Chapter 883: Is a Formidable Figure

Li Feng rarely found something interesting enough to distract him from his worries. He sat in front of Zuo Wuji's monastic cell. Zuo Wuji hadn't closed the door when he went to sleep, so Li Feng had helped him close it and then curled up outside.

He waited until noon, but Zuo Wuji still hadn't woken up. Li Feng, however, was shivering from the cold outside.

An old monk slowly approached from outside, carrying a small wooden basket and an old blanket. Li Feng looked up, greeting him.

"Venerable Abbot!"

"Young Master Li, have some warm steamed buns and cover yourself with this blanket."

The old abbot placed the wooden basket beside Li Feng and lifted the cloth covering it. Inside was a bowl of steaming hot buns, alongside a small plate of simple pickled vegetables.

"Thank you, Venerable Abbot!"

Li Feng was already cold and hungry. He had been worried that if he left, the great hero might wake up and leave the temple, so he waited, not wanting to miss the chance. At that moment, he certainly wouldn't complain about the simple lunch.

Li Feng took a large bite of a bun, then used his chopsticks to pick up some pickled vegetables. He was used to rich meals of meat and fish, but at that moment, the bun and pickles tasted wonderful. The warmth in his stomach even lifted his spirits.

After eating two buns, Li Feng looked up to see the old abbot smiling at him, which made Li Feng a little self-conscious.

"Alright, Young Master Li, eat slowly. Just leave the dishes aside when you're done; we'll come and clear them."

As he spoke, the old abbot looked up at Zuo Wuji's cell, where deep, rhythmic snores echoed like a large bellows.

The old abbot pressed his palms together, bowed deeply towards the cell, and then turned to leave. Though Li Feng was eating ravenously, he witnessed this scene. He reasoned that since the hero inside could even slay demons, it was natural for the venerable abbot to show him such respect.

When the old abbot reached the front courtyard, the tall, thin monk had just returned from outside. Upon seeing the abbot, he quickly stepped forward to bow.

"Master!"

"You're back?"

"Yes, Master. Has that guest who stayed overnight left yet?"

The tall, thin monk glanced in the direction of Zuo Wuji's cell, and the old abbot shook his head.

"Patron Zuo is sleeping. Do not disturb him. Young Master Li is waiting outside."

The tall, thin monk frowned.

"Master, this person's origins are unclear. He stayed here last night but didn't return until late. We don't know what he was doing. I think perhaps we should politely suggest he leaves?"

The old abbot looked at his disciple and suddenly smiled.

"Aren't you usually fascinated by extraordinary individuals? You were quite attentive when Mr. Ji was here."

"That's different! Mr. Ji is a true master. This one enjoys fighting and killing. I fear the lingering aura of violence will disturb the peaceful sanctity of our Mud-Dust Temple..."

Mid-sentence, the tall, thin monk paused, realizing his master's earlier words seemed to imply something else.

"Master, could this Hero Zuo also be an extraordinary person?"

The old monk clasped his hands together and softly chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"Amitabha, the immortal from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets mentioned long ago that he might travel here... Hero Zuo Wuji, though a martial artist, is renowned throughout the land. He is a martial saint, a paragon among warriors. In his life, he has never suffered a single defeat, whether against martial artists or demons and monsters."

The old monk concluded his prayer and slowly walked towards the Buddhist hall. The tall, thin monk stood rooted to the spot, only snapping out of his daze after a long moment. He looked at his master's retreating back, then at Zuo Wuji's cell, and scratched his bald head.

"Goodness, he's a remarkably powerful figure!"

Meanwhile, Li Feng finished his food, covered himself with the blanket, and feeling warmer, continued to wait outside. He waited until the afternoon.

The snow, which had stopped for the night and most of the morning, began to fall again. It was then that Zuo Wuji finally awoke.

"Hoo-phwoar..."

Stretching inside, Zuo Wuji turned to face the door. He smiled at the closed door, thinking that the child had a good heart.

Zuo Wuji threw off his blanket, put on his cloak, and then opened the cell door.

Li Feng looked up at the doorway and saw a newly awakened Zuo Wuji looking down at him.

"Hero Zuo, you're awake?"

"Yes. You're still here? Is something wrong?"

Li Feng was momentarily stunned by the question. He had just wanted to wait for Zuo Wuji to wake up, but he couldn't pinpoint any specific reason.

"Hero Zuo, have you killed many monsters?"

Zuo Wuji sat cross-legged in the doorway, looking at the heavy snowfall outside, and nodded.

"Not a great many, but quite a few."

