Gao Wu: Ten years of sparring experience, one move and the world knows him.

Chapter 79 Neck Injury (5000)

What happened here was observed by another group of people confronting each other not far away.

The thugs who had surrounded the high school students looked at each other in bewilderment.

To stop or not to stop?
If I stop them, I'll probably get beaten up; if I don't, the boss hasn't given any orders.

In the brief moment of hesitation, Zhao Rui had already carried Zhao Ke away gracefully, his movements extremely elegant, as if he were riding the wind.

The high school students exchanged glances, all seeing surprise mixed with embarrassment in each other's eyes.

Especially that fifth-level martial arts student who spoke modestly but actually had a hint of boasting in his voice.

They were talking about their martial arts skills in the car, quite proudly, and talking about it at length.

As a result, they are now trapped here by a few thugs, unable to do anything.

On the contrary, Zhao Rui, whom they thought was an ordinary person, not only had superb martial arts skills, but also fought without hesitation and with great style.

This is what they believe a martial arts student should be like.

Seeing Zhao Rui leave from his side, the group instinctively picked up their luggage and quickly followed, quietly trailing behind as they ran towards the county town.

The thugs who had surrounded them dared not stop them and could only watch helplessly as they left.

Scarface glanced in the direction Zhao Rui had left, his eyes darting around several times, before taking out his phone and making a call.

The phone call wasn't to seek revenge, but rather to inquire with acquaintances in the county martial arts association whether a child had returned from training and advanced to the Grandmaster level.

He was well aware of the situation and resolved any grievances that could be settled face-to-face.

As a small county town, let alone a Grandmaster, even a Level 9 expert can walk around with impunity and be treated as an honored guest wherever they go.

If he offends a Grandmaster-level expert, without the expert even lifting a finger, a whole bunch of people who want to take over his territory will stand up for him.

"I haven't heard of that. There are a few talented people in our county these past two years, but they're only at the fifth or sixth level."

"Did you see it wrong?"

"He took a direct bus to our county; he must be going home for the holidays. He looks young, probably under twenty."

"None of the registered martial artists meet the criteria; he was probably just passing by. How did you offend him?"

"No, no, I just happened to run into them and wanted to ask around!"

Scarface asked around and, seeing that there really wasn't any in the county, breathed a sigh of relief.

It doesn't matter if it's a dragon crossing the river, as long as it's not a phoenix returning to its nest.

Yishui County is a remote, medium-sized county. The term "medium" refers to its area, not its strength.

As the county furthest from the city center in Lincheng, Yishui County has not benefited from the driving effect of urban development.

Over the years, relying solely on self-reliance and actively developing the food processing industry, we have achieved a small but respectable county-level scale.

However, due to its weak foundation and mountainous terrain, its economic development has consistently ranked at the bottom among the counties in Lincheng.

The dead of winter!

Zhao Rui used his lightness skill to travel slowly and steadily towards the county town, deliberately seeking out secluded paths along the way.

Ignoring the hillsides and ravines, I took my younger brother and enjoyed the real rural scenery and low-altitude roaming.

The people following behind them exerted all their strength to keep up from a distance, not daring to relax for a moment.

The group continued until they reached the edge of the county. Further ahead, they would enter the residential area.

Zhao Rui then stopped and jumped down from a low tree.

"Go home, everyone."

Zhao Rui said this casually, clearly intending it for the people behind him to hear.

"Brother, thank you."

The level 5 martial arts student said with a serious expression.

Zhao Rui smiled but didn't answer. He then led his younger brother into the alleyway of the residential area ahead.

"Let's go too. There's always someone better than you, and there's no reason for us to be proud of our achievements."

"He looks about our age!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then followed another road into the county town.

after an hour.

In front of a rather old village house in Cuijia Village, Zhao Rui and Zhao Ke got out of a taxi.

"I'm freezing. I don't want you to drag me around like that anymore."

Zhao Ke shrank his neck. He had spent most of the day in the taxi warming up before he felt a little better.

"Tell me, isn't it exciting or not?"

Zhao Rui paid the money and, with his younger brother, pushed open the somewhat dilapidated wooden door in front of them.

"Exciting! I've finally experienced what it feels like to fly."

Zhao Ke couldn't help but recall the feeling of soaring into the air and hovering between the fields and houses.

