A Family of Scoundrels
Linda had always assumed that Luke was such a scoundrel due to his own personality, but today she realized that it all stemmed from a single source.
What kind of people are in this family?
One old man was a blind bandit who couldn't stop making lewd comments—clearly a shameless pervert. The other was a partially paralyzed gang boss with a terrifying temper who actually used a whip on his own grandson? Violence! Absolute violence! How could a family like this possibly raise a decent person?
And then there was this one...
Linda glanced at the old beggar and curled her lip in disdain. "A pretentious old man who wants to be my master, hmpf!"
Lingxu Zi had lived for over sixty years and had seen all types of people. This blonde, blue-eyed, sweet-looking girl was clearly a rebellious problem child with a bit of a temper, but her character wasn't bad.
Power is a seductive thing. Few people with immense power willingly choose an ordinary life, but this girl had. This was good, truly good!
Lingxu Zi looked at her with increasing interest.
"Young lady, your strength is great, far surpassing ordinary people, but do you know how to use it?"
Linda scoffed. "Just hit things, right?"
"No, no!"
Lingxu Zi stroked his beard. "Hitting things with your fist is the lowest form of power application. True power must be used as you please, like this..."
The old man raised his hand and waved it gently.
SMACK!
A clear handprint appeared on a tree trunk several meters away.
"This is how power is applied."
Lingxu Zi slightly lifted his head, appearing profound and inscrutable.
Linda was stunned. She walked over to the trunk and inspected it closely.
It's real!
It wasn't some projection trick!
This old man managed to leave a handprint on the tree with a strike from a distance. She knew she could do it too, but she'd have to make contact. She couldn't possibly achieve that effect from meters away.
Could this be the legendary Chinese martial arts they talk about in TV dramas?
Linda stroked her chin, growing curious. After a moment, she tentatively asked,
"A shockwave?"
Lingxu Zi smiled faintly and shook his head. "In our terms, it's called Air-Splitting Palm Force. Here, you might call it an externalized energy attack. It's an extremely sophisticated method of energy application. Would you like to learn?"
Linda wasn't sure what the old man's motive was. Who teaches someone martial arts at a first meeting?
However, she was genuinely curious.
"You... you're sure... you want to teach me?"
Lingxu Zi chuckled. "Young lady, don't be nervous. I don't want anything from you. I simply don't want to waste such excellent natural talent. As the saying goes, a true master is hard to find, and a brilliant student is rare. If I miss a prodigy like you, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
The girl was flattered and embarrassed.
"You're not fooling me, are you? Am I really a martial arts prodigy?"
"Naturally! This old man has lived for over sixty years and has never been wrong. The moment I saw you, I knew you were a once-in-a-century martial arts genius. Your bones are unique, and your body contains immense energy. If you only practice diligently, you can certainly master the Air-Splitting Palm to its highest degree, punching through rock from a thousand meters away. Your achievements will far surpass mine."
Linda's eyes shone. "Seriously?"
"Of course it's serious."
"Then how do I start practicing?"
"To practice martial arts, you must join a sect and take a master. Those are the rules. Your name is Linda, right?"
The girl nodded. "My Earth name is Linda Danvers, and my real name is Kara Zor-El. You can just call me Linda."
Earth name?
Lingxu Zi's mouth twitched. What is going on? Is she an alien? He hesitated for a few seconds, then asked,
"Are your parents still alive?"
"They're both dead."
"When did they pass away?"
"They died over twenty years ago. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, nothing at all."
Lingxu Zi laughed weakly, but his heart was troubled. The girl looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, but her parents died over twenty years ago. The timeline doesn't match! He'd never heard of people having children after they died.
Or maybe... she really is an alien.
No, I must ask that bastard kid. I refuse to be tricked by him again.
Even though I, Lingxu Zi, am down on my luck, I cannot accept an alien as my disciple. This isn't a race issue; it's a matter of principle.
Thinking this, he stroked his beard and became even more profoundly inscrutable.
"We shouldn't rush the matter of accepting a master. Go back and think about it for a few days, and look up the etiquette of the master-disciple relationship in China. Then you can give me your answer."
Hearing this, Linda no longer had any doubts. The old man wasn't a trickster; he truly valued her martial arts talent!
"Then the day after tomorrow. I'll come find you the day after tomorrow."
The girl, feeling like she had been blessed by good fortune, skipped away happily. As she imagined punching her cousin, Kal-El, from thousands of meters away, her eyes filled with determination. Wait for me, good cousin! Once I learn martial arts, I'll talk to you right away.
I'm going to pay back every single punch you ever gave me, multiplied.
A Master Betrayed
...
After the girl left, Lingxu Zi turned and went to Luke's room. He closed the door and said angrily,
"You little brat, who exactly is that girl?"
"A woman! Can't you even see that?"
"Speak like a person, not a ghost."
Luke closed his laptop. "What did you find?"
The old man stepped closer and whispered, "Is she an alien?"
Luke paused. "How did you know?"
"I knew it!"
The old man slapped his thigh and cursed angrily. "You little bastard! Can't you bring back normal people? That driver, Adam, clearly has issues—his eyes are utterly cold, without a shred of human emotion, like a living corpse! And now this one, an alien!"
"I, the Great Daoist, was almost tricked by you into taking an alien as a disciple!"
"Ancestors above, if the Lingxu Sect's secrets fall into the hands of an alien, how can I ever face you?"
"Hurry up and get that alien out of here! I don't want to see her!"
Luke coughed, frantically trying to signal with his eyes.
"Keep it down! She'll hear you!"
"Hear what, you fool? Your room's soundproofing is so good, no one would hear even if your bed collapsed!"
Luke picked up his phone. "Well, I have something to do, so I'll be stepping out now. You two chat!"
With that, he bolted from the room without looking back.
Lingxu Zi's body stiffened. He slowly turned his head and saw the Kryptonian girl standing in the doorway. He managed a smile that was worse than a cry.
"Well... well, please don't take what I just said personally. I... I... I..."
"I hate it most when people lie to me," Linda said, clenching her fist.
The air popped in her palm, and a red glow filled her eyes, radiating an immense, unimaginable pressure.
Lingxu Zi was about to break down. That damned brat! He tricked me again! Did I wrong you in a past life, or did I provoke you, that you have to keep tricking me every day?
"Young lady, don't be angry! Please don't be angry! It's bad for your health! Whatever you want to learn, I'll teach it! I'll teach all of it!"
Linda narrowed her eyes and said expressionlessly,
"Out of consideration for Luke, I'll forgive you this time. From now on, you'll teach me that Air-Splitting Palm thing. If I don't learn it, I'll crush you into dust."
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!