This kind of scenario—Lin Yu was all too familiar with it!
That’s how it always played out in novels.
Except today, the one playing the underdog who’d turn the tables happened to be him.
Nervous? Sure.
But there was also a tiny thrill of anticipation.
What young man didn’t dream of a "one-battle fame" moment?
Once they finished their taunting,
Lin Yu would just need to drop a line like: "Done talking? Then I’m gonna hit you now!"
Tsk tsk tsk…
After crushing the four martial arts instructors one by one,
The final boss would be Director Xia, who was now walking over slowly.
"Master Z, you’re right on time."
"Maomao’s still in the lounge. My master’s here today too."
"I hope you’re as good as Weiwei says. Don’t let everyone down."
Xia Xiashan’s arrival injected soul into Lin Yu’s fantasy moment.
Oh ho?
Behind the director, there was even a "reclusive old monster" observing the fight.
Classic!
"Director Xia, just call me Lin Yu."
"Lin as in forest, Yu as in feather."
"With so many people around today, calling me Master Z… feels a bit awkward."
Lin Yu introduced himself casually.
From the moment he decided to drag Maomao into the apartment, he never imagined he’d have to hide his name.
Whether he said it now or later, they wouldn’t know anyway.
Might as well be upfront—it made him seem more confident.
Xia Xiashan listened to Lin Yu’s introduction, her eyes flashing with appreciation.
"Straightforward. I like that."
"Don’t worry, aside from the few of us at the dinner table, no one knows your identity."
"Today, everyone just thinks… an outsider’s here to challenge the dojo!"
When she said "challenge the dojo,"
Her tone grew heavier.
Clearly, she couldn’t wait to beat Lin Yu up.
At Xia Xiashan’s signal,
The four martial arts instructors quickly approached Lin Yu.
Xia Xiashan made the introductions…
Little Mei: "So Instructor Lin is really this handsome, huh?"
Da Zhuang: "Welcome, welcome! Our daily classes are so dull. Having someone to spar with is a real honor."
Lang: "Instructor Lin, can I get your WeChat later? Regardless of how the match goes, it’s always good to have more friends in martial arts."
Xiao Shuai: "I’m probably closest to Instructor Lin in age. When I visit other cities, I also like checking out other dojos. Mind if I add you? More connections in the field never hurt."
Lin Yu: "???"
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!
In novels, they were supposed to—
First, mock and belittle him, looking down their noses;
Then, arrogantly attack and get wrecked;
Finally, collapse in defeat, leaving the whole room stunned.
That’s how it always went in stories!
Total scam!
There was no disdain or sarcasm. The instructors were so polite and friendly that Lin Yu almost felt like bowing to them in apology.
Turns out, real-life martial artists weren’t so different from office coworkers when it came to socializing.
Lin Yu quickly ditched the "stereotypical expectations."
No grandstanding, no face-slapping.
Just an ordinary—if slightly unusual—day.
For example…
"Hey, damn!"
"Isn’t this the ‘Chariot-Horse-Cannon’ kid?"
A vaguely familiar voice cut through Lin Yu’s workplace socializing.
He turned to see a slightly hunched old man ambling into the crowd.
"Master Zheng!"
"Master Zheng’s here!"
"The match hasn’t started yet. Didn’t you want to rest more?"
"…"
The instructors greeted him respectfully.
Xia Xiashan, however, stayed silent,
Instead eyeing Lin Yu in confusion.
From the old man’s tone, it sounded like he knew Lin Yu?
How did these two, who should’ve had zero connection, even cross paths?
Lin Yu was just as shocked.
Wasn’t this the chess-playing old man?
Judging by everyone’s reaction…
He was Xia Xiashan’s master?!
Was Pingchuan really this small?
"Master Zheng, what a surprise…"
"You’re actually Director Xia’s master!"
Master Zheng chuckled, hands behind his back.
"Didn’t expect my top disciple’s challenger to be you, kid."
"What a coincidence, huh?"
He glanced at Xia Xiashan and explained:
"Back in my neighborhood, Xiao—Lin, was it?"
"We played chess together. His skills were impressive. Hard to forget."
"Lin, did you bring two phones again today?"
This old man was stubborn!
Still hung up on the "two phones" thing!
Xia Xiashan spoke up:
"Lin Yu, so you already knew my master."
"Saves us the introductions."
"My master, Zheng Zhihua, is the 12th-generation inheritor of Southern Xingyiquan."
"He’s quite renowned in the martial arts world."
Lin Yu’s inner thoughts:
Obviously. Dude’s famous.
Bitter sand~ stinging my face~
Lin Yu shook hands enthusiastically. "Of course, long admired, Master Zheng."
Zheng Zhihua waved it off. "Eh, just a reputation… Xiashan, make sure you hit him hard later."
Xia Xiashan: "???"
Lin Yu: "???"
Did this old man just blurt out his inner thoughts?
Lin Yu was standing right there!
If you want your disciple to go all out, at least say it privately!
Two chess games, and you hold this much of a grudge?!
Lin Yu: "Old man, I swear I only have one phone!"
Zheng Zhihua waved again. "Eh, you think I’m that petty? It’s not about that."
Xia Xiashan: "Master, I get it. You want me to defend the dojo’s honor!"
Zheng Zhihua: "You get nothing. I said it’s just a reputation. Not about that either."
Xia Xiashan: "…"
Lin Yu: "…"
This only confused Lin Yu more.
Not about chess, not about the dojo…
Then what?
He and the old man had no other history!
Zheng Zhihua didn’t explain further, just let them chat while he headed to a resting chair.
Xia Xiashan hurried after him, whispering:
"Uncle, do you really have some personal grudge against Lin Yu?"
Zheng Zhihua clasped his hands behind his back, muttering:
"Never thought it’d be this kid…"
"Cheating at chess is one thing!"
"But then he and some girl chased a stray dog around the neighborhood!"
"What did that dog ever do to them?"
"And after harassing the dog, he even groped the girl’s butt!"
"Damn it!"
"Disgusting. I couldn’t even watch—had to turn away!"
"Just tell me this…"
"How could anyone use a phone to cheat an old man at chess?!"
Xia Xiashan: "…"
Her uncle (and master) and Lin Yu’s history… was complicated.
Not far away.
Lin Yu, with his exceptional hearing: "…"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
