Chapter 80

"Xiao Su's cultivation is only second to yours?"

Hearing Uncle Jing's words, Tong Dongjie, who had been sitting quite steadily, suddenly stood up from the sofa.

"Hmm? It feels like there's a bit of true qi, but it's not quite right, strange."

Looking at the Tong Dongjie in front of him, Su Xiaofan furrowed his brow because he noticed a vague, indescribable aura emanating from Tong Dongjie, which subtly brought him some pressure.

This pressure wasn't significant and didn't pose a threat to Su Xiaofan. What puzzled him was that the aura that accompanied the pressure didn't seem to be true qi, yet it had the properties of true qi.

"Hmm, has Uncle Jing ever exaggerated?" Jing Shizhen didn't even look up at the aura emanating from Tong Dongjie.

"This... How is this possible? Xiao Su is so young?" Tong Dongjie's face was full of disbelief.

"Moreover, I've never heard of Xiao Su's name before. Uncle Jing, are you sure?"

Tong Dongjie still found it hard to believe because they had their own circles. The heirs of various families or those with traditions, even if they hadn't met, often heard of them.

Although some traditions had completely retreated into the mountains and never emerged, anyone who entered society was mostly known to Tong Dongjie, and there would be no omissions.

"Nonsense, do you think I'm joking with you? Don't I know my own disciple?"

Seeing Tong Dongjie actually questioning him, Jing Shizhen rolled his eyes and said, "My disciple comes from Su Family Village. Even if he has extraordinary talent, it's not that strange."

"Su Family Village? I understand."

Hearing the name Su Family Village, Tong Dongjie's face showed relief, but he then asked, "Uncle Jing, people from Su Family Village usually don't come out, so what's the deal with Brother Su?"

Even though he knew Su Xiaofan was Uncle Jing's disciple, Tong Dongjie had always called him Xiao Su. After learning about Su Xiaofan's cultivation and background, he immediately started calling him Brother Su.

"People from Su Family Village do come out; you just don't know about it."

Jing Shizhen pursed his lips and suddenly focused his gaze on Su Xiaofan. "Xiaofan, what's your father's name?"

"My father's name is Su Weixuan. Master, do you know him?" Su Xiaofan answered, puzzled.

"Heh, it's really that guy."

Jing Shizhen's gaze towards Su Xiaofan was somewhat strange. "Has your father ever told you anything? Have you practiced the cultivation techniques of your Su Family Village?"

"He never said much, just told me to study hard and get into a good university."

Su Xiaofan shook his head. When he was seven, his father went out to work and sometimes didn't return for a year, so they didn't have much contact, and they rarely had a proper conversation.

"I've practiced some martial arts, but they're just some rural techniques, not really cultivation techniques..."

From elementary school to high school, Su Xiaofan was definitely the school bully, all thanks to the martial arts he learned in the village.

Of course, Su Xiaofan never started trouble, but if someone bullied him, he would beat them until they submitted.

When Su Xiaofan was in junior high school in town, he once got into a fight with a classmate. The classmate, unable to beat him, called two young hooligans from town to ambush Su Xiaofan at the school gate.

That time, Su Xiaofan got a bit hurt, taking a brick to the head.

But the two hooligans were even worse off. One had his eyebrow and nose broken, and the other had his spleen injured and spent half a month in the hospital.

Later, this incident caused some trouble, and the families of the injured hooligans came to the school.

However, Su Xiaofan had excellent grades and was considered a good student by the teachers. The school eventually resolved the matter.

Su Xiaofan once asked the old village chief if the horse stance and boxing he practiced from a young age were the legendary martial arts.

The old village chief laughed at him, saying it was just a rural self-defense technique, not real martial arts. Su Xiaofan believed the old village chief and always thought so.

The last time he was cornered by Wu Chuanbao, it wasn't that Su Xiaofan was afraid of them, but he had misled them with his words while selling things, so he felt a bit guilty and didn't fight back.

Compared to the martial arts he practiced before, Su Xiaofan felt that what Uncle Jing taught him was the real cultivation technique.

"It seems you really haven't practiced before. Why didn't your father teach you?" Jing Shizhen shook his head in confusion.

"My father knows cultivation techniques?"

Su Xiaofan looked at Uncle Jing in disbelief. "That can't be. If he knew, why wouldn't he teach me? I'm his son."

While talking, Su Xiaofan took out his phone and called his father.

"Turned off again." Hearing the voice from the phone, Su Xiaofan angrily hung up.

"Maybe he didn't want you to get involved in these things."

Jing Shizhen chuckled. "I don't know if it was right to take you as my disciple. Your father might come to trouble me in the future."

"That won't happen. If he won't teach me, why shouldn't others teach me?"

Su Xiaofan encouraged his master but still found it hard to believe that his father was also a cultivator. Since he couldn't find his father, Su Xiaofan had no way to verify it.

"So, the captain thing was all a lie?"