"This isn't flying."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui recalled the image of the mysterious old man from the martial arts academy, soaring dozens of meters into the air with unparalleled grace.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "That's true flight!"

As the two brothers spoke, they had already stepped into the courtyard.

"Who's coming?"

An elderly woman, around seventy years old, walked out of the main room, pushing open the door with trembling steps.

"Rui Rui and Xiao Ke are back!"

The old woman's face lit up with joy, and she quickly welcomed the two into the house.

This old woman was Zhao Rui and his brother's grandmother, and the only person in the family besides their parents who truly cared for them.

Zhao Rui and his friends went back to their hometown mainly to visit their grandmother.

Where is Grandpa?

Zhao Ke glanced around the room but didn't see her grandfather.

"Your grandfather went to your second grandfather's place in the back mountain."

"Oh!"

Zhao Ke breathed a sigh of relief. His grandfather had never liked his father since he was a child, and by extension, he didn't like the two brothers either.

Even if we don't meet right away, I always manage to chat with my grandma for a while first.

"Come and warm up by the stove, look how little you're dressed."

The old man, with a concerned expression, took the two people's hands and pressed them down by the stove. Then he took a few sweet potatoes from the basket by the door and stuffed them into the stove hole.

"Hehe, Grandma knows best what I like to eat!"

As Zhao Ke spoke happily, she reached for the handbag next to her backpack, took out the gift she had prepared for her grandmother.

"Why should an old woman like me wear new clothes? You can wear them."

"Grandma, this is just a small token of our appreciation."

Zhao Ke quickly got up and put the coat on her grandmother.

"The size is just right. Grandma, you look several years younger in this outfit."

"This child is talking nonsense."

The wrinkles on the old man's face, accompanied by a smile, slowly accumulated, like the rings of a tree, gradually fading into the passage of time.

Zhao Rui also brought a gift, a pair of cotton shoes.

Actually, both the cotton shoes and the coat were paid for by Zhao Rui.

Zhao Ke had only a small amount of living expenses in his pocket, which was simply not enough to make him feel comfortable.

The virtues of grandfatherly love and grandsonly filial piety need not be elaborated upon further.

This is a time of warmth and tenderness in life!
After noon, Grandpa Zhao Rui returned home, a little drunk.

Upon seeing Zhao Rui and the other person, he didn't say much. He drank some warm water, got onto the kang (heated brick bed), and fell fast asleep.

Zhao Rui and his companion were already used to it.

In the afternoon, the two accompanied their grandmother to visit neighbors in the east and west.

Come back and feed the chickens, and cook some food.

It felt so relaxing, like I was a child again.

This was the first time the two brothers had returned to their hometown alone.

In the past two years, Zhao Rui has been busy practicing martial arts, which has made Zhao Ke feel awkward, especially since she was still young at the time.

Even with this thought, I still can't go home alone.

Usually in the summer, Zhao Jincheng would bring them over to stay for a few days.

This time, it can be considered that the two brothers, or rather Zhao Rui, were recognized by Zhao Jincheng and his wife as adults.

When evening came, the old man sobered up and saw his two grandsons arrive. He didn't show much expression on his face and simply asked a couple of questions.

He got up, ate breakfast, and watched TV programs.

Neither enthusiastic nor annoyed.

The next day, the old man got up early, climbed the pigsty wall, and started cleaning the roof, which had been leaking due to years of disrepair.

Hearing the noise, Zhao Rui got up and went over to help his grandfather.

The two worked silently, rarely exchanging words, but Zhao Rui clearly noticed that his grandfather's gaze had softened considerably.

Time knows no age, and trials never yearn for youth!
Two days have passed in the blink of an eye.

At noon, the warm sun shines brightly!
In front of the stove, Zhao Ke sat on a wooden stool, bending down to tend the fire (adding firewood to the stove), while Zhao Rui stirred the dishes in the pot beside him.

In the simple, steamy kitchen, Grandma was kneading dough on the cutting board, preparing to make dumplings.

The old man's smile never stopped.

When people get old, the greatest happiness is having their children and grandchildren around them.

"Jingle Bell!"

Just then, a clear and loud bell rang out from the kang (a heated brick bed) on one side of the kitchen.

Grandma wiped her hands, took small steps, walked over, and answered the phone.

