OBS Chapter 15 The Master
Chapter 15 The Master
Li Gou'er touched his arm, which was wrapped in gauze, and winced in pain.
As soon as he returned to the clinic's lobby, he saw the female doctor blushing as she and Zhao An flipped through the same booklet, her shy demeanor revealing a secret desire to look but also a fear of looking away.
"Brother Zhao, what are you two doing...?" Li Gou'er asked, puzzled.
Meng Wanyi shuddered. "That's all for today's lesson."
After saying that, the girl ran to the backyard of the clinic, snatched the fan from the young woman who was decocting medicine, and fanned the fire in a daze.
"Sister, what do you mean by this?" Meng Shao asked curiously.
"It's too hot, let's fan the fire..." Meng Wanyi said incoherently, making it even more incomprehensible.
On the other side, Li Gou'er then realized that the small book Zhao An had just been reading with the female doctor was the erotic picture book that had been found on Cao Li.
Now, Li Gou'er suddenly realized what had happened, a knowing smile appeared on his face, and he leaned closer to apologize repeatedly for ruining his elder brother's good deed.
Zhao An was too lazy to explain too much to his younger brother; he had just been asking for help to learn to read.
Without Meng Wanyi's translation, he would have had a hard time understanding this extraordinary book containing martial arts techniques.
"Take Haruko with you and go back."
It was already afternoon when Zhao Angang left the clinic. After walking through the streets and alleys, he approached the small courtyard.
Then Zhao Chunzi pointed and said, "Brother Zhao, isn't that Master Hao?"
Zhao An looked up and saw Hao Wei standing out among the crowd of peasants on the bustling street. He was dressed in a fine cotton long gown, with a square scarf on his head, his long hair tied up with a jade hairpin, and a sachet at his waist. He looked every bit the scholar and was quite conspicuous.
He was accompanied by two key members of the Tiger Head Gang.
"Master, we've been waiting for an hour already. How can Zhao An be so shameless as to keep you waiting this long?" one of the key members said impatiently.
"Having just gone through a battle, he should be at the infirmary getting his wounds checked. Just wait," Hao Wei said casually, showing no sign of urgency.
"Even if we have to wait, sir, please come inside and sit down." Another key member said, about to kick the door open.
"No, don't ruin my plans for today," Hao Wei immediately stopped him, rebuking him with displeasure.
With that kick of the door, by the time Zhao An returns, he won't have anything left to say.
Seeing this, the two gang leaders had no choice but to give up.
"May I ask what brings you here, sir?"
Zhao An's voice drifted closer. When Hao Wei saw Zhao An return, he immediately put away his folding fan, smiled, and bowed.
"It's nothing serious, I just wanted to have a cup of tea here."
Upon hearing this, Zhao An nodded, pushed open the courtyard gate, and said, "Please, Master."
The two gang leaders originally wanted to follow Hao Wei into the courtyard, but when Zhao An's eyes swept over them, they felt inexplicably afraid and dared not take a step to follow.
Even though Zhao An had little seniority in the gang, his actual combat record was still too impressive.
Especially today, he also killed a group of skilled members of the Python Gang led by Cao Li. His invisible aura was enough to instill fear in people.
"Zhao, Zhao An, we've come with the advisor..."
The key member was afraid that Zhao An would draw his sword against him, and before he could finish explaining, he heard Hao Wei turn his head and give an order.
"You two should go back."
"Okay, okay." Unable to withstand Zhao An's gaze, the key member hurriedly left, looking somewhat dejected.
On the stone table in the courtyard.
Two simple cups of hot tea were placed in front of Hao Wei and Zhao An.
Zhao An's family naturally didn't have any high-quality tea, but Hao Wei didn't seem to mind a cup of coarse tea. He still had a gentle smile on his face and took a small sip.
"The water temperature is just right."
Zhao An remained silent. He disliked the roundabout way scholars talked and waited for the gang clerk to continue.
"The gang leader already knows about Cao Li's matter, and there's been quite a reaction within the gang." Hao Wei put down his teacup and, seeing that Zhao An didn't want to talk about it anymore, he spoke frankly.
"So what does Zhou Hu want?" Zhao An asked directly.
He didn't care about the other members of the Tiger Head Gang; in his eyes, they were nothing more than a bunch of chickens and dogs. The only person he really cared about was Zhou Hu, the leader of the Tiger Head Gang.
Nowadays, he is no longer very polite to Zhou Hu, and addresses him by his given name directly.
Hao Wei simply smiled and said nonchalantly, "A martial arts master suddenly appeared in the gang at some point, so he's naturally quite suspicious and wants to confront you directly."
"But I've managed to stabilize the situation for now."
"..." Zhao Anduo glanced at the advisor twice.
The other party's words clearly showed less respect for the gang leader, and their address became more casual.
"The advisor versus the Tiger Head Gang?"
"I don't have any opinion about the Tiger Head Gang. Like you, I have no interest in them," Hao Wei said frankly.
"Is the advisor leaving?" Zhao An asked again.
Hao Wei shook his head and sighed softly, "In this world, what good place is there for a scholar like me who is powerless to even kill a chicken? Even the imperial court cannot be relied upon."
In the end, one still has to rely on a strongman for protection in order to survive in this world.
"Zhou Hu is short-sighted and unwise. The Tiger Head Gang is nothing but a rabble, and its demise is only a matter of time. If I have the opportunity, I will certainly consider finding another way out."
As Hao Wei finished speaking, his gaze returned to Zhao An.
"In my opinion, you have a brighter future than Zhou Hu."
Since the day Zhao An passed the three tests, he seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, and Hao Wei realized that perhaps he had never truly understood this young man before.
Zhao An was not a brute with only strength.
On the contrary, Zhao An was more reserved and knew how to be patient than Zhou Hu. He entered the realm of martial arts master without anyone noticing, which really shocked him.
And if I remember correctly, Zhao An is only in his early twenties this year.
Even though his current martial arts skills are not as good as Zhou Hu's, his future growth potential far exceeds that of the Tiger Head Gang leader.
He had already made up his mind about which of the two to choose.
"You want to cooperate with me?" Zhao An quickly understood Hao Wei's intention in saying this.
"That's good. How about replacing Zhou Hu with you as the leader of the Tiger Head Gang? As long as you agree, I will do my best to help you!" Hao Wei's smile faded, and his expression became serious.
His expression told Zhao An that he was not joking.
Upon hearing this, Zhao An shook his head decisively and said, "Not interested."
"You yourself said they were a bunch of rabble, so what's the use of being their leader?"
"But once you become the gang leader, you can decide how to organize the entire gang. You'll gain both power and money. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Hao Wei didn't expect Zhao An to refuse so decisively without even thinking about it.
He thought he could guess what Zhao An was thinking, but he was clearly wrong again.
Zhao An's patience and hard training were not for the purpose of becoming the leader of the Tiger Head Gang!
Zhao An finished his tea and stood up, saying, "Master is right about one thing: the demise of the Tiger Head Gang is only a matter of time. Master should make other plans as soon as possible."
"..."