Chapter 333: Walking Alone in Martial Order

Chapter 333: The Lone Path of Martial Arts

"If you, Su Qianhu, are merely a fifth-rank martial artist, then today I must find a way to trade this life of mine with yours."

Li Jun exhaled a long, lingering sigh. "Alas, you are not just a fifth-rank. A single Xiahu from the Wasteland Era nearly killed me, and my liver and lungs still haven't recovered. There's no need to continue this farce, is there?"

"Before I die, there is one thing I wish to entrust to you, Lord Qianhu."

"Speak, and I shall listen." Su Ce nodded slightly.

"Given that I have helped you deal with the little faction of Ming Wang and his companions today, might you spare the lives of Xie Bi'an and his men? They are not martial artists, and the struggle for ranks need not involve them."

"This request is not unreasonable. I can agree."

Su Ce said, "But you must answer me a question first."

"Ask, and I shall speak without reservation."

"Just now, in the hall, your aggressive stance against Ming Wang and the others, even daring to strike at Qianhu—did you realize I intended to use this opportunity to target them?"

"At first, it was mere speculation, a gamble. But after seeing you, I became certain."

Li Jun was candid. "We are all martial artists. If I were Qianhu, I could not tolerate subordinates forming factions. That Ming Wang has managed to survive so many years in peace is remarkable—I can only say your elder's temper is truly magnanimous."

"When you take my place, you will understand what it means to use greed rather than frugality. Capable men naturally harbor ambitions. If not for Ming Wang's actions crossing the line, affecting the cohesion of the Jinyiwei in the Wo District, I would have let it be."

Li Jun sneered. "Cutting weeds without removing the roots, nurturing and killing in turn—is that what you call capability?"

"They nurture the Wo people, and they kill the Wo people. Is that not so?"

If Qian Fengting were present, he would surely be stunned by Su Ce's patience.

He seemed like a scholar from the Confucian temple, dissecting every nuance and explaining it to Li Jun.

"Those like Guiwang Da and Qiulong, who strictly adhere to rules and clearly distinguish grudges and grievances, are merely commanders of a thousand households. They strike down whoever dares to cause trouble. This is only treating symptoms, not the root cause."

"In contrast, Ming Wang and his ilk are indeed too self-serving. Yet their methods are like a blunt blade cutting flesh—beneficial to the empire in the long run."

Su Ce chuckled. "If I expelled them all from the Jinyiwei, leaving only men like Qiulong and the old demon, the Wo District's Jinyiwei would have clashed with the Four Great Companies long ago. Perhaps even those who handed us knives in secret are our neighbors from the Xuanwei Office."

"That makes sense. Is it not excessive for the Jinyiwei, the blades of the empire, to consider such matters?" Li Jun asked.

Su Ce shook his head. "The prosperity of the Great Ming Empire was forged by martial artists. Even though the imperial court has now declined to its lowest point, these commoners are not fit to be the last straw that breaks the camel's back."

Li Jun pondered, and after a long silence, suddenly grinned. "But these matters no longer concern me. I have eaten my fill, and the lesson is done. Why do you not act, my lord?"

Though Li Jun's tone seemed relaxed, his body had already tensed silently.

Power coiled within flesh and blood, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Who said I would move against you?"

Su Ce leaned back, lifted his robe, and crossed his legs to light a cigarette.

The white cigarette case marked "Jinyiwei Special Supply" was tossed onto the table, his expression teasing as he gazed at Li Jun.

This rhetorical question left the prepared-to-die Li Jun utterly stunned.

"Not every martial artist clings to the obsolete path of 'sects'! In the martial world of old, my sect was nearly wiped out, leaving only me. Our defeat was total. Whether we could continue was already proven by facts. So we must leave when it is time, and yield when it is time."

Su Ce exhaled a wisp of mist. "Moreover, you are now part of the Wo District's Jinyiwei, under my command, Su Ce. In my domain, there is no struggle for ranks, no distinction between old and new—only the difference between Ming people and barbarians! Even if I made Ming Wang, a mere Buddhist-ranked man, the commander of a thousand households in Jyue City, why would I not tolerate a single individual martial artist like you?"

