Yang Feng did not immediately teach Long Wei anything because he wanted to test the young man's loyalty and obedience. Though not much time had passed, Long Wei had already proven himself willing to risk his life by facing the assault of officer Kai’s soldiers.

  On the other hand, that very conflict had also forced Yang Feng to begin teaching him sooner than planned. This was why their journey to meet the Mystic Devil took longer than expected,they had to make frequent stops along the way so Yang Feng could instruct Long Wei.

  "From what I can see, you are not using your inner energy," Yang Feng commented on a misty morning during the second day of their journey. "You are not channeling your inner energy," he repeated.

  Long Wei frowned. He had just struck Yang Feng’s palm as instructed. "But that’s how my father taught me."

  Yang Feng shook his head. "That is not inner energy, only external force. You can generate powerful strikes by using basic breathing techniques to harden your muscles."

  "So?"

  "Have you ever practiced meditation?"

  Long Wei shook his head.

  A pleased look crossed Yang Feng’s face. "Good. That means your body is still untainted, which will make it much easier for you to meditate under my guidance. Now, sit on that rock. I will teach you."

  They sat down on a flat stone surface.

  Their resting place was a large cave, which had likely once been a lair for wild beasts. Yang Feng had chosen it as a suitable spot for Long Wei’s training.

  "Feel the air around you. Take a deep breath and hold it for eight counts, then release it over seven counts. You will slowly feel your soul being drawn into emptiness. When you sense a silence so deep it feels endless, that means you have entered true meditation."

  "What if an enemy attacks me while I’m still meditating?"

  "A good question," Yang Feng said with a smile. "Once you are experienced in meditation and have developed a high level of skill, your inner energy will naturally flow through your entire nervous system, allowing you to sense anyone or anything approaching. This will instinctively awaken you in an instant. But for now, do not concern yourself with that. Just focus on your meditation,I will keep watch."

  Long Wei nodded in understanding. He immediately sat cross-legged, keeping his back straight and placing both hands on his thighs.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A cool stream of air filled his chest before spreading evenly throughout his body. After a few moments, he exhaled.

  Yang Feng could not help but smile as he watched Long Wei take his training so seriously. Perhaps the young man was not yet ready to call him master, but Yang Feng could see that there was still hope for him.

  Leave the past behind and become a great warrior, he thought to himself.

  Suddenly, a sharp pain flared in his chest,the lingering wounds inflicted by Iron Palm and Lu Kwan’s final attack. The old man gave a bitter smile. My time is running out. Not even the Mystic Devil will be able to save me.

  Long Wei continued practicing his meditation in the cave for a full week. He only paused to eat or when exhaustion became unbearable. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he was still unable to reach the deep silence Yang Feng had described. It frustrated him to no end.

  On the eighth day, heavy rain had been falling since morning. Long Wei watched as Yang Feng practiced martial arts movements inside the cave. He furrowed his brows.

  "Why don’t you teach me martial techniques first?" he asked.

  Yang Feng was surprised to hear Long Wei’s voice. Since his back had been turned, he had not realized the young man had stopped meditating.

  "Why did you stop your meditation?" Yang Feng asked instead.

  Long Wei scowled. "It’s too difficult to reach the silence you mentioned."

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  "Hahaha, of course it is. When I first started, I was no different from you."

  "What about the Mystic Devil? Aren’t you injured?" Long Wei suddenly recalled the purpose of their journey. "We’re wasting too much time here. We could be doing this while traveling."

  Yang Feng chuckled and shook his head before gesturing outside the cave. He spoke calmly. "Do you not see the heavy rain?"

  Long Wei, however, argued back. "We can push through it."

  "We can, but wouldn’t it be better to take shelter here and continue your training? My injuries are not that serious,don’t think I’ll suddenly drop dead because of them."

  Long Wei had a feeling Yang Feng was hiding something, but he kept his thoughts to himself. He knew how severe the old man’s wounds were. After all, they had been inflicted by two of the most powerful fighters on the continent,Iron Palm and the White Ascetic. Combined with the injury from Lu Taihiap, any other man would have perished long ago.

  "How about we continue our journey once the rain lets up?" Long Wei tried to persuade him. "Perhaps the Mystic Devil can give me some guidance on how to quickly enter deep meditation."

