Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 389 - 371: Not a Big Secret

Chapter 389: Chapter 371: Not a Big Secret

Gao Yi’s inner turmoil was relentless, even bordering on panic.

Why is it like this? The reason was very simple: the old gardener knew his master.

Often, the truth isn’t complex, but it also isn’t as simple as it seems.

He had been basking in the joy of victory, at most pondering whether to retire with a tinge of melancholy, but now, after the old gardener had outright unveiled his biggest secret, Gao Yi’s mental state collapsed.

It wasn’t really such a momentous secret, just something Gao Yi chose never to mention. It wasn’t that it couldn’t be discussed or that there was something shameful about it.

When the old gardener revealed this matter, he actually exposed Gao Yi’s background; knowing that Gao Yi still had a master, the situation was different.

"Go to Dubai."

After hanging up the phone, Gao Yi just said this indifferently, showing no complex emotions, but after he spoke these words, his facial expression suddenly lost control.

His long-hidden secret was unexpectedly exposed, and his emotions became agitated for a moment, revealing his excitement.

"What’s wrong?"

Even Lucy could see that something was off with Gao Yi, let alone someone as astute as Feng Biao.

Feng Biao spoke softly, "Is there some bad news? You look... very unwell."

Gao Yi’s mouth twitched a few times and said, "It’s not exactly bad news, although it’s not good news either. Something I’d been looking forward to for a long time and had already given up on has somehow surfaced, heh heh..."

Gao Yi appeared to force a laugh, but his expression was confused at the moment—it seemed like a sneer or perhaps a genuine laugh, one of genuine happiness.

Lin Xianghua directly said, "You just mentioned a master. You have a master?"

Gao Yi looked at Lin Xianghua, who spread his hands and said, "Is my focus a bit peculiar?"

"Not peculiar."

Gao Yi hadn’t mentioned to them that he had a master, yet his Kung Fu was incredibly strong, implausibly so.

No one is born invincible. Even prodigies need to learn and grow.

Gao Yi had described himself as if he’d been practicing behind closed doors for over a decade and then became invincible once he stepped outside.

That didn’t add up. It didn’t conform to natural laws.

Of course, the reason was that Gao Yi had something to hide.

The one who knew Gao Yi’s experiences best was Luca, but unfortunately, he wasn’t there. Otherwise, he would certainly have told others just how illogical and abnormal the younger Gao Yi had been.

But now, Gao Yi could speak for himself.

"Actually, I have a master."

Gao Yi spread his hands in a calm manner and said, "My Kung Fu is a family heritage, and then I learned other families’ Kung Fu. However, for real combat, the kind that can kill people, I have another master."

Feng Biao paused, then his face lit up with realization, "I knew it! How could traditional martial arts kill someone? I mean, that’s not what I meant... traditional martial arts aren’t that lethal, not with every move being deadly."

Gao Yi shook his head and replied, "You’re wrong. Traditional martial arts are indeed lethal with every move. It’s because of this that they have fallen into decline and disappeared."

Feng Biao seemed slightly surprised and said, "Okay."

"I... don’t know how to put it."

After hesitating, Gao Yi spread his hands and continued, "Our family’s legacy is quite complex. To make it simple, one branch of our family went south to an island, then split; some went to South Asia, some stayed on the island, and others went to the UK. Um, back to the main point, during the eighties when they came to pay respects to our ancestors, that branch reconnected with us, and by the nineties, they frequently returned to the mainland."

Feng Biao swallowed nervously, his tension somewhat inexplicable.

Lin Xianghua, however, asked with curiosity, "Then what happened?"

"Then I was born, and just when I turned one year old, my family was very poor. My dad decided to venture out to make money, so he contacted his elder brothers on the island and left."

"And then?"

"Then he died."

Lin Xianghua found himself at a loss for words for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "Sorry."

"They must be dead, right?"

There was no expression on Gao Yi’s face as he simply said, "If he hadn’t died, he would have at least gone back to look around, but until now, he never returned home. Even when my mom passed away, he didn’t show up. Naturally, the only possibility is that he’s dead."

The atmosphere became slightly eerie.

Gao Yi continued, "My mom died when I was five. Depression, suicide. Now we know it was depression, but back then, nobody said that. Everyone just said she suddenly jumped off a building for no apparent reason."

Feng Biao raised his voice a bit and said, "That... let’s not talk about the past..."

"Why do they say she had depression? Because in my memory, she never laughed, not even once. But she wasn’t angry either; she just lived life plainly until that day when she made dinner, had me eat, washed the dishes, and told me to go to my room to sleep. Then, she went up to the rooftop and jumped. From the fourth floor, not too high, so she didn’t die instantly. It took several hours of emergency treatment at the hospital before she passed."

Seeing that Gao Yi’s mood was off, Feng Biao instinctively said, "It’s all in the past. Let’s not talk about this..."

"Now that I think about it, it probably was depression. But my memories aren’t that clear. Just a vague recollection of her never smiling, yeah, probably that."

