NOVPUB
Chapter 138: Chapter 138 Ma Han
"Master Ma, why did our Meteor Martial Arts Hall have to close down?"
In a small and inconspicuous martial arts hall located at the foot of the Hu Ben Mountain Range, within a small town, Ma Han sat on the ground drinking stifled sips of wine. Standing beside him was a middle-aged man, the head instructor of this martial arts hall, an establishment which was not particularly unusual for this area.
"Meng Li, if I were you, I would hurry to find another place, don’t you know, our Master Ma has offended someone from the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group, the largest freelance mercenary group among the common folk. Isn’t that simply courting death? Just now, they did a little something to this place, and we can’t carry on with business. What else to do if not close down?"
A mocking voice chimed in.
The middle-aged man known as Meng Li immediately became enraged and said, "Zhou Yuan, at the very least, you learned martial arts alongside Master Ma since you were young. If it wasn’t for Master Ma taking you out of your mountain hovel in the ice and snow, would there even be a ’Ghost Fist’ Zhou Yuan today? Don’t forget your roots; otherwise, may the heavens strike you with lightning!"
Zhou Yuan’s face changed slightly, then he sneered again: "What you said is indeed true, but so what? My ’Ghost Fist’ fame wasn’t earned by relying on the heavens or the earth, but on my own skills. Enough, Meng Li, I won’t waste words with you. Frankly, I am now a small team leader within the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group, countless times more powerful than being a martial arts instructor here. Whether in public or private, everyone must address me as ’Brother Yuan’. So, Ma Han, whatever debt of gratitude I owed you for the Meteor Martial Arts Hall has been repaid over these painstaking years. Now, we owe each other nothing. Take care of yourself. I bid you farewell!"
With a loud laugh, Zhou Yuan left.
"You, Zhou Yuan, you vile ingrate, betrayer, you will not die a good death!!!"
Meng Li shouted angrily.
Zhou Yuan glanced at him, his eyes filled with murderous intent, "Meng Li, this is the last time you have the opportunity to talk to me like this. For the sake of Ma Han, I will not make a move. But next time, remember, keep your mouth shut. If possible, remember to address me with respect as ’Captain Zhou’, I think I would be very pleased."
With that, he glanced at Ma Han with a cold smile and left.
Ma Han took a sip of wine and stood up, saying indifferently: "You should leave too. With your abilities, as long as you don’t admit you used to follow me, it won’t be a big problem to find somewhere else. I can understand you all, you have to survive."
Ma Han patted Meng Li on the shoulder, then left.
Unable to help himself, Meng Li said, "Master Ma, what about this Meteor Martial Arts Hall then? It’s your ten years of heart blood!"
The only response was the desolate figure of Ma Han.
When Lin Feng arrived, it was already past dusk. He handed his horse to the stable boy for feeding and went into the tavern to fill his stomach.
"Have you guys heard? That Meteor Martial Arts Hall in our town has closed down!"
"The Meteor Martial Arts Hall? I heard their strength was pretty decent, so why did they suddenly close down?"
"Who knows, but it seems to be because of the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group!"
"I have a little insider information. The master of the Meteor Martial Arts Hall offended the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group, and with no other choice, he had to close down!"
"So that’s the case. In that case, the Meteor Martial Arts Hall brought it upon themselves. Who else to offend but to provoke the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group, don’t they know that within their ranks are two Great Martial Masters?"
Lin Feng, who had been enjoying his meal heartily, overheard a group of four or five men at the next table chatting away, and he was not surprised; he simply continued eating.
"The latest news, it’s said that Master Ma, all alone, has gone seeking revenge from the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group. The one he will face is a small team leader from the group, Zhou Yuan of ’Ghost Fist’ who had once sought his fortunes under Master Ma! In three days, they’re scheduled for a deathmatch!"
"Oh my, ’Ghost Fist’, I know him. He’s the guy Master Ma brought out of the mountains. He was just eleven or twelve years old at that time. After following Ma Han and learning martial arts, he made a name for himself as ’Ghost Fist’. Who would’ve thought that now, they’ve become enemies with such ferocious ambition!"
"Exciting! I must go and watch when the time comes!"
Hearing this, Lin Feng frowned slightly. He didn’t know who Ghost Fist Zhou Yuan was, but Master Ma, he pondered, couldn’t be Ma Han, could it? After all, Ma Han was just a man who ran a martial arts hall.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Lin Feng asked the men at the next table, "Brothers, I’m a foreigner. May I know the name of this Master Ma you’re talking about?"
One of the men thought for a moment and said, "I think it’s Ma Han. Yes, that’s the name."
Upon hearing this, Lin Feng’s expression changed slightly. So it really was him. Does that mean the things they did had leaked?
Impossible... At that time, Lin Feng had killed all the members of the Purple Scorpion Team, leaving no survivors. How could the news have possibly gotten out?
Could it be that Zheng Han or Lu Keke had leaked the information?
Thinking this, Lin Feng paid for his meal and left. The Meteor Martial Arts Hall had some repute locally, and after getting directions, he arrived at the hall only to find a notice posted at the entrance, which briefly stated that the martial arts hall was now permanently closed.
Lin Feng noticed that there really was nobody inside, and then he headed to the headquarters of the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group.
In a small teahouse opposite the headquarters, Lin Feng saw a familiar face.
Ma Han.
The latter also saw him and was somewhat surprised, "Lin Feng, why are you here? Oh, don’t overthink it, the closure of my martial arts hall has nothing to do with you."
Lin Feng didn’t speak and sat down next to him, saying lightly, "I want to know why the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group came after you."
Ma Han sighed, "Because of Zheng Han’s severed arm."
"Severed arm?"
Lin Feng was puzzled.
"Actually, the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group didn’t know anything, because you had disposed of all the bodies. There was no trace left behind, but Zheng Han’s severed arm drew their attention because the cut was clearly made by a knife, and the kind of people who would indulge in such cruelty are none other than the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group themselves. Combined with the fact that Purple Scorpion and the others had not reported back for some time, and Wang Dako was also missing, the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group couldn’t find the actual perpetrator."
"They directly pinned the blame on us, starting with Zheng Han. He was just starting to recover a little of his Qi-Blood when he was captured by the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group and then beaten to death in a water prison. After that, it was Lu Keke. She was taken away by the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group yesterday, her life or death unknown."
"Lastly, it was me. They probably found no pleasure in simply dealing with me and seemed to take delight in toying with me, letting the martial arts hall I relied on for a living collapse. Many martial masters, hearing that the Wolf’s Fang Mercenary Group was going to make a move on me, all left. I think they just wanted me to experience this feeling of betrayal and abandonment."
Ma Han said this with a bitter smile.
"It’s obvious they’ve succeeded, and they got what they wanted." Even Zhou Yuan, whom he had saved, had left him, let alone the others.