"I am Su Ce of Husan Tang, not the kind of incompetent fool from Huangtian Gate who cannot afford to lose or let go."

These words struck Li Jun like a thunderclap, tearing open the dark clouds that had shrouded his heart.

The genes of fear and unease, which had plagued him since entering, finally fell silent.

"Since you do not fight, why not have another bowl of rice?"

Li Jun raised his head, lifted the rice bowl before him. "I was too focused on filling my stomach just now to savor the flavor."

"You, a child of the lone martial path, do have some courage."

Su Ce smiled and snapped his fingers. A silent attendant girl entered, taking the empty bowl from Li Jun's hands.

"That is only your magnanimity!"

Li Jun bowed respectfully, then asked curiously, "My lord, what do you mean by the 'lone martial path'?"

"Gathering in groups and passing down teachings is the way of sects. Individual independence, free development—that is the hallmark of your new path."

Su Ce, as if anticipating Li Jun's question, continued, "The difference between them is not merely in rituals, but in their development methods."

"I still do not quite understand," Li Jun furrowed his brow.

"In sect martial arts, the system is fixed from the first internal technique learned upon entering. We can only develop within that circle. What the master knows, the disciple knows."

Su Ce's eyes drifted, his right hand tracing a circle in the air. "We are confined to this circle. What the master knows, the disciple knows."

"In the martial arts of old sects, there was a saying: the 'martial gene.' The 'base' represents the sect's internal techniques, while the 'cause' refers to the constraints and bonds—when one rises, all rise; when one falls, all fall."

"For sect martial artists, the 'cause' is a restriction. For you, it is liberation, freeing the great momentum imprisoned within the human body. This is where your lone path truly excels!"

"Following rules is the way of sect martial artists. What rules do you, a lone martial artist, follow?"

A sudden enlightenment, like a spring awakening.

Clearing the fog, finally seeing the light.

The tide of Qiantang River comes, and today I know who I am.

Only now did Li Jun fully grasp the path he walked, what it meant to be a lone martial artist!

The lone walker is either a beast or a deity!

"An ordinary person awakens their genes, rises to become a warrior, serves their master as a beast of burden, and by chance earns recognition, receiving subsequent martial arts to become a disciple."

"Afterward, through diligent practice, one achieves mastery. Only after tasting hardship can one grasp a sect and become its master."

"After ascending to the pinnacle of carnage in the blood-soaked battles, tempered by a thousand hammers and forged into a martial hero, only then can one take the final step to rise as I have, becoming a martial rank three and a dominant figure in the sequence!"

Su Ce's expression carried a hint of desolation as he sighed, "The hardships within are beyond mere words to convey."

"But for you, you have leaped over many of those steps, achieving rapid advancement. To you, this is a gift; to others, it is an injustice. That is why the Buddhist and Taoist paths will not spare you, and even the martial sects' paths seek to slay you."

"If you do not wish to become a specimen for others to dissect, you had best hasten your promotion."

Li Jun exhaled a cloud of stale breath, his eyes flickering as he noticed the paper cigarette between Su Ce's fingers had burned out. He promptly seized the pack on the table, courteously offering the old man another.

"I too desire to ascend, yet now the door has already locked behind me, and the rituals remain unresolved."

Su Ce lifted his eyelid, piercing through Li Jun's innermost machinations.

"I am but a martial rank of a sect; what I spoke earlier was merely hearsay from others. How could I know your sect's rituals? You must find your own way."

Li Jun, still poised to speak further, was cut off by Su Ce's sharp interruption.

"We shall speak of other matters later—there is a guest."

At these words, Li Jun turned, stunned, and beheld a towering silhouette squeezing through the doorway.

A lion's nose, a tiger's maw, and brows like coiled dragons.

This face—every Jinyiwei of the Wo region, even the lowest-ranked warriors, would recognize it.

It was none other than Huang Shi Lie, the Eastern Master of the Huang Shi Group!