Chapter 259 - 6: New Sponsorship and Martial Skill

As he looked around.

TAP, TAP.

Footsteps approached. A sturdy young man appeared, wearing a silver robe with a wind-like pattern on the chest.

"Excuse me, might you be Senior Brother Lu?"

The man asked with a polite smile, clasping his hands in a traditional greeting.

Lu Chao nodded, stood, and returned the gesture.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting, Senior Brother Lu."

"My name is Song Yan. I am my master’s third disciple. Master is waiting in the backyard. Please, follow me."

He explained briefly, then led the way.

In a short while, Lu Chao followed him through the first-floor hall and into an ancient-style courtyard within the building.

A glass canopy covered the sky, and a gentle breeze blew through.

The air temperature was quite comfortable. Even though it was still September, it didn’t feel hot at all; in fact, it was rather cool.

Lu Chao looked ahead and saw a path paved with bluestone tiles. At the end of the corridor was a garden of flowers and a pavilion.

At that moment, a portly figure was sitting behind a stone table in the pavilion.

He wore a silver robe, had salt-and-pepper hair, a ruddy complexion, and rather rounded features. He also sported a small mustache and looked to be in his forties or fifties.

"Master."

The young man named Song Yan walked to the man’s side and whispered in his ear.

The man looked at Lu Chao, sizing him up from head to toe before giving a slight nod.

"Junior Lu Chao greets Master Ge."

Lu Chao sincerely clasped his fists and bowed, addressing him as the letter had instructed.

"Welcome, welcome. Please, sit, Nephew Lu."

Ge Hongfeng smiled and nodded, stroking his mustache, then gestured to the seat across the stone table.

After a round of pleasantries, Lu Chao handed the letter and token to him and waited for Ge Hongfeng to finish reading.

"I can’t believe that old coot Old Luo is still running around causing trouble at his age."

"It’s a good thing he practices the Rock Martial Skill, or he wouldn’t still be so spry."

As he read the letter, he would sometimes shake his head helplessly and other times nod with a smile. It was clear he was in a good mood, with a hint of nostalgia.

"By the way, how is your master’s injury?"

"It hasn’t fully healed, but it’s under control."

Lu Chao answered the question truthfully.

’He had considered concocting a potion to heal the injury quickly, but he knew he wasn’t skilled enough yet.’

"Ah, well. Lei Wanjun is dead anyway, so it’s not like he’ll be fighting anyone."

Shaking his head with a sigh, Ge Hongfeng finally put down the letter and token. He looked at Lu Chao and said, "However, judging from what your master wrote, you’ve already mastered the Rock Martial Skill?"

"Thanks to my master’s guidance, I barely managed to succeed," Lu Chao said modestly.

"Tsk, tsk. So modest."

Ge Hongfeng clicked his tongue and chuckled. "As if I don’t know how difficult Rock is to master. Your master really found himself a good disciple."

"So, are you adjusting to life in Red Maple? Are you managing okay with the Superpower Bureau? Do you need my help?"

He fired off a series of questions, all showing a senior’s concern for a junior.

Thanks to the enhancement from his Fixed Star Observation Method, Lu Chao could sense the sincerity in the man’s words. There was no falsehood, only the warm regard and care one would show the child of an old friend.

"Thank you for your concern, Master Ge."

"Things are going smoothly for me. The main reason for my visit was to pay my respects to you, Master, and to pass on my master’s greetings."

He responded with a grateful smile, indicating that everything was fine.

Seeing how humble, polite, and composed he was, Ge Hongfeng nodded to himself, his gaze growing warmer and more appreciative.

"I like the way you talk, kid."

"Ah, what the hell. I still owe your master a few favors anyway. No time like the present. I’ll give you a little demonstration today."

SWOOSH!!

He vanished in an instant, reappearing in the center of the courtyard.

Lu Chao was momentarily stunned, then quickly turned his gaze toward him.

"Your master asked me to teach you a Mid-Level Body Technique."

Ge Hongfeng stood on the courtyard’s bluestone tiles, one hand behind his back, the other stroking his mustache. "I won’t hold anything back, but whether you learn it or not is up to you."

STEP!

With a single step, he vanished again.

An invisible breeze swept across the ground, causing the flowers on either side of the pavilion to sway and rustle.

"Hm?"

Lu Chao’s eyes narrowed in surprise.

’With my current strength, enhanced by the heightened senses of a master of Crimson Fire, I still couldn’t perceive his movements?’

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!!

While he was lost in thought, afterimages began flashing all around the pavilion.

Some were smiling, some nodding, some calm.

The man’s afterimages lingered in the air, while his true body seemed to be teleporting, its trajectory completely impossible to follow with the naked eye.

Finally, a strange disturbance came from the sky overhead.

HUM!

Lu Chao quickly looked up.

He saw the man standing upside down on the glass canopy more than ten meters away, like a suspended golden bell. With his hands behind his back, he wore a self-satisfied smile.

"So, Nephew Lu."

"What do you think of my Wandering Dragon Steps? Are they to your liking?"