“Grandpa?”
“Could it be that you are?”
The woman in front of her, although her skin was fair and her face was handsome, the feeling she gave Lu Zi Ming was completely different from those city women who usually dressed up like canaries.
There was an inexplicable aura about this woman.
It was a kind of heroic aura that only those who practised martial arts would possess.
Of course, this aura was not something that just any martial artist could possess.
It was something that only emanated from the inside out after reaching a certain level of proficiency.
“My niece Zhang Zixi, meet Uncle Lu.”
Zhang Zixi clasped her hands in a fist and bowed slightly to Lu Ziming.
Lu Ziming was startled “So it’s Zixi, I didn’t expect that, you’re already so old. Moreover, at this realm, I’m afraid that you are only one step away from your grandfather, right?”
“It seems that the rumours are true.”
“In the future, my Jiangbei Martial Dao will have a successor of sorts.”
Lu Zi Ming faintly lamented.
He had heard about this Zhang Jiuling’s granddaughter in front of him.
Twenty years ago, Lu Zi Ming had heard that the Zhang family had produced a martial arts genius.
However, Lu Zi Ming did not care because his son, Lu Hua, was equally outstanding and had been selected early for the Yanxia Martial Dao’s Excellent Talent Training Programme.
Then later, his own son’s cultivation improved and he successfully became a key cultivation target of the Martial God Temple.
As for Zhang Jiuling’s granddaughter, she disappeared and was not heard of.
Now, it seemed that for so many years, this girl had turned out to have been following Zhang Jiuling’s side in purification.
“Ai.”
“Back then, if I had let my son follow her example and cultivate his heart instead of choosing to become famous early, I guess I wouldn’t have messed with that murderous embryo, let alone brought my Lu family to the present end.”
Seeing Zhang Zixi, Lu Zi Ming’s heart could not help but ache.
If his son were still alive, he would probably be the same age as this girl in front of him.
In the past, Lu Ziming only hated Ye Fan, who had lost his humanity and killed everything.
But now, after self-reflection, he felt that he was also greatly responsible.
If he had not allowed Lu Hua to become famous early, then Lu Hua would not have developed that kind of lonely and domineering lawless character.
Rather than saying that Ye Fan had caused the tragedy of the Lu family, it was inevitable that this was the result of Lu Hua’s character.
Even if there was no Ye Fan, with Lu Hua’s style of behaviour, he would have provoked others sooner or later.
While he was sighing, Zhang Zixi had already led Lu Zi Ming to a shrine in the residence.
In the ancestral hall, sandalwood incense lingered.
In the middle, stood the tablet of the Zhang family’s family head for generations.
Before the tablet, an old man with white hair, dressed in a grey robe, sat cross-legged on a bamboo cushion, resting his eyes intently.
“Old master, it’s not easy to see you.”
“I’ve been waiting outside for almost a day and a night.”
Seeing the old man in front of him, Lu Zi Ming said with a slightly dissatisfied voice.
Thinking about their Lu family back then, how could they say that they were also the number one family in Jiangbei, and his father, Lv Songliang, was even anointed as a Sovereign Master.
Although he had been defeated by Ye Fan, he had also had a glorious time, and his father had a good friendship with Zhang Jiuling.
I thought that it would be easy for me to meet this old man during this visit.
But who would have thought that he would have to waste so much effort.
“Master Lu should know that two years ago, I had already decided to wash my hands in a golden pot and completely quit the martial arts world.”
“From then on, my Jiangbei Zhang family will have no more ties to the martial arts world.”
“Therefore, Master Lu, why do you need to come and find me?”
“Even if you see me, I won’t do you any favours.” Zhang Jiuling turned his back to Lu Zi Ming and spoke slowly in a deep voice.
To the end, those tightly closed eyes had never opened.
“It’s not a matter of the martial arts world.” Lu Ziming explained.
“Then if it was the secular world, there would be no need to look for me. The large and small affairs of the Zhang family are all taken care of by Zijiang, and I stopped interfering in Zhang family matters decades ago.”
“If you have any matters, go and talk to him.”
Zhang Zijiang was the current head of the Zhang family.
All the affairs of the Zhang Family were basically decided by Zhang Zijiang alone.
However, Lu Ziming shook his head and said, “Elder Zhang, the matter I am talking about today, no one else in the Zhang family, except you, can probably make the decision.”
“Not only do they not have that qualification, they also don’t have that guts.”
Lu Zi Ming’s words caused Zhang Zixi’s beautiful eyes beside her to tremble slightly.
She was a little curious.