"Everything's fine at home. Oh, Rui Rui and his brother are here. You're coming too? Oh, sure."

After exchanging only a few words, the other end of the phone hung up. Grandma came over and said to Zhao Rui and his brother, "Your third uncle called and said he'll be here in a bit."

"Then let's cook a couple more dishes!"

Zhao Rui said with a smile.

Of the three Zhao brothers, only the youngest, Zhao Jinze, stayed in the county town, making him the closest to his parents.

They naturally took good care of the elderly couple on a regular basis.

About half an hour later, the third brother, Zhao Jinze, arrived at his hometown with his wife and children.

The family looked rather tired, as if something had happened.

"Third Uncle! Third Aunt!"

Zhao Rui greeted Zhao Ke.

"Yes, you're here!" Zhao Jinze forced a smile, but didn't say much to his two brothers. Instead, he looked at his mother and said with a worried expression, "Mom, Xinxin will be staying with you for the next few days."

"Sure, the three brothers can stay together. The food's getting cold, let's eat!"

"Don't tell anyone about Xinxin's visit. Just let him stay in the house and not go anywhere."

Zhao Jinze's words surprised Zhao Rui and the others.

"Did something happen?"

Grandma Zhao Rui immediately asked nervously.

"Mom, it's nothing, I'll handle it. Just follow my instructions."

Zhao Jinze declined to elaborate further.

Seeing that the third son was unwilling to say more, Grandma Zhao Rui knew that she couldn't help much, so she stopped asking.

"Don't shoulder everything alone. If it really comes down to it, call the eldest and second eldest sons over, and we'll discuss it as a family."

The old man lit a cigarette, smacked his lips twice, and frowned as he spoke.

"Got it, Dad!"

Zhao Jinze replied with a wry smile.

"No matter how big the problem is, we still need to eat. Let's eat first!"

After the old man finished speaking, everyone sat down at the table and began to eat lunch.

"What are you looking at? That's annoying!"

While they were eating, Zhao Xin suddenly glared at Zhao Ke with displeasure, his tone full of annoyance.

Zhao Ke shrugged and silently began to eat.

Seeing his son's arrogance, Zhao Jinze was furious and threw his chopsticks at his son, Zhao Xin.

Zhao Xin dodged to the side, pouting with a wronged expression.

"You're still hiding!"

Zhao Jinze grew angrier and angrier, and was about to smash the bowl in his hand when he heard the old man shout angrily, "Enough! If you're not going to eat, get out of here!"

Zhao Jinze breathed heavily through his nostrils, sighed deeply, and stepped out of the main room.

"Grandpa, I'm going to take a look."

Seeing this, Zhao Rui quickly got up and followed.

In the courtyard, Zhao Jinze lit a cigarette and exhaled a few puffs of smoke in the biting cold.

The flickering firelight, like his silence, suppressed the anger within him.

"Third Uncle, is the matter very difficult?"

Zhao Rui walked over and asked.

Seeing that it was Zhao Rui who came over, Zhao Jinze shook his head and said, "It's nothing. It has nothing to do with you kids."

Zhao Rui wanted to ask more questions, but Zhao Jinze waved him off and sent him back.

The meal was extremely unpleasant.

Zhao Jinze didn't eat either. After his wife finished eating, the two drove away from their hometown.

Zhao Xin was left alone, sullen and resentful, and hid in the west room.

What did you watch back then?

In the courtyard, Zhao Rui glanced at the west room, then turned to ask his younger brother.

"Brother, Zhao Xin has a wound on his neck."

"Injured?"

Zhao Rui was stunned. His cousin, who was already a level 5 martial arts expert during the summer vacation, how could he be injured?
Was he accidentally injured during the match?
Zhao Rui, taking into account what his third uncle had said, decided that Zhao Xin should stay in his hometown and not be allowed to go anywhere.

I suddenly had a bad feeling.

Could it be that my cousin got into trouble?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but scratch his head. It's just a vacation, there shouldn't be so much trouble!

However, now that he had a suspicion, Zhao Rui couldn't just sit idly by.

He needed to know what had happened first. Although he couldn't be of much help, he was fortunate enough to know some staff members of the provincial police department.

Maybe we'll be able to talk to each other.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Rui said to Zhao Ke, "You stay home and take care of Grandpa and Grandma, don't go anywhere. I'm going to Uncle's house."

