Chapter 324: The Legend of the Ancient Ape Lord
Hua Xuening stepped inside and saw Lu Chengwen's face, pale as a sheet, utterly terrifying.
He looked completely drained, with no vitality left in him, and his eyes had lost their sparkle.
Lu Chengwen weakly raised his gaze. "Why are you here? Get out."
Hua Xuening bit her lip. "Master, shouldn't it be enough now?"
Huntian Gang gravely shook his head. "Not yet. Just a little more."
Long Aotian and Luo Shiyin also came closer.
Long Aotian clenched his fists. "Junior brother, hang in there, alright? Just a bit longer, and it'll be done."
Lu Chengwen gave a weak smile, thinking his senior brother was truly adorable.
"You all… promise me one thing…"
"When she wakes up, no one is allowed to tell her it was me who saved her. Say it was Senior Brother who did it."
Long Aotian was stunned. "Junior Brother… you…"
Lu Chengwen said, "If she knows you risked your life to save her, she'll definitely be deeply grateful to you."
"Why?!" Hua Xuening didn't understand. "Isn't that lying?"
Lu Chengwen weakly replied, "Promise me."
Everyone exchanged glances and eventually nodded.
Lu Chengwen smiled.
"You all can leave now."
Hua Xuening bit her lip. "I won't go!"
Lu Chengwen said, "Leave."
"I won't! I'm staying here to look after you."
Lu Chengwen no longer had the strength to drive her away and could only look at the others. "You all leave."
Long Aotian and Luo Shiyin exited. Long Aotian said, "Shiyin, do you think this is a good idea? Shiyin? Shiyin?"
"Huh?" Luo Shiyin turned her head. "Young Master…"
"What's been going on with you lately? You've been absent-minded all the time—first sneaking off to cry, then spacing out, and now secretly laughing. And now… wait, are you crying again?"
Luo Shiyin forced a bitter smile. "I'm fine, Young Master, you should rest. Sister Meishao will be alright."
Long Aotian assumed Luo Shiyin was worried about Qi Meishao. In reality, Luo Shiyin's heart ached for Lu Chengwen.
Long Aotian believed Lu Chengwen didn't want to compete for his woman. In truth, Lu Chengwen simply thought he already had too many women and couldn't take care of them all.
At this rate, he thought, in the future, he might have to split his outings into odd and even days just to schedule these girls properly.
Some time later, Qi Meishao's eyelids twitched slightly.
Lu Chengwen weakly lifted his head and took a glance. Suddenly, he felt darkness engulf his vision. His body slumped, and he collapsed to the ground.
…
Lu Chengwen lay in Hua Xuening's arms, smiling as he looked at her.
Hua Xuening carefully blew on a spoonful of soup, cooling it down before feeding it to him.
"Is it too hot?"
"It's not." Lu Chengwen grinned.
"Hey! Keep your hands to yourself! Don't touch everywhere!"
Lu Chengwen chuckled mischievously. "Xuening, your legs are so smooth!"
"You're so annoying! Don't… don't mess around, just drink more soup to recover."
Lu Chengwen's hand slid under Hua Xuening's skirt, and soon, Hua Xuening was panting, her face flushed red like a branding iron.
"Master… you're terrible."
At that moment, Luo Shiyin opened the door. Huntian Gang and Long Aotian walked in.
From the side room, Qi Meishao also emerged.
Long Aotian was startled. "Meishao! You're awake!"
Qi Meishao's face was pale, and she knelt on one knee. "Meishao thanks the Young Master for saving my life!"
"Huh?" Long Aotian quickly helped her up. "Get up, get up, your health isn't good, why are you being so formal? Besides… I didn't really… actually, it was…"
Lu Chengwen smirked from the side. "Oh, so the great Meishao wakes up, huh? Tsk, tsk, such a stunning beauty!"
Qi Meishao shot a glare at Lu Chengwen, and Luo Shiyin quickly helped her up. "Don't be so formal with the Young Master, your body isn't well."
Qi Meishao said, "I know my body better than anyone. Yesterday, I was truly at death's door. If it weren't for the Young Master's timely rescue, I wouldn't be alive now."
"Meishao knows her own condition is unique, and saving me wasn't easy. The Young Master must have endured a lot of hardship, perhaps even risking his life."
"Meishao has no way to repay this kindness. From this day forward, I swear…"
Long Aotian interrupted, "Your health is the priority. Don't say so much; just… rest for now."
The group sat down in the room.
Huntian Gang began to speak. "Alright, let me say a few words. If I don't say it well, feel free to criticize."
"First of all, regarding the three-year agreement with the Bai family, I don't think it'll take that long. With Aotian's talent, he'll soon grow strong enough to scare those so-called geniuses from the Bai family to death."
Long Aotian nodded confidently, while Qi Meishao looked at her Young Master with admiration.
"Secondly!" Huntian Gang continued, "The Northern Alliance probably won't keep targeting you all. They seem to have their own problems to deal with. Even if they do send someone, it won't be anyone too high-ranking. So, don't worry too much. Just focus on what you need to do. If there's something you can't handle, leave it to me. I'll deal with them!"
Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian said in unison, "Understood."
"And lastly!" Huntian Gang paused to think. "What was I going to say? Oh well, no 'lastly' then."
Hua Xuening asked, "Master, what kind of physique does my master have with that Ancient Primal Ape Lords thing?"
"Oh, that's not a physique. It doesn't fall under the Four Eyes, Four Bodies, Four Qi, or Four Flames."
Huntian Gang chuckled. "The first time I saw those two falling from the sky one after the other, I was astonished. First came the King's Aura, and then came the Ancient Primal Ape Lord. Haha, truly, life is stranger than fiction.""
