Lanke Chess Edge-Chapter 351: You Call This the Tiger Fist?

Ji Yuan, to some extent, still possessed a sense of fairness.
Of the nine young warriors from back then, he had met Du Heng, Lu Chengfeng, Yan Fei, and Luo Ningshuang. Lan Ningke was also one of the nine young warriors, so it was only right that Ji Yuan went to meet him first.
Therefore, Ji Yuan deliberately set up a scheme to meet Lan Ningke beforehand. After all, there was still some past relationship between them. If this meeting made Ji Yuan like him, he might take some action. It was impossible for him to interfere and order Lu Shanjun to do restrain himself, but it might be an opportunity for Lan Ningke.
Well, it was no use now. Ji Yuan had already met Lan Ningke and quite disliked him. It was now up to Lan Ningke’s own fate.
Meanwhile, after Ji Yuan left, Lan Ningke and his entourage also departed, feeling somewhat annoyed.
He had originally been in a pretty good mood after receiving a beautiful piece of calligraphy, but now that it had turned into two lines of sarcastic remarks, it felt as disgusting as swallowing a fly.
The key point was that the calligraphy was indeed beautiful. Even now, he still felt reluctant to throw it away; it was practically useless.
“Master Lan, actually, we can break the characters down. Look at this column; although it looks smaller on paper when taken out individually, it has a much better meaning.”
The person next to him unfolded the paper, tried to find the right spot to cut it in the middle with a chopstick, and made a vague line.
“Okay, let’s do that.”
Lan Ningke said coldly, his gaze still wandering around. The others added on resentfully.
“If I ever run into that scholar again, I’ll definitely give him a good beating!”
“If this weren’t Duming Prefecture, but instead Dingyuan…”
“But we watched that person write these characters, so why are there a few extra?”
The group was puzzled and felt something was amiss. They had no interest in wandering around the city for the time being and decided to return to the inn.
On the street, two carriages had just arrived from the direction of the city gate. Because they had to give way to pedestrians, they moved slowly through the city, stopping frequently. The one driving the carriage at the front was Lu Chengfeng.
He seemed nonchalant at first, but his spirits lifted when he caught sight of three people passing by on the street.
Seemingly sensing the intense gaze, Lan Ningke also turned his head to look in that direction and saw the two approaching carriages and coachman.
“Do you recognize the person driving the carriage? He looks familiar.”
Lan Ningke asked the two people next to him. They both looked over and shook their heads.
“I’ve never seen him before.”
Lanning frowned and muttered to himself.
“Today has been really strange.”
Having not seen Lu Chengfeng for many years, Lan Ningke had almost forgotten what he looked like.
However, Lu Chengfeng in the carriage clearly could not say the same. He squinted and observed the wealthy man in fine clothes in the distance. As the carriage drew near, he tightened the reins and brought the carriage to a stop.
Lan Ningke also stopped in his tracks, and the two stared at each other for a moment, about ten feet apart.
Lu Chengfeng spoke lightly, with a hint of emotion.
“Lan Ningke, it’s been many years. How have you been?”
Lan Ningke was startled. This person not only looked familiar, but also knew him?
“Who are you?”
Lu Chengfeng was slightly taken aback. He had considered several possibilities, but he never expected that Lan Ningke would not recognize him.
He suddenly remembered visiting Mr. Ji at Ju’an Pavilion, wine in hand. Back then, he had lamented to Ji Yuan that he could hardly remember the names of his compatriots. But when he actually met Lan Ningke, all the memories came flooding back, yet the other party really didn’t recognize him.
“Hehe, hehehehe, hahahahaha…”
Lu Chengfeng suddenly laughed hysterically, which greatly displeased Lan Ningke and his followers. One of them angrily shouted.
“What are you laughing at?”
“No, no, no, I wasn’t laughing at you guys, I was laughing at myself, hahaha… It’s something to be happy about, knowing that I’m not so pathetic after all.”
Lu Chengfeng stopped laughing and clasped his hands in a bow towards Lan Ningke.
“My name is Lu Chengfeng. Greetings, Master Lan. I hope to have the opportunity to witness your skills at this martial arts gathering.”
With that, Lu Chengfeng said no more, and with a gentle flick of the reins, the carriage started moving again.
Lan Ningke frowned as he watched the carriage disappear into the distance, thoughts swirling for a moment, before he suddenly realized something.
“It was him?”