After speaking slowly, Gao Yi looked at Feng Biao, then he continued, "When my mom was alive, she wouldn’t let me see my grandparents or practice martial arts. I didn’t even know we had a family martial arts tradition. But after my mom died, my grandfather took charge of me. He didn’t know how to manage me either, so he started training me to practice boxing."

Feng Biao simply stayed silent, his face grim as he watched Gao Yi.

Gao Yi said softly, "When I got older, my grandfather told me that my mom hated them because they didn’t stop my dad from leaving. My dad promised to return within two years at most, and that he would make a fortune, but my mom waited four years, and he never came home. My grandpa said... it doesn’t matter what he said. In the end, I waited another fourteen years, and he still hadn’t come home."

Lucy said, "Think on the bright side—he’s probably dead."

Lucy realized that Feng Biao and Lin Xianghua were giving her a strange look, so she spread her hands and said, "Isn’t it true? Being dead is better than a change of heart and refusing to come home, right?"

Feng Biao coughed softly, and Lin Xianghua said quietly, "Uh, he must have died in some accident."

"That’s what I think too."

Gao Yi let out a calm sigh and said, "My grandma passed away first. Once I got a bit older and after my grandpa also passed, I just... didn’t know what to do with myself. I’ve been practicing martial arts all my life, but it’s hard to find someone to have a fair match with. You barely get into a scuffle and have to pay compensation. I sold the house my mom left, although I still have the old family house in the countryside. But what’s the point of living like that?"

Exhaling, Gao Yi said resentfully, "I was frustrated, I was in pain, I wanted to fight. So I contacted a senior brother. We weren’t from the same sect, but we had a mentor-apprentice relationship, and he took me to Thailand, to KT Boxing Gym."

Gao Yi gestured with his hand and said, "My martial arts were taught by my grandfather, but I didn’t have a master. Family martial arts don’t really require formal apprenticeship. But my status became problematic in Thailand. My senior brother was over forty, his son—my martial nephew—was about my age, and he’s the one teaching me the practical fighting techniques. That was quite a problem."

Feng Biao said, "Yeah, that’s tricky."

"So I simply took my senior brother as my master. That way, my martial nephew became my senior brother. Uh, according to our martial tradition, it messes up the seniority, but according to their Eight Trigram Palm lineage, it doesn’t. Anyway, it’s pretty confusing. You get it, right?"

Feng Biao actually didn’t quite grasp the intricacies involved, and he could only give a dry laugh and say, "So, everyone has their own logic. Got it, got it."

"Right, my senior brother is also my master, and my martial nephew is also my senior brother. I taught him Hsing Yi, he taught me Eight Trigram. Ah, anyway, my master’s family was really good to me. Although we didn’t spend too long together, just about four months, they were truly, very good..."

Gao Yi lowered his head, and after a long silence, he finally said again, "I don’t have any siblings. My grandpa was strict when I was little, so I didn’t have many friends. So... the best friend I’ve ever had, and the best brother too, was my senior brother—that martial nephew’s senior brother."

"Uh, just call him senior brother from now on; adding the ’martial nephew’ part makes it hard for me to follow."

Gao Yi continued, "My master, you all know I grew up without a dad. Although my master was harsh when scolding me, but... he was very good to me."

Lucy frowned and asked, "And then what? Did they die?"

Gao Yi took a deep breath and said, "My master ran the boxing gym, teaching martial arts and Muay Thai to outsiders. But what boxing gym in Thailand doesn’t do black boxing? My senior brother is half a year younger than me, and he fought in black boxing matches, but he wasn’t very skilled. Despite starting early like me, he just didn’t cut it."

Shaking his head, Gao Yi looked at the group seriously and said, "Practicing martial arts also requires talent. Although I haven’t been practicing for much longer than my senior brother, I was more focused and had more talent. So, the first black boxing match I fought at KT Boxing Gym, I killed my opponent."

Feng Biao looked shocked.

Gao Yi clenched his fists, his voice low as he said, "They told me to go all-out, so I did... but once I was actually in the ring, it’s definitely not the same as sparring with my senior brother. The result was that I killed the man."

Feng Biao said quietly, "That’s different, yeah, it’s different."

Gao Yi let out a long sigh and said, "In black boxing, it’s no issue if you kill someone. I fought seven matches in four months, all victories. I killed my opponents in the first two matches; the third opponent didn’t die but was seriously injured. For the next four matches, whether the opponents lived or died was up to my mood. Except for the sixth match, where my opponent had to die, I stopped killing my opponents."

Having said that, Gao Yi spread his hands and said, "Then, I won against someone I shouldn’t have defeated, offended someone I shouldn’t have, and they hired an assassin, Andic Group. After that, my master’s entire family was killed. I was shot and didn’t die."

Feng Biao let out a sigh and said, "So that’s what happened!"

Gao Yi nodded, his voice calm as he said, "That’s the whole story. It’s not much of a secret."