Lu Chengwen was stunned: "Am I really some kind of… Primordial Divine Ape? How come I didn't know about it?"
"How could you possibly know?"
Huntian Gang said, "This kind of physique isn't listed in the Heavenly Dao Records. According to my master, this physique has only appeared once since ancient times. Of course, the legendary story about the Primordial Divine Ape and Nuwa doesn't count."
Huntian Gang clicked his tongue in amazement: "In the entire world, only I can recognize it because our sect descends from the Primordial Divine Ape. My master was a disciple of the Primordial Divine Ape's lineage, he passed it to me, and then… I encountered you."
"What exactly are the advantages of this?"
"There are no advantages."
"What!?"
Huntian Gang was a bit embarrassed: "That's just how it is. No advantages."
"But didn't you say my blood is very special?"
"It's not that special," Huntian Gang glanced at Qi Meishao but didn't explain further.
"If we really have to say there's an advantage, it's that your power is… very unstable."
Lu Chengwen was frustrated: "Unstable? And that's supposed to be an advantage?"
"Of course!" Huntian Gang said, "The first Primordial Divine Ape back then was known as the most formidable among the Twelve War Lords! Ranked ninth!"
Lu Chengwen grumbled: "Didn't even make the top three?"
"What are you even thinking? The Twelve War Lords were ranked by seniority, potential, and age, not by combat power. But speaking of which, the Twelve War Lords were mutually counterbalanced, all of them incredibly strong, with no clear superior or inferior."
Long Aotian was surprised: "The Twelve War Lords? Isn't that just a myth?"
Huntian Gang shook his head: "That's actually not a myth. It probably existed. At the very least… I know quite a few old guys who claim to be descendants of the War Lords."
Lu Chengwen asked, "How long ago were the Twelve War Lords around?"
"Hahaha! That's impossible to verify. Honestly, it's basically the same as a legend now."
Huntian Gang continued, "In any case, the Twelve War Lords each had their unique strengths. Every one of them was a one-of-a-kind existence, possessing unparalleled martial arts. And your Primordial Divine Ape power… is one of them."
Lu Chengwen said, "But it's useless, is that what you're saying?"
"Uh… I wouldn't say it's useless. Didn't it come in handy last night?"
Lu Chengwen sighed: "I mean in terms of combat power…"
"Wow, you're a Middle Fourth Gate who managed to beat Erlai. What more do you want?"
"What level is Erlai?"
"Upper Fourth Gate peak."
Lu Chengwen's eyes widened: "The Primordial Divine Ape can make a Middle Fourth Gate defeat an Upper Fourth Gate, and you're saying that's not an advantage?"
"But as I said, it's unstable! You only managed that because you saw Snow Ning getting hurt and bullied, which triggered your potential. Can you summon that power at will?"
"Then teach me how!"
"Hey! If I knew how, do you think I'd be standing around watching you guys get beaten up all the time?"
Lu Chengwen's eyes nearly popped out: "Didn't you just say that our sect descends from the Primordial Divine Ape?"
"I was just saying! Many sects try to boost their reputation by associating themselves with the Twelve Main Lords. Maybe my grandmaster also liked to put on airs!"
Lu Chengwen looked utterly disappointed: "So you're saying I… have this kind of power but don't know how to use it and can only rely on luck?"
"Exactly! So don't think too much about this Divine Ape nonsense. I'll teach you something practical so that when you meet the Bai family in the future, you can speak to them with confidence."
Long Aotian was excited: "Thank you, Master!"
"Good." Huntian Gang said, "Chengwen, this time, I've decided to teach you four ultimate techniques! With these four techniques, I guarantee that no one at your level will be a match for you. Once you reach the Upper Fourth Gate, you'll definitely be able to defeat those at higher levels!"
Lu Chengwen was thrilled: "Your disciple thanks Master for his great kindness!"
Long Aotian looked at Huntian Gang with longing eyes.
Huntian Gang nodded and patted Long Aotian on the shoulder: "Aotian, don't worry. You know your Master never plays favorites."
Long Aotian looked at Huntian Gang: "Master, when you put it that way, it's hard not to worry."
Huntian Gang said, "I'll teach you one of my own ultimate techniques. With just these three moves, I guarantee that when you roam the martial world, no one will dare to stand in your way!"
Long Aotian squinted: "Don't tell me it's…"
"That's right!" Huntian Gang's eyes shone brightly: "Storm Surge, Great Annihilation Awakening, World-Destroying… Immortal-Slaying Palm!"
Tears streamed down Long Aotian's face: "Master, you taught me this last time."
"Huh? I did? Oh well, I'll teach it again to reinforce your memory."
"Master, my memory is already deeply imprinted. How could it not be? Why don't you teach me something else this time? Oh, right, my junior brother hasn't learned this… Storm Surge, Great Annihilation… whatever Immortal-Slaying Palm yet. Master, teach it to him this time!"
Lu Chengwen quickly said, "Senior Brother, I'd rather stick with the four ultimate techniques. That Storm Surge… I probably can't handle it with my weak foundation…"
Long Aotian gritted his teeth: "Whether you can handle it or not, you have to learn it! I can't sit through two classes learning the same thing!"
"But…"
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. It's decided then. Chengwen will learn the Immortal-Slaying Palm, and Aotian will learn the four ultimate techniques!"
Huntian Gang turned to the girls and said, "You stay here and take care of Little Qi. I'll take the boys to learn their new lessons."
Turning around, he called out loudly: "Disciples! Let's go! Follow your Master to learn new skills!"