Chapter 35

At half past five in the morning, Lu Li was still in a deep sleep when the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open.

He woke up abruptly, raised his head to glance at the door, and saw Zhang Jian tiptoeing into the dormitory. Zhang Jian carefully picked up the thermos containing the Great Nourishing Soup, his eyes filled with fear, relief, and joy. In the end, he gritted his teeth and quickly left with the thermos.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't dare to look up to see if Lu Li was awake.

After Zhang Jian left, Lu Li smiled wryly.

As expected, it was about the same as he had anticipated. Zhang Jian must have discovered that he had unfortunately become a premature ejaculator, a silver-tipped spear. If not, why would he have come back to the dormitory as soon as it opened and secretly taken the Great Nourishing Soup?

"Hopefully, after this, he will behave himself in the future."

Thinking about this, Lu Li shook his head in amusement, got out of bed, and prepared to go to the stadium.

After not coming for four or five days, the stadium had hardly changed. There were a few unfamiliar faces, and some familiar classmates were missing.

"Good morning, Teacher Jin."

"Xiao Lu, you haven't been here for a few days," Professor Jin said with a smile, looking Lu Li over.

Lu Li lifted his right leg: "I got injured a few days ago, so I took a few days off."

Professor Jin laughed: "You young people are always so impetuous. Once you're better, continue your training. Learning martial arts is like studying; if you don't advance, you will fall behind."

"I know."

Lu Li nodded, kept a distance from Professor Jin, and stood still to practice the Three Yang Fist. His leg injury had just recovered, and practicing the routine could easily cause a relapse.

An hour later, Lu Li finished his practice smoothly.

"Teacher Jin, I'm leaving first. I have class later."

"Sure, go ahead." Professor Jin nodded, then, moved by something, added: "Xiao Lu, have you heard of the Ikkoryu from Japan?"

"Ikkoryu? What's that?" Lu Li asked in confusion.

Professor Jin pondered for a moment and explained: "Ikkoryu is an ancient martial arts school from Japan, emphasizing one-strike kills and never using a second strike. A highly talented young man from their generation has already come to China, boasting that he will challenge all ancient martial arts practitioners under thirty in China."

"One-strike kill? What a big mouth!" Lu Li showed disdain.

Despite having the memories of eight lifetimes, this life was the core, and he naturally had the unique feelings of a Chinese person.

Hearing this, Professor Jin warned: "From ancient times to the present, Japan has always coveted the three northeastern provinces. This time, it will likely start from there. Your Three Yang Fist is not well-known, so the chances of them finding you are small, but don't be complacent."

"Rest assured, Teacher Jin. If I encounter him, I'll send him back home for free."

After saying this, Lu Li waved and left the stadium.

For three consecutive days, Lu Li practiced in the morning and evening and attended classes on time. After his leg injury fully recovered, he would be fine even if he encountered a skilled opponent of equal strength.

During this period, he called Liu Zhongtian and told him the last place Wang Xuexi was seen.

Yesterday, Liu Zhongtian had replied that the police had found Wang Xuexi's body, and the city bureau had held a briefing, promising to reinvestigate the case.

Lu Li was living a carefree life, completely unaware that someone was waiting so anxiously that the flowers had withered.

Xia Ming was a person who held grudges, and this was even more so when it came to Shen Muqing.

His feelings for Shen Muqing were almost pathological. It was more like a thrill of not being able to get her rather than love, given his background, what kind of woman couldn't he get?

For example, Wang Xuexi, who was considered a beauty in her college, was eventually discarded by him, and he even eliminated her in anger.

Having seen many women, whether they were alluring, passionate, cute, or materialistic, he developed a pathological possessiveness towards Shen Muqing, a girl who was naturally indifferent and uncompetitive.

Unfortunately, the Shen family was a formidable force, and for now, he, as the young master of the Xia family, couldn't afford to provoke them. Of course, the most critical reason was that the Xia family would never go to war with the Shen family over this, unless Xia Yuanxing had his head stuck in a door.

