Cultivation Master in the City

Chapter 4 The Strange Car Accident

That night’s brawl started as a one-on-one fight but quickly escalated into a chaotic free-for-all.

Wang Jun, the president of the Taekwondo Club, certainly lived up to his reputation. He Xu endured several heavy kicks from him, but compared to the agony of his episodes, the pain was negligible. He Xu couldn’t match Wang Jun in technique or agility, so he silently weathered the attacks, shielding his vital areas while relentlessly closing the distance between them.

This bizarre fighting style was something Wang Jun had never encountered before. Though he landed kick after kick, seemingly dominating the fight, his opponent showed no sign of injury. Each strike felt like hitting solid stone, leaving Wang Jun’s feet numb.

With He Xu pressing forward relentlessly, Wang Jun’s composure began to crumble. After a particularly slow side kick, He Xu seized his leg mid-air. Seeing He Xu flash him a bright smile—one whose meaning he didn’t yet grasp—Wang Jun suddenly felt an excruciating pain shoot through his leg, as though it had been clamped in a vise. He let out a sharp cry, his other leg buckling as he collapsed to his knees, tears and mucus dripping from his face.

The other Taekwondo Club members, who had been cheering their leader on, were stunned into silence by this sudden reversal.

“Tch, acting all tough at the start—thought he was some kind of master, but turns out he’s all bark and no bite.”

“Taekwondo’s only good for performances, huh?”

Bystanders wasted no time mocking the scene.

The jeers grew louder, and the Taekwondo members could no longer stand by. They rushed He Xu en masse, determined to rescue their captain first and foremost.

He Xu had already been seething with anger. Though he’d endured Wang Jun’s kicks without a sound, it didn’t mean he wasn’t hurting. When he finally got a grip on Wang Jun’s leg, he squeezed hard, intending to yank him off balance—but before he could even pull, Wang Jun shrieked and collapsed to his knees.

The repeated episodes had left He Xu with strength far beyond an ordinary person’s. Normally, he took care not to reveal it, but this time, he was furious. In his haste, he’d used about seventy to eighty percent of his strength, instantly reducing Wang Jun to a sobbing wreck.

Wang Jun’s scream snapped He Xu back to his senses, and he refrained from increasing the pressure. He had a vague sense that, at full strength, he could crush the bones in Wang Jun’s leg. Before he could dwell on it, the other Taekwondo members were already charging at him.

Without hesitation, He Xu hurled Wang Jun straight at them. The sight of their captain being flung like a ragdoll sent them scrambling to catch him, resulting in a tangled pile of bodies.

If Wang Jun alone had landed so many hits on him, He Xu wasn’t about to let the whole group g**g up on him. Though he could endure the pain, his body would still suffer injuries. Seizing the chaos, He Xu charged into their midst, turning the fight into a messy brawl.

The Taekwondo members were completely out of their element. Accustomed to sparring at a distance, they had no idea how to handle close-quarters combat. Worse, every solid hit they landed on He Xu was met with an expressionless counterattack—one casual strike from him was enough to send them writhing on the ground in pain.

Before long, every Taekwondo member was down. He Xu hadn’t even gone all out, targeting only their limbs, but his sheer strength left them incapacitated.

He Xu himself had no idea how many blows he’d taken—his entire body ached. But to onlookers, it looked like he’d single-handedly taken down an entire Taekwondo team.

“Brother Wang! Brother Wang! The security guards are coming—we gotta run!” Just as the crowd was still processing what they’d seen, a scrawny but lightning-fast Taekwondo member came sprinting over, shouting. Bullying others wasn’t new for Wang Jun, so he’d assigned this lucky guy to keep watch from the start.

At the mention of security, the spectating students scattered, leaving He Xu and the downed Taekwondo members exposed.

“Brother Wa—” The lookout paled when he saw his captain and the others sprawled on the ground while He Xu stood unharmed.

He Xu ignored him, picked up the bicycle that had been tossed aside, and rode off. The girl with the small ponytail had long since vanished. The lookout didn’t dare stop him—joke’s on him if he tried, when even their whole team had been wiped out.

“Wang Jun! Causing trouble again, you brat!” He Xu heard an angry shout behind him as he pedaled away.

While He Xu had been fighting, a major car accident occurred on the road outside Shang City’s airport. Strangely, though many reporters arrived to cover it, no footage or photos of the scene ever surfaced.

After the Taoist priest entered the Wang residence, Captain Li lost track of him. In previous weeks, the priest had been frequenting high-end restaurants, behaving with unrestrained abandon, making him easy to trace.

Shang City’s surveillance system had no record of him this time. Satellite imagery only captured him performing calculations on a rooftop. As for his arrival at the Wang family’s villa, the peculiar magnetic field surrounding the estate—acting like a natural shield—blocked any clear observation. The Wang residence seemed like an isolated castle, keeping all information tightly contained.

