Chapter 67 The Duan Brothers
They were happily drinking beer.
“Shall I take you home?”
“What’s up?”
“Are you wearing leather pants and black stockings?”
“No?”
“Then why the hell are you talking nonsense?”
In the end, under Zhang Ze’s urging, Qi Lijun also sat beside him, and by now, everyone was feeling a bit tipsy.
...
On the other side.
Three young men dressed in matching gray-white martial arts uniforms, their features strikingly similar, stood together. The leader surveyed the surroundings with a constant frown, his voice tinged with disdain. “No wonder Master forbids us from descending the mountain so easily.”
“People are all so restless, lost in the illusion of neon lights and nightlife. How could someone truly lead the world in martial arts emerge from this chaos?”
The young man speaking was Duan Hong, the eldest of the three brothers. The two standing beside him were Duan Peng and Duan Wuren.
These three were the disciples from Jiuhua Sect sent to attend the martial arts exchange conference.
Upon hearing their elder brother’s remarks, Duan Peng quickly agreed, “Big brother is absolutely right.”
“If the Anqing Martial Bureau was founded in this kind of environment, it’s not worth our time!”
Duan Hong, hearing this, was very satisfied. Yet the youngest, Duan Wuren, furrowed his brow and cautioned his brothers in a low voice, “We can’t underestimate the Anqing Martial Bureau.”
“In recent decades, the nation has vigorously promoted martial bureaus. With their four-year cycle, they’ve produced many renowned experts!”
However, Duan Hong and Duan Peng only responded with cold laughter and said nothing more.
...
“Those three—”
“They really are the Duan brothers!”
Everyone was drinking beer, and most of them were already feeling a bit fuzzy. However, Leng Bingbing and Zhang Qingping, the two women, stayed sober, having abstained from alcohol.
In a casual turn of her head, Leng Bingbing’s gaze landed on the Duan brothers. Her murmured observation beside him piqued Zhang Ze’s interest, and he followed her gaze, indeed spotting the trio.
“They’re the disciples from Jiuhua Sect?”
“Why do they look so clueless?”
In truth, Zhang Ze’s words were nothing more than a thoughtless quip, perhaps due to the beer.
Or perhaps he’d simply had too much to drink and was feeling bloated. Yet to his surprise, someone immediately chimed in.
“No need to say they look clueless; those three are genuinely a bunch of fools.”
After a few encounters, Zhang Ze was well familiar with Zhang Qingping’s character: forthright and decisive to the core.
With Zhang Qingping backing him, the group, fueled by their drunkenness, grew more curious.
“Tell us more?”
...
It turned out that Changshan City, home to Yangyue Martial Arts Hall, was not far from Jiuhua Sect’s location. Both sides had heard plenty of rumors about each other.
As for the Duan brothers, Zhang Qingping and Leng Bingbing had kept an eye on them before.
Strictly speaking, Zhang Qingping’s labeling them as fools wasn’t entirely accurate. No one wants to be thought of that way, but the Duan brothers, shaped by an environment entirely different from most present, naturally stood out as oddities.
...
Speaking of the Duan brothers.
They were those martial arts novel types, spending years on the mountain, single-mindedly pursuing martial cultivation.
Unlike Huizhou Martial Transport, which seized opportunities to change and adapt amid societal transformation and rapid technological progress, sects like Jiuhua chose to reject adaptation, stubbornly adhering to outdated ways.
Such traditional martial arts sects, their generations of leaders disliked interacting with modern society and forbade disciples from mingling among common folk.
Over time, this made them increasingly isolated and unable to relate to the world.
That’s why many traditional martial sects have gradually declined, their arts passed on only within the clan.
Take Jiuhua Sect for example: if they hadn’t reached the point where cultivation was nearly impossible, their leader Duan Qingyang would never have agreed to open Jiuhua Mountain as a tourist attraction.
...
After Leng Bingbing and Zhang Qingping finished explaining, Zhang Ze essentially understood the situation with the Duan brothers.
Grinning, he asked quietly, “We can’t just talk about how foolish they are—surely there’s something admirable about them?”
Leng Bingbing appreciated Zhang Ze’s broad-mindedness and smiled, “The foremost merit of these traditional sects is their martial arts heritage…”
“You don’t get what Ze-ge means.”
Even though Leng Bingbing spoke thoroughly, Peng Fei interjected.
“He’s not talking about that kind of merit!”
As he explained, Peng Fei mimed grabbing something with his hand.
The two women, seeing his gesture, immediately understood what he meant by “admirable.” The faint goodwill they’d just felt for Zhang Ze vanished instantly.
Zhang Qingping was speechless and simply ignored them.
Leng Bingbing pouted, clearly annoyed with Zhang Ze.
In the end, Qi Lijun spoke on behalf of the women, “You’re not wrong—those three definitely have something… admirable about them.”
Qi Lijun seemed to have a unique constitution; after two bottles of beer, his face was flushed.
Peng Fei, hearing this, blinked at him and swore, “Brother Jun, just tell me a bit, and I’ll pick you up from the dorm every day from now on.”
“If you’re afraid of sleeping alone in the dark, I’ll even risk my life… risk my back door… to keep you company!”
“What back door?” Leng Bingbing didn’t understand.
Qi Lijun quickly waved his hand, “I’m fine, I’m not afraid of the dark!”
“These traditional sects are increasingly disconnected from society, and that’s undeniable.”
“But as everyone knows, martial arts passed down for centuries are extremely valuable for reference.”
“Take the Modern Martial Artist Compendium, for instance: when the strong of the past systematized martial cultivation, they drew on the techniques of many traditional sects.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Peng Fei grumbled, impatient.
“Just listen!” Zhang Ze snapped at him.
Qi Lijun continued, “Some sects were willing to share their heritage, but others weren’t!”
“If you want them to hand it over, don’t you have to offer them a little sugar? Get them comfortable first?”
“So you mean—?”
For the first time, Zhang Ze realized Qi Lijun was not as simple as he appeared.
After all, he was directionally challenged, not intellectually challenged!
“You were asking if the Duan brothers have anything admirable about them, right?”
Qi Lijun went on, “From what I know, Jiuhua Sect has recently grown close with provincial weapon companies.”
“These three idiots are definitely carrying armor and weapons supplied by those companies.”
“In fact, in our upcoming sparring matches, they’ll probably use these items and perform impressively as a result!”
Everyone bristled with anger at this revelation!