Xia Ming's subordinates had been watching Hai Cheng University for three days, waiting for Lu Li to leave the school before taking action.

On the fourth day, Xia Ming's subordinates thought it would be another failure, but suddenly they saw Lu Li leave the school after class and take a bus straight to the city.

The two men were overjoyed and quickly reported to Xia Ming.

After reporting, they immediately followed in their car.

***

During class, Lu Li received a call from Liu Zhongtian. Although curious, he didn't think much about it. Considering he had nothing else to do, he agreed to Liu Zhongtian's invitation.

Arriving at the Liu family villa, the maid opened the door, and Lu Li entered the living room. He found that besides Liu Deshuan, there was an old man, but not Liu Zhongtian.

"Xiao Li has arrived."

Liu Deshuan pointed to the front and said with a kind face, "Sit down! Ah Mei, bring tea for Xiao Li." After instructing the maid, he introduced the old man to Lu Li: "This is your Grandpa Fang, the current honorary chairman of the Chinese Calligraphy Association."

Lu Li was taken aback upon hearing this, looking at Fang Gaizhi with a strange expression.

Grandpa Fang? Anyone else would be fine, but if he guessed correctly, this was the descendant of Fang Gang. He was afraid that calling him grandpa would be too much for him to bear.

Since Lu Li entered, Fang Gaizhi had been observing him. Hearing Liu Deshuan's introduction, he quickly stopped him: "Old Liu, let's keep it separate. As the saying goes, 'There are those who learn the way before others, and those who are skilled become teachers.' This young man's calligraphy skills far surpass mine, so we should be considered peers."

"Huh?"

Liu Deshuan was surprised and found it hard to believe his old friend's words. Ever since he saw Lu Li's calligraphy, this old man had been acting like he had lost his mind, completely different from before.

Fang Gaizhi didn't care about Liu Deshuan's shock. He looked at Lu Li with enthusiasm and asked, "Lu Li, who is your teacher?"

Hearing Fang Gaizhi's question, Lu Li had already guessed that he might know something. After some thought, he replied, "I started by copying famous calligraphy works and then innovated on my own."

"Famous calligraphy works? Could it be Qing Dynasty's Fang Gang?" Fang Gaizhi continued to ask.

Liu Deshuan reminded him, "Old Fang is a descendant of Qing Dynasty's Fang Gang."

Lu Li had already guessed this, and now it was confirmed, leaving him with a complex mix of thoughts.

"Accurately speaking, I didn't copy Fang Gang but mainly focused on Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Wang Xizhi, Huaisu, and others." Lu Li said with a meaningful expression.

This answer not only shocked Fang Gaizhi but also left Liu Deshuan in disbelief. He blurted out, "That's impossible! Although Fang Gang also started by copying famous works, he had long since developed his own style. Your styles are nine-tenths similar. Even if you copied the same works, it would be impossible to achieve such a high degree of similarity."

Fang Gaizhi stared at Lu Li, his brows almost knitted into a knot.

Even if Lu Li lied, copied Fang Gang but denied it, and even reached the point of being indistinguishable, he wouldn't be this shocked, nor would he have rushed back to his hometown.

In fact, he had already seen the calligraphy Lu Li left for Fan Yide. Apart from the age difference, the brushwork and style were identical to Fang Gang's genuine works, and "indistinguishable" was not enough to describe their similarity.

Throughout history, there have been cases of such high similarity, not just with Fang Gang but with many generations of calligraphers who have been copied.

What truly made him incredulous was the calligraphy Lu Li gave to Liu Deshuan. Although it was only nine-tenths similar to the widely recognized Fang Gang's genuine works, it was identical to another genuine work. That work was written by Fang Gang on his deathbed, the only one in the world, never publicly displayed, and preserved in the Fang family ancestral hall.

Looking at Lu Li's faint smile, Fang Gaizhi thought to himself, "The style is completely the same, and even the unique work can be made indistinguishable. Can such a miraculous thing really happen?"

***

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