In an ordinary residential complex in Shang City, Young He stood by the window of a small apartment facing the street, watching the passing traffic with deep contemplation.

Outside in the living room, the atmosphere was bustling. The crisp clatter of keyboards were incessant, with documents swiftly handed off to the person in charge. Two members of the Special Unit sat on the sofa by the door, polishing their weapons. Clearly, this modest apartment had become the Unit’s temporary headquarters.

“Where could he have gone?” Young He muttered under his breath, frowning. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Enter.”

Captain Li, standing solemnly with documents in hand, pushed the door open after hearing the invitation.

“Any news?” Young He turned, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Captain Li saluted sharply before placing the files on the table in front of Young He. “Still no trace of the Taoist priest, but we’ve uncovered something unusual.”

“Sit. Give me the rundown.” Young He took a seat, flipping through the documents without looking up.

Captain Li sat and began without preamble. “Recently, a number of suspicious individuals have entered Shang City. They share a distinct trait—they’re all heavily cloaked in clothing. Their points of origin span the globe. Yesterday, one of them was involved in a car accident outside the airport, triggering a chain collision. The strange part? The victim walked away completely unharmed.”

He pulled out a set of photos from the files, placing one on top and sliding it toward Young He. “This is from the scene. All information has been suppressed, and we’ve begun debunking rumors online.”

Young He studied the photo closely, his frown deepening. The figure in the image was indeed covered head to toe, but tears in the fabric revealed patches of unnaturally dark skin—almost scaly—on the knees.

Captain Li pointed to several marked spots on a map of Shang City. “They all arrived in Shang City four days after the Taoist priest appeared. Our investigation shows they’ve since congregated in these locations.”

He paused, then tapped another point. “This forms a loose perimeter, encircling a central area. We considered raiding their hideouts, but after seeing this photo, we held off.” The spot he indicated was none other than the Wang family estate.

When Young He remained silent, Captain Li continued, “The center of this perimeter is affected by a mysterious magnetic field, making it impossible for satellites to capture images. Additionally, as the Wang family’s property, we lack the authority to conduct a search without higher approval.”

“The Wang family—the ones in mining and oil?” Young He finally looked up from the documents.

Captain Li sighed. “Yes. In the Great Ming Nation, only that Wang family has the clout to restrict our Unit’s access.”

Young He pondered this before issuing orders. “Have your team monitor the suspicious individuals’ locations—but don’t alert them. Then, inform the Wang family that I’ll be visiting tomorrow as a guest.”

“Understood.” Captain Li stood, saluted, and exited.

“A mysterious Taoist priest, mysterious figures, and the Wang family… What’s the connection here?” Alone again, Young He rubbed his temples. “A headache. Guess I’ll have to feel them out first.”

Meanwhile, the Taoist priest at the Wang estate remained oblivious to the encirclement. The estate’s peculiar magnetic field dulled even a cultivator’s spiritual senses, and in the mortal world, where his cultivation was suppressed, his awareness was limited to the immediate vicinity.

At the ancestral hall, Mr. Wang straightened his robes after his wife arrived with their two children. Leading his family inside, he pushed open the door.

The priest, waiting at the entrance, gently soothed the small monkey perched on his shoulder. His voice carried a note of nostalgia. “The little brat from back then has grown up. Where’s your father?”

“Greetings, Master Sun.” Mr. Wang bowed deeply, a flicker of grief passing over his face. “My father… has passed.”

The sorrow vanished as quickly as it appeared. He gestured to his wife and children. “This is my wife, and these are my children. Come, pay your respects to the master.”

“Did your father not take the Pills I gave him?” The priest patted each child’s head. The two youngsters shrank back, clinging to their father’s legs while peeking curiously at the priest.

“He did. His death wasn’t from old age—he was attacked.” Mr. Wang’s tone was calm, but the glint of hatred in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

The priest sighed. “My condolences. All is ordained by the Dao.”

“After my father’s passing, I inherited the family leadership. I purchased the land around the ancestral hall, preserving the hall itself while developing the surrounding area into an estate. I also moved the family back from overseas…” Mr. Wang recounted the events of recent years, with the priest nodding occasionally but offering no interjections.

Once finished, Mr. Wang seemed to relax. “Master, let us dine first. I’ve prepared fine wine for you. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take you to the warehouse.”

“Fine wine? Lead the way!” The priest’s eyes lit up at the mention of alcohol, his earlier solemnity vanishing instantly.

Mr. Wang blinked in surprise. His father had mentioned the priest’s fondness for wine, but he hadn’t expected this level of enthusiasm. With a wry smile, he took the lead.