"You're the most powerful martial artist I've ever seen! I've never heard of a martial artist being able to fight against demons!"

Hearing Li Feng say this, Zuo Wuji looked at him and asked,

"Do you know Mr. Ji Yuan?"

Li Feng's eyes lit up.

"Yes, yes! Hero Zuo, did Mr. Ji send you?"

"And... do you speak Great Zhen dialect?"

"Yes, I do! Mr. Ji taught me several dialects, and I learned them all! You still haven't answered me, did Mr. Ji send you?"

Zuo Wuji chuckled.

"That's excellent! Finally, I won't have to struggle so much to speak!"

Zuo Wuji didn't directly deny that Ji Yuan sent him. Instead, he moved closer to Li Feng, patted his shoulder, and said,

"The place Mr. Ji went to is very far, requiring several months of travel alone. And a person like Mr. Ji constantly wanders. If he encounters something, it's bound to be an earth-shattering event that can't be resolved in a day or two. For ordinary people, having the chance to meet Mr. Ji even once is a great blessing. He stayed here for so long and taught you to read and write—many people would envy that their entire lives!"

Li Feng rubbed his hands together, blowing warm air onto them.

"Of course I know Mr. Ji is an extraordinary person, but he said he would come back..."

"That's natural. Mr. Ji always keeps his word."

Zuo Wuji replied, changing the subject.

"You just mentioned demons. Let me tell you, demons also vary in strength. The truly weak ones avoid people altogether. The 'demons' people usually talk about are the more powerful, strange, and harmful ones, which are indeed harder to deal with. However, some of them can always be dealt with, as long as people don't lose courage."

"As for truly powerful demons... in the past, people seemed to have no choice but to pray for the protection of gods, Buddhas, and immortals. But in the future, I, Zuo, believe there will be more and more martial artists in the human world capable of slaying demons. As the saying goes, humanity must strive for self-improvement! Oh, Mr. Ji also told me that."

Zuo Wuji smiled, took off his cloak and scarf, and draped them over Li Feng. Li Feng immediately felt several degrees warmer; the residual warmth on Zuo Wuji's cloak felt as if it had just been heated over a stove.

Having removed his cloak, Zuo Wuji stood on the open ground in front of the cell and began to practice martial arts in the snow. Each punch and kick seemed effortless yet generated gusts of wind, causing the falling snowflakes to swirl chaotically.

Li Feng watched Zuo Wuji intently. Although Zuo Wuji wasn't hitting anything, sometimes when he punched, Li Feng could hear "thudding" sounds, and snowflakes would burst apart. Similarly, where Zuo Wuji's feet lightly touched the ground, snowflakes would often explode and scatter in all directions.

After a few rounds of practice, Zuo Wuji warmed up. Noticing Li Feng's earnest gaze from the corner of his eye, he smiled and said,

"Let me show you something fun!"

With that, Zuo Wuji threw a punch that disturbed the falling snow, creating a seeming void amidst the flakes, while the surrounding snow spiraled around the force of his fist. The next moment, Zuo Wuji pulled back his right hand like a claw, and the large swirling mass of snow instantly contracted.

"Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh..."

The wind and snow poured down, condensing into a pure white staff in Zuo Wuji's hand. Zuo Wuji then wielded the staff, performing staff techniques, then twirled it into a spear and demonstrated spear techniques. Finally, he thrust it skyward, then suddenly leaped up and punched the spear's shaft.

"Bang..."

The white spear exploded into a shower of snow, falling from the sky along with Zuo Wuji.

"Well, what do you think? Want to learn martial arts?"

Li Feng nodded rapidly, like a pounding mortar. Then, as if realizing something, he quickly added,

"But I can't take you as my master!"

"Hahahaha, alright, if you don't want to, then don't!"

Li Feng asked tentatively,

"Then will you still teach me?"

"Of course I will! Why wouldn't I? But I can only teach you the basics, and it'll cost you!"

Zuo Wuji stood in the snow and observed Li Feng. He knew the child wanted to apprentice himself to Mr. Ji, but he had never heard of Mr. Ji taking disciples. He wouldn't tell Li Feng this, however; Li Feng had such good natural talent for martial arts, and training would only benefit him.

"Great, great! Hero Zuo is so powerful, even teaching me the basics will surely make me very strong, or else I'd bring shame to you! As for money, my family has plenty!"

"Sly boy! Watch out for this!"

Zuo Wuji formed a snowball and hurled it at Li Feng. It whistled through the air and hit Li Feng squarely on the forehead, knocking him over in front of the cell.

Li Feng immediately jumped off the porch, grabbed some snow, and retaliated.