“Master Lan, do you recognize this Lu Chengfeng?”
Lan Ningke nodded and informed the people around him.
“This person is from Cloud Pavilion in Ji Province. Cloud Pavilion was quite famous back then. I traveled with him in my youth, but I didn’t recognize him after so long.”
Lan Ningke wanted to say a few more words, but suddenly sensed something and turned to look to the side in the direction of the city gate, where the carriage had just come from. But all he saw was a stream of people coming and going. He felt a brief moment of unease.
With one strange thing after another happening today, Lan Ningke really lost interest in wandering around and took his men straight back to the inn.
As evening approached, the daytime hustle and bustle began to subside, as shops closed and people went home. Lan Ningke, who had rested for half a day at the inn, had to prepare to go out again.
Although he had been feeling somewhat restless since he had returned to the inn, and he didn’t want to go out, he had made an appointment for dinner with someone this morning. The other person was an old acquaintance and a renowned figure in the martial arts world, so it wasn’t appropriate to break his promise.
“
Knock knock knock…
Master Lan, it’s time for us to go to Rengui Restaurant.”
1
His companions knocked on his door outside to remind him, and Lan Ningke responded.
“Okay, I’ll be right out.”
A moment later, the three of them went downstairs, left the inn, and headed towards Rengui Restaurant.
The sun had already set, and although the streets were not yet completely dark, the surrounding colors appeared dim and yellowish, and there were not many pedestrians.
Lanterns had already been hung up at Rengu Restaurant, the lively sounds could be heard from afar, indicating that business was booming.
It was the day of the Duming Prefecture Martial Arts Tournament, so naturally Rengui Restaurant, being a famous restaurant, was full of martial artists and enthusiasts.
Upon arriving at the door, the waiter warmly invited Lan Ningke and his companions inside.
“Sir, do you have a reservation? We have a lot of customers today. If you don’t have a reservation, you may have to wait.”
“It was Warrior Jiang Meng who invited us here.”
Hearing these words, the water’s eyes lit up, and he quickly replied.
“Oh, you must be Master Lan! Please come upstairs, please follow me upstairs. Master Jiang has already arrived at the window seat on the second floor!”
The waiter enthusiastically led the three upstairs. On the second floor, Lu Shan Jun sat near the stairwell, occupying a table by himself. When he saw Lan Ningke come up, he grinned, revealing a half-smile.
In Lu Shan Jun’s vision, Lan Ningke was surrounded by a murderous aura and lingering resentment. This in itself was nothing special, as people in the martial arts world were naturally prone to killing intent, and fights were commonplace. However, Lan Ningke lacked that indescribable sense of virtue.
Seeing Lan Ningke and the others sit down by the window, Lu Shan Jun picked up a piece of braised pork from the table and squinted at the window.
The other table had five people in total, including Lan Ningke and his two companions, all sitting around an eight-person table.
“Rest assured, Master Jiang, I, Lan Ninke, will definitely achieve a high ranking in this martial arts tournament, and I will certainly support you!”
The man surnamed Jiang had a muscular and had a stoic countenance, but his words and actions somewhat contradicted his appearance. He chuckled as he poured wine for Lan Ningke.
“With Master Lan’s words, I am even more confident. This time, the martial arts world of Ji Province is preparing to unite as one. Whoever gains the upper hand will reap great benefits. If I rise to power, I will naturally not forget Master Lan!”
“Haha, Master Jiang’s Tiger Fist Technique is unmatched in the entire Ji Province, and few can rival him even in Dazhen. Moreover, he is both intelligent and courageous. It would be unreasonable for you not to take the position!”
Similar scenes were rather common, and there were many people like Jiang Meng. Everyone knew that this martial arts tournament was important, and similar campaigning tactics were commonplace. But this alone would not be enough; in the end, the real test would lie in their skills.
“Hahahaha… Lan Ningke! Jiang Meng! You two despicable villains are indeed here!”
A furious shout suddenly came from the stairwell, followed by four men dressed in blue outfits, each carrying a weapon.
“Oh? Who are you guys?”
Lan Ningke squinted and asked, thinking that his uneasy mood today was probably related to this matter.
Jiang Meng sneered; no one would be happy to be insulted like this in public.
“Hahahaha… You two thieving dogs, I knew you would shamelessly come to participate in the martial arts tournament. I am Fan Tong. You two destroyed my family and left us to die. Today shall mark your death.”