"elder brother!"

"Don't worry, it's okay."

Zhao Rui comforted his younger brother for a couple of minutes, then told his grandparents that he had to go out for a while.

He then rode his grandfather's old bicycle and sped all the way to the county town.

As one of the managers of the county martial arts association, Third Uncle was a prominent figure in the county.

Their accommodations were naturally quite nice.

Although it is not a detached villa, it is a duplex structure with two floors.

Zhao Rui didn't come often, but he still remembered the apartment number in the complex.

Upon arriving in the county town, Zhao Rui followed the navigation and soon found his third uncle's house.

I knocked on the door, but there was no response for a long time.

Zhao Rui knocked twice more and shouted a couple of times. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a noise coming from inside the house.

"Who?"

"Third Aunt, it's me, Zhao Rui!"

"Zhao Rui, what brings you here?"

Third Aunt saw through the peephole that it was indeed Zhao Rui standing outside the door, so she quickly opened the door and pulled him inside.

"Third Aunt, I was worried, so I came to check on you."

Zhao Rui said.

"Kids shouldn't meddle in adults' business. Your third uncle and I will handle it."

Third Aunt shook her head, echoing Zhao Jinze's tone.

"I see an injury on Zhao Ke's neck..."

Zhao Rui had only spoken halfway when his ears twitched slightly, and he quickly stopped talking.

He looked outside.

"What's wrong, Zhao Rui?"

Auntie was startled.

"A lot of people have arrived at the stairwell!"

Zhao Rui stared intently at the door.

"Huh? Could it be that they've come knocking on our door?"

Auntie was so frightened that she was at a loss for what to do, muttering, "Rui Rui, you, you should hide quickly."

After saying that, she hurriedly pushed Zhao Rui to the side bed.

"Auntie, don't be afraid!"

Zhao Rui frowned and comforted him.

Before he could finish speaking, a clicking sound came from the keyhole of the door, indicating that someone was manually unlocking it.

In the blink of an eye, the door was opened from the outside.

Seven or eight men with short, sloppy haircuts walked in.

As soon as these people entered, they looked around with scrutinizing eyes.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass on private property!"

Auntie San mustered her courage and angrily rebuked him.

"What residential house? This house won't be yours anymore soon!"

The man in the lead twirled a small knife in his hand and said with a slight smile.

"Who is this young man? He doesn't look like you. Could he be your new lover?"

The man continued to tease.

Upon hearing his words, Zhao Rui's eyes turned cold, and he stepped forward to block his third aunt.

He glared at the other person and said, "Sometimes, a foul mouth is more hateful than a dirty hand."

The leading man was surprised that Zhao Rui dared to speak up at this time, and immediately glanced at his subordinates with displeasure.

Two men immediately walked up behind him and reached out to grab Zhao Rui's collar, clearly intending to teach him a lesson.

Zhao Rui showed no mercy, and with lightning speed, he grabbed and twisted their arms behind their backs.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Director Zhao's son is a prodigy at the sixth level of martial arts."

The man smirked coldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, two more middle-aged men in their early thirties walked in through the door.

These two men had prominent temples, clearly indicating that they were practitioners of external martial arts, diligently cultivating their skills and possessing considerable internal strength.

Zhao Rui glanced at them, and before the two could make a move, he took the initiative and leaped over.

He instantly engaged the two in combat.

Both of them were quite skilled, both at the sixth level, and their fighting experience was extremely rich.

However, compared to the overpowered Zhao Rui, he was still no match.

After only five or six moves, he used the Six Bewitching Immortal Technique to disrupt the flow of his meridians. Seizing an opening, he kicked them one by one, knocking them to the ground.

The leader stared in disbelief at the two people lying on the ground.

These are all thugs he hired at great expense.

How could they be so easily defeated?

"It's fake, it must be fake."

The man was flustered. Before Zhao Rui could come over, he hurriedly pulled his men away and retreated outside.

Zhao Rui was not about to give him a chance to escape.

In a flash, he stopped behind him and grabbed his collar.

"Hero, spare my life! I was just doing my job, it has nothing to do with me!"

"Have everyone else go downstairs and wait."

Zhao Rui said unhappily.

"Get out, all of you, get out."

The man hurriedly waved his hand, signaling his men to leave the room and the residential building.

(End of this chapter)