the illusion that they were ’the greatest under heaven’.

Seeing Zhou Xianchuan itching for a fight, he couldn’t help but smile. "How about I spar with you, then? Help you burn off some of that Power."

The excitement on Zhou Xianchuan’s face froze.

His eyes widened as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on him.

Then he shook his head like a pellet drum. "No, no, no, no, no... It’s not time yet! Not yet!"

He backed away as he spoke, took a few steps, then turned and ran, disappearing down the end of the walkway in a flash.

Wan Ze stood there watching his retreating figure, shaking his head with a smile.

"That kid..."

"Ah Ze?"

Tan Xiao suddenly poked his head out from the shadows at a corner of the walkway and waved at Wan Ze, looking for all the world like a thief.

Wan Ze walked over. "What’s up, Brother Xiao?"

"I’m going stir-crazy..." Tan Xiao said with a pained expression, leaning against a pillar and looking like he had lost all will to live. "Master has me locked up in the rear courtyard. He just makes me practice those few fist forms every day. When I’m done, he has to inspect my work, and after the inspection, I have to keep practicing... I feel like I’m about to grow roots in this courtyard."

Wan Ze was left speechless for a moment, then laughed.

Then he jutted his chin toward the outside. "Come on, want to spar?"

Tan Xiao waved his hands frantically. "No, no. Master just spent the whole morning beating me up. I’m still numb all over. Just spare me, please."

As they were talking, a young girl ran toward them from the other end of the walkway, her face filled with panic. She stumbled, nearly tripping over the threshold. "This is bad! Brother Tan! Senior Sister Sun is missing!"

Tan Xiao froze. "Who’s missing?"

"Sun Fan! Senior Sister Sun!" The girl ran up to them, panting, her eyes red. "She’s gone!"

Wan Ze’s brows furrowed.

’Sun Fan?’

Tan Xiao also remembered.

A while back, Master Qin had indeed taken on two new apprentices, and one of them was Sun Fan.

He had seen the girl a few times. She wasn’t old, but she had a wild streak... After practicing the Dragon Eagle Secret Martial Arts, her Strength grew by leaps and bounds, and she was always clamoring about being a hero for justice and carrying out heaven’s will. Master had reprimanded her a few times at first, and after he started keeping a stricter eye on her, she had finally quieted down recently.

Tan Xiao had even thought back then that with this junior sister’s personality, she was bound to get into trouble sooner or later.

He just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

"Sun Jing, don’t panic just yet." He steadied his emotions. "Tell us, what exactly happened?"

Sun Jing took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "It was over at Century Square... She ran into Fu Min, and they started arguing. Senior Sister Sun told me to leave first. I walked for a bit, but the more I thought about it, the more worried I got, so I went back to look for her, but she... she was gone!"

"Fu Min?" Tan Xiao frowned. The name sounded familiar.

"A former student of the martial arts school," Wan Ze explained from the side. "She and Sun Fan are mortal enemies."

Tan Xiao looked at him. "You know her too?"

"We go to the same school. I’ve heard of her," Wan Ze said concisely, then turned to Sun Jing. "Have you tried calling her communicator?"

"I did! Several times!" Sun Jing said frantically. "But no one’s picking up!"

Wan Ze took out his own communicator, found Sun Fan’s number, and dialed.

"BEEP... BEEP... BEEP..."

No one answered.

He hung up and put it away.

"Let’s go to the scene first," Wan Ze said calmly. "If it was just Fu Min, Sun Fan shouldn’t be in any real trouble. With her skills, she wouldn’t be taken down that easily."

Sun Jing, at the side, looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue.

Tan Xiao nodded. "Junior Sister, lead the way."

Sun Jing nodded vigorously and turned to run outside.

Wan Ze and Tan Xiao quickly followed.

Century Square wasn’t far from the martial arts school, only about a quarter of an hour’s walk.

It was called a square, but it was really just an open area surrounded by shops. There was a fountain in the center, but the water had been turned off months ago, and the basin was half-filled with lingering snow.

It was surrounded by clothing stores, food stalls, and general stores.

The alley entrances twisted and turned, leading further back toward the old residential district.

Wan Ze stood at the edge of the square, his gaze sweeping over the area.

At the mouth of the alley directly opposite them, there were messy footprints at the base of the wall. The snow had been trampled, melted, and then frozen again, forming a patch of dirty ice.

A trash can was knocked over, and a few wooden sticks and a broken brick were scattered beside it.

His gaze swept over several fresh scrape marks on the wall’s surface.

His mind made up, Wan Ze, without changing his expression, turned and walked into a small convenience store nearby.

He grabbed three bottles of water. As he was paying, he asked casually, as if it were an afterthought, "Boss, did anything happen around here this morning?"

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