“Oh dear sir, you can’t fight in the restaurant, we…”
“Get out of the way! We’ll pay for any damage!”
The man shoved aside the innkeeper who came to persuade him.
“Shiiing!”
“Shiiing!”
“Shiiing!”
“Shiiing!”
All four of them drew their knives and pointed them at the people by the window.
Lu Shan Jun ate and drank alone, without getting up. Instead, he used his spiritual energy to enhance his senses and listen to the other sounds in the inn.
“Look, that fat guy over there is Iron Whip Master Lan Ningke, and sitting opposite him is River Tiger Jiang Meng. Neither of them are good people. Back then, the Fan family of Dingyuan Prefecture was forced to the brink of ruin, and they were instrumental in getting them there.”
“Shhh…be careful what you say!”
“Hmph, their enemies have come knocking, and I’m not allowed to speak up? Besides, this is Duming Prefecture. During the martial arts tournament, even Master Luo will be present. He won’t tolerate such scum of the martial arts world taking over. Why should I be afraid of them? The Fan family suffered a series of calamities back then. First, they lost the Sword Intent Inscription, and then they were forced by the masses to hand over their years of research. Afterwards, they took advantage of their misfortune. We martial artists despise those people!”
Lu Shanjun glanced at the table that was speaking. There sat three ordinary-looking men. They spoke with righteous indignation, but they kept their voices very low, obviously afraid of causing trouble.
“Prepare to die!”
“Die!”
Fan Tong and his companions roared, brandishing their swords and charging towards Lan Ningke and Jiang Meng. Seing their movements, Lan Ningke felt much relieved, realizing they were not top-tier experts.
“Rooar…”
Jiang Meng let out a loud roar that carried the aura of a ferocious beast. He flashed to the table, his hands forming claws, and crouched low as he slipped through the crowd, wildly swinging his claws.
“Clang!”
“Bang!”
“Riip…”
“Pfft…”
“Bang……”
One man, with just his bare claws, managed to block four weapons, blood splattering everywhere.
These four men, though skilled, were far inferior to their opponents. Even without Lan Ningke making a move, they couldn’t withstand over a dozen strikes before being either knocked away or seriously injured by the claws.
The ordinary onlookers had long since fled in terror, while the martial artists, though they didn’t flee, didn’t dare to make a move.
“Bang…”
Fan Tong was struck in the chest by a palm strike and flew backward, crashing into a pillar on the side. He fell to the ground and spat out a mouthful of foamy blood.
As he looked up and saw Jiang Meng approaching, he gave a bitter smile.
“Heh, heh… I knew long ago that I was no match for you, but I just wanted to force you to act, force you to use your internal energy. I’ve already…”
“Hmph, do you think I wouldn’t have noticed your little tricks with poison? We were just pretending to drink.”
As Jiang Meng spoke, Lan Ningke took out a porcelain bowl from his sleeve, which was filled with the poisoned wine that they were supposed to have drunk.
“Hahaha…”
Fan Tong was still laughing.
“So what? Your reputations are ruined. There are many people attending this martial arts tournament, and soon everyone will know what happened today. Want to be a martial arts master? Want to gain an advantage? Dream on! Hahahaha…”
Fan Tong knew his martial arts talent was limited, and even with the addition of poison, he might not have succeeded. He just wanted to annoy these two people so much that they couldn’t stand in the martial arts tournament. As for the future of the Fan family, he would leave it to someone with more potential.
“You’re courting death!”
Jiang Meng was truly enraged now, and with a swift motion of his tiger claws, he moved to strike Fan Tong on the head.
“Whoosh…”
A whooshing sound whistled through the air, and before Jiang Meng could hit Fan Tong, he reflexively dodged.
“Thud…”
A chopstick shot out and landed on the floor between Jiang Meng and Fan Tong, embedding itself several inches into the wood. Its end still trembled slightly.
“Who is it? Who dares to meddle in this?”
Jiang Meng roared. He glanced over to the side, in the direction of the stairwell. His gaze swept over the people at the tables there. Many avoided his gaze, but one person remained still.
“Interesting. You think you can call that the Tiger Fist?”
A voice laced with obvious amusement rang out. A man in a blue robe who looked like a scholar stood up from his seat.
仁 (rén): kernel/humane, 贵 (guì): expensive/precious/noble –> “Expensive Bites” Restaurant