The old man looked at Qi Rong disdainfully, as if to say, "You young man, don't be blind to real talent."
Qi Rong stared back haughtily. Using his well - honed sarcastic skills from childhood, he said,
"A real master never brags about being the best in the world or begs others to be his disciples!"
In his opinion, this old man was just a swindler and a madman. If such a person could be the best in the world, then he could be the leader of the martial arts world!
"Stinky brat, do you think I fancy you?"
Qi Rong looked skeptical. His sarcasm almost made the old man choke with anger. Unable to hold back, the old man rolled up his sleeves, put his hands on his hips, and glared at Qi Rong.
This stinky brat seemed to be forcing him to show off all his skills to open this kid's eyes!
Seeing that talking was useless, the old man immediately got into position.
First, he demonstrated his light - body skill on the lake beside the wooden house, running on the water as if walking on flat ground. Then, using his hand as a blade, he easily cut off several bamboo poles. Finally, he took out a dart and shot down two wild geese flying across the sky...
Finally, the old man was out of breath. He quickly walked up to Qi Rong and said proudly,
"Well? I didn't lie to you, did I? If you were to worship me as your master, it would be a blessing you've earned in eight lifetimes!"
The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead while looking at Qi Rong expectantly.
He thought that Qi Rong would surely change his mind and worship him as his master this time!
However, instead of looking at the old man with admiration as the old man had expected, Qi Rong remained calm. He casually handed the old man a few walnuts.
"Can you crack walnuts?"
"What's so difficult about that?"
Thinking that Qi Rong was giving him a test, the old man immediately cracked the walnuts with a few sharp noises.
Qi Rong took the crushed walnuts from the old man, frowned slightly, but still picked out the small pieces of walnut kernels and put them into his mouth.
Watching Qi Rong eat the walnuts intently, the old man was confused and anxious.
"What's the deal? At least say something!"
This stinky brat ate his walnuts without even asking. On his territory, he acted more like the master. How outrageous!
While picking out the walnuts, Qi Rong glanced at the old man distractedly and said disinterestedly,
"Not bad, but not as exciting as the street performer who breaks stones on his chest."
"What did you say?!"
The old man couldn't believe his ears. He stared at Qi Rong with wide - open eyes in anger.
So all his efforts were just like a monkey show to this kid?
"Stop eating!"
The old man slapped the walnuts out of Qi Rong's hand. If it weren't for the fact that the boy was still young, with that sarcastic tongue, he would have slapped him to death long ago!
Seeing the walnuts being knocked away, Qi Rong, who was already starving, wasn't happy either.
"You claim to be the best in the world? You're already out of breath after just a little bit of practice. If I were to worship you as my master, people would laugh their heads off!"
"You little brat, say that again!!"
The old man roared in anger, feeling greatly humiliated.
Hearing the old man scolding him again, Qi Rong got angry and sneered coldly,
"I'm saying that you're so old that you're deaf. Don't even dream of taking in a disciple. Just find a coffin and wait to die!"
Thus, the old man and the young boy stared at each other, neither willing to give in, and the stalemate lasted for a long time.
"Do you really not want to recognize me as your master?"
The old man asked again, and Qi Rong refused straightforwardly,
"No!"
The old man had dared to scold him once. He had been very restrained not to curse the old man's ancestors. There was no way he would worship him as his master. Just thinking about it made him angry!
Looking at Qi Rong's stubborn little face, the old man's expression was very gloomy.
The old man was straightforward and very stubborn. Once he had set his mind on taking someone as his disciple, it was very difficult for him to change his mind.
If it were someone else, they might have given in to the old man's persistence and nodded to become his disciple. However, Qi Rong had been a man of his word since childhood and was extremely stubborn!
So, when these two stubborn people got together and neither was willing to yield, in the end, it was the old man who made a compromise.
"Fine. How about this? If you call me Uncle Yang, I'll teach you martial arts."
The old man glared at Qi Rong, looking as if to say, "You should be content. That's enough!"
Although the old man seemed to be quite old, his light - body skill was as agile as a swallow. Once he made a move, his momentum was overwhelming. He could also identify objects by sound and shoot down flying birds without even looking.
Without solid skills, it was impossible to have such abilities!
This old man really did have some skills!
The reason he was being bullied now was that he didn't have any self - defense skills. If he could learn these martial arts from the old man, he would never be at the mercy of others again!
One day, he would be able to avenge his enemies!
Qi Rong hesitated for a long time, then reluctantly mumbled,
"Old Yang."
Hearing Qi Rong speak, the old man was stunned for a moment. Seeing Qi Rong's reluctant expression, the old man immediately burst out laughing. He reached out and touched Qi Rong's head.
"What do you mean 'Old Yang'? Is that what you should call me? Call me Uncle Yang!"
Qi Rong glanced at him and sneered,
"You're older than my father. Aren't you ashamed to ask me to call you Uncle Yang?"
"Stinky brat, I'm not that old. Don't judge people by their appearance!"
"How long has it been since you looked in the mirror?"
"You ungrateful disciple, how dare you say that?!"
"I'm not your disciple!"
At that time, he didn't know that the old man wasn't actually old. He had been poisoned by his enemies, which had changed his originally handsome appearance. In fact, he was only forty at that time, much younger than his father, the emperor.
He also didn't expect that the old man was already terminally ill at that time. He spat out blood and died a few years later, before he could even call him master.
"Old Yang said that only when people are facing life - and - death situations can they unleash their strength. Only with persistent and hard training can they save their lives in critical moments."
So, for the sake of survival and revenge, he trained harder than anyone else and had never slacked off.
Training his speed under poison arrows was just a small part of his martial arts training.
"How could this happen?"
Yun Xi's eyes were red and her nose was a bit sore. She couldn't help feeling sad.
She felt sad for the hardships Qi Rong had endured and for his unfulfilled master - disciple relationship.
No wonder Qi Rong trained so 'self - destructively'. It turned out he had such a sad past.
Seeing Yun Xi crying sadly, Qi Rong smiled gently. He put his arm around her slender shoulders and said,
"It's all in the past. You don't have to feel sorry for me."
This had been his way of survival for a long time. He was used to it and didn't think it was a big deal.
Feeling Qi Rong kiss the corner of her eye, Yun Xi realized that she had been crying. She quickly wiped away her tears and pouted,
"Who feels sorry for you? I got sand in my eyes!"
Thinking of what Qi Rong had said at the beginning, Yun Xi couldn't help asking in confusion,
"Didn't you say he hated you? But I feel like he really cared about you."
Otherwise, who would be willing to pass on all their life - long knowledge to someone they hated?