Chen Yunfei took out another cigarette, lit it, and continued his story. "Na just died like that. Out of guilt, I went to her home. It was a very remote village in the countryside of Bangkok. The village was so dilapidated it didn't even have electricity, and the houses were made of simple brick and tile. Na’s parents were honest people; they didn't really blame me for what happened. They just said it was Na’s cruel fate and that she took her emotions too much to heart. Still, I gave them a sum of money as compensation. I thought that was the end of it, but three days later, at Na’s funeral, I saw a strange monk. His face and arms were covered in bizarre totems. I heard others call him Master Ajarn; he was a well-known local practitioner of black magic. And, of course, the most unfortunate part was that this sorcerer was actually Na’s own uncle."
As he spoke, the fingers holding the cigarette were trembling; it was clear he was still deeply terrified by the events of that day.
"And then?" Chen Jiaxin asked curiously, already captivated by her brother’s story.
Chen Yunfei took another drag and said, "At the funeral, I noticed this sorcerer staring at me the whole time. When I looked back, he smiled at me and said something I didn't understand—it seemed to be a local dialect. After he finished speaking, he left. Out of curiosity, I wrote down the phrase after the funeral and asked a local villager about it. Once the villager translated it for me, I was paralyzed with fear. The translation of that dialect was: 'A debt of money must be repaid with money, a debt of blood with blood. You, this man from the Xia Kingdom...'—referring to me—'shall die in the most agonizing of curses, and you will never find peace in the afterlife.'"
At this point, Chen Yunfei’s fingers shook even more violently. He took another drag, coughed heavily a few times, and continued.
"Once I understood his meaning, I was terrified. I left Na’s home as fast as I could, bought a plane ticket, and boarded a flight back home that same night. I figured that no matter how powerful he was, he couldn't possibly chase me all the way to our country. For the first month after I returned, everything was fine. Gradually, I forgot about him, thinking I had just been overthinking things. But then, as you all know, my body suddenly began to suffer from inexplicable pain. The pain grew from mild to severe, and only today did I learn that I had been afflicted by a needle curse. Naturally, this means that Na’s uncle, the sorcerer, has followed me here. I have heard that for a sorcerer to cast a curse, the two parties cannot be too far apart. He must be in Chuzhou."
Chen Yunfei let out a long sigh, his face filled with sorrow.
Upon hearing this, Elder Chen grew anxious. He immediately took out his phone and made a call, ordering his subordinates to investigate any sorcerers who had recently arrived in Thailand.
It must be said that Elder Chen’s information network was quite extensive; in less than half an hour, there was a result. Elder Chen’s phone rang—it was clearly his subordinate.
"What? He’s in Feng Village... I understand."
Elder Chen hung up the phone and looked at Chen Yunfei. "Yunfei, a Thai monk has indeed arrived in Chuzhou recently. He is staying in Feng Village. Does that monk have a snake totem tattooed on his arm?"
"Yes, that’s him! I remember it very clearly. Na’s uncle, that sorcerer, had a black snake tattoo on his arm. It looked so real that it left a deep impression on me. It seems he really has come; he’s here to avenge Na," Chen Yunfei exclaimed, a look of horror appearing on his face.
"Yunfei, don't panic. Grandfather has a plan. At worst, I will go find Master Huang and ask him to deal with that sorcerer. We will certainly eliminate him." Elder Chen stroked his beard as he spoke.
"Oh, who is Master Huang?" Qin Yanyan asked curiously.
"Master Huang is the head of the Huang Family Martial Arts School here in Chuzhou. He is an Internal Force Martial Artist at the Minor Accomplishment stage," Chen Jiaxin explained.
"Internal Force Minor Accomplishment? A martial artist?" Qin Yanyan asked, intrigued.
"Since Mr. Qin is not a member of the martial arts world, let me explain. Martial artists is a general term for people who practice martial arts. They are divided into those who use External Force and those who use Internal Force. External Force refers to common practitioners, like those who do karate or taekwondo. Internal Force Martial Artists are much more powerful; they have cultivated internal energy. Some can even dodge bullets or scale walls."
"Internal Force is further divided into Novice, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Peak. Beyond Internal Force, there are Grandmasters, but that is too far away—we don't have many Grandmasters in our entire Xia Kingdom. Even though Master Huang is only at the Minor Accomplishment stage, he is still incredibly powerful. I’ve seen him shatter a brick with a single punch," Chen Jiaxin explained in detail.
Qin Yanyan understood now. Things like Internal Force, Grandmaster, and Divine Realm were just the levels for martial artists on Earth, much like his own Immortal Cultivation levels of Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core.
"Jiaxin, have the car prepared. I’m going to pay a visit to Master Huang. As for you, Yunfei, since you’ve just recovered from such an illness, stay home and rest," Elder Chen ordered immediately.
Elder Chen’s vehicle was a black Rolls-Royce Phantom, which was said to have cost the Chen Family thirty million. Since Qin Yanyan had nothing better to do, he got in the car as well, planning to see this so-called Master Huang.
The Huang Family Martial Arts School was located in the center of Chuzhou and had been built in the late Qing Dynasty, boasting over 100 years of history.
As soon as Qin Yanyan and his group arrived at the school, they could hear the sounds of heavy strikes from the entrance. Once inside, Qin Yanyan saw the courtyard filled with students in white training uniforms. Some were practicing their punches and kicks against sandbags hanging from frames, while others were thrusting their hands into basins filled with iron sand to practice the Iron Palm technique. Their arrival naturally drew everyone's attention.
"Who are you looking for?" A slightly tall young man who had been hitting a sandbag walked over, looked at Elder Chen, and asked.
"Is Master Huang in? I am a close friend of his," Elder Chen asked politely, cupping his hands in a salute.
"Master Huang is currently in seclusion practicing a martial art. However, today happens to be the day he is scheduled to come out. You can sit over there and wait; he should be out soon." Hearing that they were friends of Master Huang, the young man became much more courteous. He pointed toward a row of chairs in the corner of the courtyard, gesturing for them to sit, then returned to the group to rest.
"Let’s go. Since we have time, let’s wait for him," Elder Chen said, walking over to the chairs first. Qin Yanyan and Chen Jiaxin followed and sat down.