Su Xiaofan was furious. He had never doubted his father's words for over a decade, but now it seemed his father had never told him the truth.

"Master, what does my father do? Where is he now?"

Su Xiaofan looked at Uncle Jing, knowing from his words that his master must know his father.

"I know a bit about what your father does, but it's not accurate, so I can't tell you. You'll have to ask him yourself when you see him."

Jing Shizhen waved his hand. "As for where he is, I really don't know. I saw him many years ago, and it's been about twenty years since then."

"Great, another wasted question."

Since his master wouldn't say, Su Xiaofan had no choice. He turned to Tong Dongjie and said, "Mr. Tong, you explain. What's going on?"

Su Xiaofan realized that his master, Tong Dongjie, and his father all knew a lot, while he was kept in the dark.

"I'll start from the beginning, otherwise, it won't make sense."

Tong Dongjie sighed, realizing that Su Xiaofan really knew nothing. He had a high level of cultivation but was like a blank sheet of paper.

"In our country, there were many legends in the past, right? Not mythological legends, but real events with historical records."

Tong Dongjie seemed to be choosing his words carefully. "For example, the story of Xiang Yu lifting the tripod, Li Yuanba of the Sui and Tang dynasties, and Li Cunxiao, the Thirteenth Marshal.

"These people's deeds were real. Have you ever thought about why they could be invincible?"

"Because they all cultivated techniques?" Su Xiaofan blurted out.

The three people Tong Dongjie mentioned, Su Xiaofan knew. Xiang Yu, the Overlord, was said to be able to lift a thousand-pound tripod with one hand. If this was true, Xiang Yu must have cultivated some technique.

As for Li Yuanba of the Sui and Tang dynasties, his two hammers weighed eight hundred pounds each, which were like huge dumbbells. An ordinary person couldn't even lift them, let alone use them as weapons.

And Li Cunxiao, the Thirteenth Marshal, was a fierce warrior in history.

During the suppression of the Huang Chao rebellion, Li Cunxiao led eighteen men to charge through an army of eighty thousand. Without great skills, how could he have done that? They could have been drowned by the spittle of the enemy.

"Yes, they all cultivated techniques, which can also be called ancient martial arts."

Tong Dongjie nodded. "Many historical figures had real skills, not the stuff you see in modern society."

"Before the Ming dynasty, cultivation techniques were quite widespread."

Tong Dongjie continued, "But for some reason, after the late Ming dynasty, it became increasingly difficult for ordinary people to cultivate.

"After the prevalence of firearms, the number of cultivators drastically decreased. Most traditions were lost, and those that survived mostly retreated into the world..."

According to Tong Dongjie, ancient cultivation had two systems.

One was to strengthen the body, making one a formidable warrior on the battlefield, known as a "ten-thousand-man slayer." This was the ancient martial arts system.

People like Xiang Yu, Li Yuanba, and Li Cunxiao were outstanding practitioners of ancient martial arts, leaving a significant mark in history.

The other system was the internal cultivation techniques, practiced by people like Guiguzi in the Spring and Autumn period, Dongfang Shuo in the Han dynasty, and Zhang Sanfeng in the Ming dynasty.

These internal cultivators sought immortality and were not deeply involved in the world, but they left traces in various historical periods.

However, after the Ming dynasty, both the ancient martial arts and internal cultivation systems gradually faded away, and the "ten-thousand-man slayers" were no longer seen on the battlefield.

Of course, these traditions did not completely disappear and have continued to this day.

However, only a few people have achieved significant cultivation, barely maintaining the continuation of these traditions.

Tong Dongjie came from the Tong family in southern Fujian, a family with a tradition of ancient martial arts.

The previous century was filled with wars in China, and the Tong family almost lost its tradition.

Thanks to the early layout by the ancestors, the Tong family had many branches abroad. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, they engaged in trade and business, gradually restoring the family's strength.

"Mr. Tong, if you were born in ancient times, you would be a ten-thousand-man slayer."

Su Xiaofan agreed with Tong Dongjie's words. While he was praising him, he thought that with his current strength, he could probably lift a tripod like Xiang Yu.

"Stop calling me Mr. Tong, call me Brother Dong."

Tong Dongjie smiled and shook his head. "I'm far from that. My talent is not good, and I only entered the business world. Otherwise, I wouldn't have time to deal with these mundane things."

"Does our Su Family Village have many cultivators?"

Su Xiaofan asked curiously, thinking of the familiar faces in his village.

"Ancient martial arts and internal cultivation are two different systems, and I really don't know about this." Tong Dongjie smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"Not many. Cultivating internal techniques also requires talent these days."

Jing Shizhen interjected, "As far as I know, in the past few decades, Su Family Village has only produced your father."

"How can I have such a father who likes to deceive his son!"

Hearing Uncle Jing's words, Su Xiaofan became increasingly angry, his teeth grinding in frustration.

He felt that his father must have been an excellent actor, always acting exhausted whenever he came back, making Su Xiaofan massage his back and shoulders.