  Yang Feng shrugged. "Very well, if you insist. But don’t expect too much from that old man. I’m not even sure he’ll be home when we arrive. He loves wandering the world. You’re better off continuing your meditation."

  Feeling dissatisfied, Long Wei closed his eyes once more and resumed his breathing exercises. However, this time, it was much harder to concentrate.

  ***

  "He is scaring us."

  "Has he come by multiple times?"

  The woman nodded quickly. "For three days and three nights, he kept knocking on our door, trying to force his way in. If my son hadn’t hit him with a bamboo stick every time he came, things might have turned out worse."

  The old man speaking to her furrowed his brows. His wrinkled skin, white hair, and long, equally white beard showed his age. Yet, his sharp, commanding gaze remained crystal clear, like that of a newborn. Eyes like those signified only one thing,great mastery.

  "Where does he appear?" Another man asked. He was a young man dressed in all white, just like the old man, for he was his disciple. "I'll go take a look."

  "After leaving our house while ranting to himself, he always heads toward the forest over there," the woman pointed. "Please, sir, we live here alone, far from neighbors and villages. Warriors rarely pass through this area to help us."

  The old man patted her shoulder. "Do not worry. Go inside and tend to your husband. My disciple and I will handle that madman."

  The woman nodded and did as she was told. Once the door was shut, the old man turned to his disciple.

  "Liang Kun, this will be your first real training. You will deal with this troublemaker while I observe."

  "Understood, Master," Liang Kun replied.

  They made their way into the forest the woman had pointed to. Along the path, there were scattered houses, spaced quite far apart. It wasn’t exactly a village,whatever it was, both the old man and Liang Kun could imagine how difficult it would be for these people to get help in times like this.

  The forest had tall, widely spaced trees. This was an advantage, as the "troublemaker" wouldn’t have many places to hide,or so they thought.

  "Master, I hear something over there."

  "I hear it too." The old man immediately changed his direction, turning right.

  The sound of rocks being struck against each other grew louder as they walked. Then, at a slightly downward-sloping turn, they finally saw someone pounding stones together.

  "Fool! Won’t even let himself be helped!" the man muttered angrily.

  Liang Kun and his master approached carefully. The young man flinched when the figure suddenly turned around with an oddly quick movement.

  "Oh, visitors!" The man grinned widely. "Good morning."

  The old man frowned. "Are you the one who has been harassing the family in one of the houses nearby?"

  The man, an elderly figure in his sixties with a small frame, messy hair, and cross-eyed gaze, responded, "Harassing? No, I never bother anyone."

  "Don’t lie. The description matches you perfectly. Ragged clothes, knee-length trousers, disheveled hair, and a frightening face," Liang Kun snapped.

  The strange old man looked utterly shocked at Liang Kun’s words. He even stood up, revealing that his hunched back made him only shoulder-height to Liang Kun. "Who told you such nonsense?"

  "A woman whose house you’ve been visiting for the past three days!"

  "Oh!" The old man suddenly seemed to remember something. "There is a sick man in that house. I know her husband was bitten by a venomous snake in this forest, so I was trying to help him."

  "Lies!"

  "See for yourself, boy!" The old man was starting to get angry. "What do you know? Looking at your face, you’ve probably never even been in a real fight where someone forces you to draw your sword. Am I wrong?"

  Liang Kun grew even more furious at the man’s sharp words. His youthful temper flared, and without thinking, he unsheathed his sword. "Mad troublemaker, get lost!" he shouted.

  Liang Kun swung his sword toward the old man’s waist. His master did nothing to stop him.

  However, to their shock, the old man simply flicked the tip of Liang Kun’s sword, sending the young man’s hand flying backward.

  "Well, well, a little brat trying to play hero? Don’t bother me,I’m making medicine!" The old man turned his back on them and resumed his task, grinding medicinal ingredients on a rock.

  Liang Kun was about to charge again, but his master held him back. The elderly man in white frowned deeply, feeling as though he recognized this strange figure.

  An old madman who only cared about healing others. Could it be...?

  He quickly asked to confirm. "Are you the one they call the Mystic Devil? From your hunched back and crazed behavior, it seems likely."

  "Heheheh..." A chilling chuckle escaped from the hunched old man. "White Ascetic, I’m surprised your eyes have gone blind if you can't recognize me."

  The White Ascetic's eyes widened in shock,just like Liang Kun's.