Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 339 - 342: Shangguan Mufeng

Chapter 339: Chapter 342: Shangguan Mufeng

(Sweat, thank you everyone for your monthly tickets and review tickets, however, from now on, it is okay not to vote on the review tickets. For me, these don’t matter as much as rewards or subscriptions... But regardless, I’m grateful to all of you!)

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He believed that even if someone was a tier above him, having reached the high tier of the Bone Tempering Period, as long as they weren’t at the peak, he was confident he could kill them with one blow!

However, his strike just now had failed!

And it failed so utterly. He had only just launched his first strike, and the opponent didn’t even bother to dodge!

He was defeated with a single blow!

At the moment the opponent’s fist came at him, the feeling was something he had never experienced before—a terrifying momentum that almost immediately made him lose heart, convinced he was surely going to die!

Latterly, for some reason, the opponent’s formidable momentum and that terrifying aura filled with death and dominance suddenly retracted, but it was still incredibly fearsome; the residual force alone was more than he could withstand, consuming all his energy and rushing into his meridians, severely wounding him!

Even though he still couldn’t gauge the young man’s strength, it was clear that the young man had at least the strength of a high tier in Bone Tempering Period!

"Are you Shangguan Mufeng’s subordinate?"

Xiao Yi coldly gazed at the middle-aged man lying on the ground before him like a dead dog, his face struck with disbelief as if he was possessed.

"You..."

Upon hearing Xiao Yi’s voice, Uncle Qiu finally snapped back to his senses, his expression once again filled with shock as he looked at Xiao Yi, so much so that he was too stunned to even speak.

Shangguan Mufeng!

These four words struck his mind like a thunderbolt from the sky!

He knew all too well what this name meant!

This name had always been deeply hidden in the depths of his heart, more significant than any other name—he would forget his own name, his parents’ names, but this name would forever be etched in his memory!

However... this was a name that he could never reveal to anyone; it was destined to remain forever in his heart.

Over the years, he had never mentioned this name, not even in his dreams, not even when facing the head of the Qian Family, his benefactor!

This name also had a title, ’Instructor’!

He was originally just an ordinary soldier, born into a common impoverished family—no, not even common, but from an extremely poor background... He couldn’t even afford medical treatment for his critically ill mother; that day, he held his mother at the entrance of the hospital, desperately pleading with the doctors and nurses passing by to save his mother, who had given birth to him, raised him, and loved him...

But their indifferent faces gradually chilled his heart, and the dismissive glances of the passersby were forever engraved in his mind. So for a long time thereafter, many people didn’t understand why he could be so ruthless, so indifferent to the value of life...

Just as he was about to despair, a kind-hearted person appeared. After seeing him with a look of pity, moved by his filial piety, the good Samaritan took action, called over a doctor for him, and paid a sum which, at the time, was astronomically high for him—nearly one hundred thousand yuan in medical bills.

Although, after intensive treatment, his mother ultimately did not survive, he firmly remembered his name and bowed three times, promising him a debt of his life, a debt of gratitude to be repaid one day.

After bowing, he left under the seemingly unconcerned smile of that man.

Upon returning home, gazing at his empty, cold house, he knew he wasn’t cut out for academic studies, and his circumstances didn’t allow for it; knowing that the village was encouraging everyone to enlist, he decisively signed up to join the military, determined to make a name for himself in the forces.

Thanks to his extraordinary physical fitness, he successfully passed the review and entered an ordinary local military unit.

In the army, among all the new recruits, he trained the hardest and was the most enduring of all those who joined the camp. He was the only one who truly took being a soldier seriously.

In the same unit, most of the people who reported with him held the idea of playing around for a couple of years, accumulating some savings. Moreover, everyone said that without any connections, it was simply impossible to get promoted. Therefore, everyone treated training perfunctorily knowing that in two or three years they would be returning home to civilian life.

But he was different, he never went out; he woke up earlier than the rest every day, completed more training than them, and whenever he had any spare time, he would increase his training load. Even in the ideological and political classes, he painstakingly overcame his natural dislike for dense, boring texts, struggling more than the others to memorize and handle them. Every class, he tried his best to perform at his best.

Because, at that time, in his simple thinking, only by becoming an officer and gaining a position, could he later help that benefactor, who, though seemingly wealthy, did not lack money!

Yet, he ultimately did not get what he wished for. However, his efforts were not in vain, as during a live combat exercise, an instructor noticed him and selected him for a mysterious unit.

That unit, it was said, consisted entirely of elites from various camps!

After joining that unit, he realized that his previous self-perceived diligence was really nothing; in this unit, anyone and everyone was far stronger than him.

Upon entering this unit, he also learned that fighting could be conducted in such a manner, that within the military, it wasn’t just simply lying down, crawling forward, marching, drilling, attending ideological classes, playing with simple arms, and doing simple drills... There were many, many activities that he had never encountered before...

He knew this was an opportunity, yet also a greater challenge. Everyone here was an elite picked from various units. He needed to surpass them to stand out, and only then would he have a chance...

So, he began to strive again... He was called the "desperate man" by that unit... His outstanding performance and dedication once again paid off, yet he still did not enter the path to promotion. He was picked once more, entering another unit he had never even heard of before, never even knew existed...

It was there that he met someone who had a tremendous impact on his life, even more than that previous benefactor—the Instructor!

In that unit, training lasted five years. During those years, the Instructor never minced words with them; everyone knew nothing about him except that he was called the Instructor...

During those five years, the Instructor taught them the legendary martial arts of Xuanwu Country and subjected them to repeated, targeted, and brutal training...

Everyone in the unit both respected and feared him... Everyone felt the unfathomable strength of the Instructor...

After those five arduous years of training, as he watched the years pass by within the unit, over a decade flew by, and he started to become anxious. With no way to achieve recognition or promotion, how could he endure this?

Just as he was about to raise his concerns, a mission descended upon them, and they began to execute it. However, none of them had anticipated that the mission they were tasked with would be so difficult, so arduous...

After carrying out a mission, they finally understood why the Instructor had been so strict, almost cruelly rigorous with them... because they carried the burden of protecting their nation!

The enemies they faced were so powerful that every drop of sweat they shed meant a slight increase in their chances of survival...

As the years passed, more and more of his comrades died, leaving only him, who survived again and again through sheer willpower and brutal handling.

During numerous missions, the Instructor finally took notice of him. Although his expression remained as cold as ever, he always noticed that whenever he and his comrades returned alive, the Instructor’s eyes showed relief and encouragement. Each time they returned injured, the Instructor would silently bring them the best medicine, personally applying it.

It was then that he realized that the cold Instructor, in fact, had emotions too. The day the Instructor said to him, "Of the ones who trained with you initially, only three are left. I hope you all continue to live well," and he suddenly saw tears in the Instructor’s eyes, his heart was deeply shaken. At that moment, he felt what was called "iron-blooded tears."

Later, as his abilities improved, he began to join the Instructor on missions. It was then that he realized that the Instructor was not always waiting behind for them to return; he too had missions to execute, and the tasks he took on were far more perilous than his own!

Every mission, the Instructor always coldly shielded them, always taking the most dangerous position upon himself, his face ever cold...

Finally, misfortune also fell upon him during one mission. He accidentally made a small error that not only put their entire team in jeopardy but also almost cost him his life. Just at the critical moment, the Instructor descended like from the heavens, all the bullets and lethal harm falling on him. While he was still in shock, the Instructor had already scooped him up and escaped. Only when they escaped did he suddenly realize what was happening, and he frantically fled for their lives.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to visit qidian.com to vote for it, and your support is my greatest motivation.)