Chapter Thirty-Eight: That old man is speaking in riddles!

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At that moment, Old Zhang turned and looked at Chen Xian with a kindly smile.

“Young man, don’t you think that’s bullying people a little too much?”

Chen Xian’s heart gave a start when he saw Old Zhang looking at him.

He was merely a bystander and had not spoken a word during the elders’ conversation. He had never expected Old Zhang to turn around and ask him a question.

It caught him completely off guard.

Yet listening to Old Zhang’s question, Chen Xian had the distinct feeling that there was more behind his words than met the eye.

For the moment, however, he could not figure out what it was.

Old Zhang’s sudden question left him somewhat bewildered.

“That thief really did go too far. I hope you can bring him to justice, Old Zhang,” Chen Xian replied.

Old Zhang nodded, his smile growing even warmer.

“Haha!”

“As expected of a young man from Suzhou—you’re filled with righteousness!”

The other elders beside him voiced their approval one after another upon hearing Chen Xian’s answer.

Chen Xian’s expression, however, grew slightly strange.

As a martial artist who was at least at the Transformation Force stage, Old Zhang was probably not speaking of an ordinary thief, as the elders assumed.

That thief was very likely a martial artist as well. Otherwise, how could he have broken into the home of a martial artist at the Transformation Force stage—or even higher—and stolen an ancestral classic?

That was what Chen Xian was thinking, though his expression remained unchanged.

“I’ve always said that there are still more good people than bad in this world!” Old Zhang said with a chuckle.

There seemed to be a trace of apology in his voice.

“This unpleasant matter has gone on long enough. Let’s not discuss it anymore, lest it dampen everyone’s spirits.”

“On such a joyous occasion, it really is inappropriate to bring up such things. I’m sorry to have made you gentlemen witness my troubles.”

“What are you talking about? If you encounter a problem, being able to speak about it is a good thing. Bottling it up until it harms your health—that would be the real misfortune.”

The elders shook their heads one after another.

Clearly, they believed it was a good thing that Old Zhang had been willing to voice his troubles.

Chen Xian, meanwhile, let out a quiet breath of relief.

He had guessed that the matter was far from simple. Moreover, Old Zhang had brought up something involving martial artists in front of them, leaving Chen Xian uncertain of his intentions.

But now it appeared that Old Zhang had merely wanted to tell them about the incident and ask them to judge whether he had been wronged. He seemed to have no other motive.

Chen Xian relaxed somewhat.

After all, the matter had nothing to do with him. In the martial world, he was only a martial artist at the Dark Strength stage.

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As for matters involving the Transformation Force stage and beyond, they were probably not something he could afford to involve himself in.

“Well then, old friend, you and this young man carry on with your conversation. The rest of us will go attend to our own business,” one of the elders said as he rose to his feet.

The others chimed in as well.

“Yes, go on and take care of your affairs.”

Old Zhang nodded slightly and smiled.

“Very well. Off you go.”

The elders soon departed, leaving only Old Zhang and Chen Xian behind.

Chen Xian could not help sizing up the kindly-looking old man before him, silently speculating about his identity.

Yet no matter how hard he thought, he could not recall a single martial artist at the Transformation Force stage—or beyond—who matched the old man before him.

There were simply too many martial artists at that level in Great Xuan. Surely no one could possibly know every one of them.

Moreover, Chen Xian’s main source of information about the martial world was the official martial arts website.

Only a small number of martial artists—such as those employed by martial arts academies or certain security organizations—would publicly list their cultivation levels there.

Most others did not.

Therefore, trying to identify an unfamiliar martial artist based solely on appearance was practically impossible for an ordinary individual.

The only martial artists whose faces could truly be remembered were probably those who were exceptionally famous throughout Great Xuan.

But Chen Xian searched through every figure in his memory and still could not find anyone who resembled the old man before him.

Just then, Old Zhang looked at him with a genial smile.

“Young brother, meeting here today must be a matter of fate.”

“I can see that you’re a martial artist. As it happens, I am one as well.”

“And don’t let my age deceive you. I’m actually quite formidable.”

“I happen to have some experience in cultivation. Would you be willing to listen? Perhaps my experience might prove useful to you.”

Old Zhang’s words sent a shock through Chen Xian.

They had taken him completely by surprise.

He had assumed that, dressed as he was, Old Zhang intended to conceal his identity as a martial artist and converse with them as an ordinary person.

He had never expected that, once the other elders had left, the old man would reveal his identity so directly—and even offer to share his cultivation experience.

This left Chen Xian even more baffled. He had no idea what Old Zhang was after.

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Could he truly intend only to share some martial arts experience?

At the same time, Chen Xian felt an extremely strong intuition that the old man had been here for him from the very beginning.

The thought was absurd and entirely unsupported by evidence. After all, he could not think of any connection between himself and Old Zhang.

But as the saying went, there was no love without a reason, nor hatred without a cause.

Since Old Zhang had appeared here as a martial artist at the Transformation Force stage—or even beyond—there had to be a reason.

There was simply something about the matter that Chen Xian had yet to see.

That was what he was thinking.

“All right.”

“Since Senior is willing to share his cultivation experience, I would of course be glad to listen.”

After a moment, Chen Xian regained his composure and spoke.

He wanted to know what this seemingly plain and amiable old man intended to say.

“Since you’ve agreed, then I won’t waste any more time.”

The old man’s form did not change in the slightest.

Yet in Chen Xian’s eyes, everything suddenly seemed different.

It was as if, in the blink of an eye, the simple farmer who had been digging the earth before him had transformed into a fierce and overbearing martial artist.

For a moment, Chen Xian felt dazed. He did not know whether his eyes had deceived him or whether the transformation was real.

All he knew was that the old man before him seemed extraordinary—terrifyingly so.

At that moment, Chen Xian realized that he had truly encountered an expert of the martial world.

“At least an Elixir-Holding martial artist—perhaps even higher!”

That was Chen Xian’s guess.

He had encountered martial artists at the Transformation Force stage several times before. While practicing White Crane Fist, he had even met several Transformation Force instructors from other martial arts schools who had visited his own academy.

Yet even those martial artists had never given him the overwhelming presence and oppressive force that emanated from the old man before him.

At that moment, the old man’s identity became a cloud of mist shrouding Chen Xian’s heart, leaving him unable to see through it.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind.

In the end, Chen Xian suppressed them all.

Now was not the time to dwell on such matters.

Regardless of who the old man truly was or what intentions he harbored toward Chen Xian, at least for now, the old man had shown him no hostility.

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