Chapter 12: My Master Is Targeting Me

Chapter 12: Targeted by My Master

The night passed without incident.

At dawn the next morning, Zheng Jian rose early and made his way to the training grounds.

Gazing at the empty expanse, Zheng Jian felt a surge of motivation.

“Today is another day to reap some wool!” he thought enthusiastically.

Before long, his junior, Linghu Chong, arrived. Upon seeing that Zheng Jian had beaten him there, he couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“Senior Brother, you’ve finished your seclusion? You’re up early today…”

Zheng Jian replied with a smile, “What, am I not usually early? Is it only today that I’m early? You should know, for those who train in martial arts, diligence is everything—practicing in the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Hard work is the ladder to mastery. If you still don’t understand this, I’m truly pained for you as your senior…”

On and on he went.

Linghu Chong, listening to this barrage, turned from pale to green to black in the face, completely unsettled.

He wished he could slap himself for speaking up in the first place. Who didn’t know what kind of person their senior brother was after all these years of living together?

Meanwhile, in Zheng Jian’s system, resentment points from Linghu Chong rolled in: +50, +50, +50…

It felt like soaring through the sky of fate, in a beautiful dream…

Utterly delightful!

“A perfect start!” Zheng Jian silently congratulated himself, thinking of the wave of resentment points—no, the wave of junior brothers—about to arrive. He was filled with anticipation.

Since perfecting “Miraculous Steps of a Hundred Changes” and spending time at the Cliff of Reflection, it had been more than half a month. Only Grandmaster Uncle had contributed some resentment points at the start.

Having grown used to spending resentment points lavishly, Zheng Jian found it hard to adjust to sudden austerity.

As the saying goes, it’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go back!

…

Not long after, a crowd of junior brothers arrived at the training ground. Each looked unwell—sunken eyes, weary faces—obviously weakened… or perhaps just deeply “moved” by Zheng Jian’s words the night before and unable to sleep.

Seeing Zheng Jian standing there unhurriedly, the disciples exchanged glances. Finally, Lao De Nuo, third among them, braced himself and stepped forward, forcing a smile and bowing. “Senior Brother…”

He was about to say “good morning,” but suddenly recalled the time Zheng Jian had rebuked him, and his words stuck in his throat. After hesitating for a long moment, unsure how to greet Zheng Jian, he blurted out, “Your junior pays his respects, Senior Brother…”

Stunned silence.

All the brothers were shocked.

Lao De Nuo was also surprised at his own words, but when he saw Zheng Jian’s momentary confusion, he felt secretly delighted, as if he’d finally gotten his revenge.

Zheng Jian hadn’t expected such a reply, but who was he? A world-class bickerer—this was nothing to faze him.

He nodded and said, “Well done, Lao Qing, you may kneel and take your leave.”

As long as I’m not embarrassed, it’s others who will be.

Resentment points from Lao De Nuo: +666.

Lao De Nuo nearly spat blood in frustration—wasn’t this just shooting himself in the foot? Was being an undercover agent always this hard?

As the awkwardness thickened, Master Yue arrived. With a light cough, he strode over, face stern. “Why are you all standing around? Begin your morning exercises!”

Saved by the interruption, the disciples hurried to their places, eyes straight ahead, and began their morning breathing practice.

Master Yue shot Zheng Jian a glance, one that contained a hint of displeasure, a measure of curiosity, a touch of warning, and even some pride. Zheng Jian couldn’t help but marvel at the complexity of his master’s expression.

“Zheng Jian, why are you staring at your teacher? Yes, you! Why aren’t you starting your exercises?”

Zheng Jian chuckled, saying nothing, but thought to himself: “You really do put on a good act, don’t you? You know full well Lao De Nuo is an undercover spy, and seeing him flustered brings you satisfaction, but you still have to look angry on the surface. With acting like this, no wonder you have the Great Leader Zuo dancing in your palm…”

…

When the morning practice ended, Master Yue’s face returned to its usual calm as he announced, “You’ve all been on Mount Hua for quite some time and haven’t yet seen the wider martial world. I have prepared an opportunity for you to go down the mountain and gain experience, divided into three groups. Do you have any thoughts on these groupings?”

The disciples had already heard rumors of this and now hesitated.

To be honest, in terms of strength, nearly all the juniors would have preferred to be in Zheng Jian’s group. His rapid progress over the years had firmly established him as Senior Brother. Out in the jianghu, conflicts could arise at any moment, and being with the strongest ensured safety.

However, the problem was Zheng Jian’s sharp tongue. Every disciple present, including Yue Lingshan, had suffered from his barbs. Traveling with him would make for a most unpleasant journey.

“Zheng Jian, as Senior Brother, what are your thoughts?” Master Yue asked, seeing the disciples’ reluctance.

Zheng Jian glanced at the group and smiled, “Isn’t it simple? Whoever wants to be in my group, step forward!”

Hardly had the words left his mouth, when Lao De Nuo, Linghu Chong, Liang Fa, Shi Dai Zi, and Gao Genming all, in perfect unison, took a step back.

Those slower to react—Lu Da You and the youngest, Yue Lingshan—were left awkwardly out of step.

Linghu Chong, seeing this, panicked. That Yue Lingshan hadn’t retreated was no surprise to him. Regardless of Master Yue or Zheng Jian’s reaction, he quickly stepped forward.

“Master, see? Linghu Chong, Brother Da You, and Junior Sister are all willing to be in my group,” Zheng Jian said with a grin. Linghu Chong’s reaction was expected; just as in the original tale, his heart was already set on Yue Lingshan, and enduring Zheng Jian’s sharp tongue was a small price to pay.

Master Yue felt powerless. He knew all too well the terror of Zheng Jian’s tongue, so the disciples’ reactions were within his expectations. “So be it. Chong’er, you’ll go with Da You and Lingshan. Lao De Nuo, you’ll be with Liang Fa and Shi Dai Zi. Zheng Jian, you’ll go alone.”

Some rejoiced, others grieved.

Linghu Chong was pleased—he could spend time with his beloved junior sister and avoid the torment of their sarcastic senior brother. Zheng Jian, on the other hand, was thoroughly vexed. This was not how he’d envisaged things.

“My master has it in for me!” Zheng Jian thought bitterly.

…

First update of the day. More to come tonight—please remember to recommend and bookmark!