What exactly was the great matter that only grandfather could make the decision and no one else was qualified?
“Master Lu Family thinks highly of me.”
“I am now all alone, neither am I the Zhang Family Head, nor have I stepped down as the Martial Arts a*sociation President.”
“There is no power and no resources.”
“The only thing I have is this sizeable place in front of me.”
“I am a dying old man who is no longer useful.”
“So Master of the Lu family, please return.”
Zhang Jiuling did not seem to want to know the purpose of Lu Ziming’s visit.
In fact, there was no need to know.
He had already decided to retire and leave that troubled mortal world, as well as that sinister martial world.
Since he had already decided to stay away, why should he concern himself with the affairs of the outside world.
But Lu Zi Ming did not have any intention of leaving, instead he said in a deep voice “Old Master Zhang, do you really think that you can retreat from this martial world with the words “wash your hands with a gold medal”?”
“You have no resources and you don’t wield power, you are a man of the cloth. But don’t forget, you still carry power.”
“Now that the Lu family has fallen, if the martial power outside gets its hands on me in Jiangbei, the first one to deal with will be the Zhang family.”
“You want to retreat, but can you really do so?”
Lu Zi Ming’s words were harsh, and for a while the atmosphere in this part of the world suddenly became stagnant.
There was no sound in all directions, only the surrounding gra*s and trees swaying against the wind.
After a long silence, Zhang Jiuling was the one who let out a sigh.
“Yes, Master Lu Family, you are right.”
“The tree wants to be quiet but the wind does not stop.”
“Back then, the supreme powerhouse who was number one on the Heavenly Ranking all fell under martial power struggles.”
“And how much more so now that I’m an old pipsqueak who isn’t even a seal?”
“Tell me, who is trying to get his hands on the land of Jiangbei.”
“You can tell him that my Zhang family has no intention of competing with him for power.”
“If he wants to take charge of Jiangbei and be the co-owner of this martial path in Jiangbei, I, Zhang Jiuling, will never interfere.”
“If he is still uneasy and must get rid of me to eliminate future problems. Then tell him to go and wait for me in the land of West Lake.”
“Back then, Brother Songliang stained the West Lake with his blood. If I, Zhang Jiuling, unfortunately fall, and my bones are buried in the West Lake, I will be able to meet my old friend in the spring.”
Zhang Jiuling spoke calmly, his slow words like a flat lake of still water.
Even things like death, in his mouth, became so commonplace.
For an old man like Zhang Jiuling, he had seen too much of the evil of the heart and the strife of interests.
When the world becomes clearer, things like life and death seem too commonplace.
So much so that, when he said these words, Zhang Jiuling’s old eyes remained open and his emotions did not rise or fall.
“Grandfather, you cannot die.”
“This battle, granddaughter will take it for you!”
“In these years, my granddaughter’s West Lake Nine Swords have already reached the state of perfection, even if it is a strong master, my granddaughter still has the ability to fight!”
Hearing her grandfather’s almost orphaned words, Zhang Zixi was anxious and stepped forward to say.
Lu Zi Ming snorted and laughed “The Nine Swords of West Lake?”
“Niece Zixi, it’s not that uncle is hitting you. This time, this person who came to Jiangbei, let alone the Nine Swords of West Lake, even if your West Lake Sword Technique has 99 swords, this battle, you will not have any chance to win.”
“Not to mention you, even if you add your grandfather, plus your entire Zhang family, it is still far from enough.”
“This character is simply beyond the reach of our martial power in Jiangbei!”
“Impossible!” Zhang Zixi said defiantly, “My grandfather said, in this land of Yanxia, apart from the few pillar states on the Martial God Hall, I can fight all the rest.”
Faced with Zhang Zixi’s arrogance, Lu Ziming did not reply, only smiling without saying anything.
“Zixi, you should stand down first.”
“This is a matter for our older generation, you are still young.”
“When all of us of the older generation are gone, then after that, this Jiangbei will be the time that belongs to you.”
Zhang Jiuling, however, dismissed his granddaughter at this point.
“Master of the Lu family, can you say now, who is the visitor?” Zhang Jiuling was still sitting with his eyes closed.
Lu Zi Ming was silent for a moment, as if he was deliberating his words.
Finally, his gaze was cold as he said in a gruff voice, “This man, you know him too.”
“He once bloodied the north of the river, and also had his feet on Yan Mountain.”
“He has brought the Chu family to its knees and made the world tremble.”
“He went up to the Chu Clan alone without dying, and still lives in the fierce battle god realm!”
“Number one on the Heavenly Ranking, peerlessly sealed.”