Chapter Eighty-Seven: A Strange Dream

At last someone could not hold back and asked, “Mr. Wu, is this the Iron Will Fist?”

The people in the video had looked so exaggerated that it almost seemed like computer-generated special effects.

Wu You saw at a glance that the one who had asked was Wang Hui. The others had not dared to speak, but their faces all wore the same hungry desire for the truth.

“Think it looks a little unreal? Hah. You’ve even seen the Flood Dragon—do you really think I need to fake this with computer graphics to fool you?”

Wu You’s expression turned serious.

“I can tell you plainly: the highest realm of the Iron Will Fist comes close to the invulnerable body of the martial legends. Do not doubt its power.”

“So after learning it, when you get into conflict with someone, be careful how you strike.”

Wu You said with a meaning smile and a trace of mockery, “It can kill people.”

Watching the others’ eyes grow hot, and hearing the low, excited discussion they could no longer restrain, he nodded to himself. Yes, this was the proper reaction.

...

In the capital, Li Hongguang, having just finished his exercises, changed into his traditional suit.

He had originally intended to go to Riverside City earlier and express his gratitude to Wu You’s family, the people who had given him the medicine.

But ever since he recovered, many old comrades and former subordinates had come to the door to offer congratulations.

When Li Hongguang had been on the brink of death, he had sternly told them not to indulge in such tender-hearted displays as coming early to “mourn” him. Now that he was well again, he could hardly forbid people from offering congratulations. After all, the country was built on human connections.

Some of these people truly had excellent relationships with him and had not seen each other for many years; a little socializing was unavoidable.

And so, one thing after another, several days had slipped away.

The high-speed rail tickets for Riverside City had already been booked, and Lu Zhiyou had informed the Wu family in advance that he would visit on Sunday.

Only Li Youbo and the father-son pair of Lu Hanlin would accompany him.

Li Shengyao had wanted to go as well, but his father had scolded him sharply. As a military district commander, how could he run here and there without orders? They were going to express thanks, not to show off their power. He was told to stay in the army.

But there was one matter that truly gave Li Hongguang some trouble.

Since they were going to thank someone in person, what gift should they bring?

The old general, both before retirement and after, had practically never been the one giving gifts. Usually, it was others who came to his door with presents.

That was not the hard part. The hard part was that there was simply nothing suitable to give.

Was the Wu family short of money?

He checked. No. They had even more than the Li family.

As for the minor details in the investigation report that were a little unfavorable to the Wu family, Li Hongguang glanced over them and did not care. They had not disrupted society, nor sold out the interests of the nation, so it was nothing.

How many wealthy people had no problems at all? The state was not idle enough to go finding trouble with each and every one of them. The economy remained the most important thing.

And as for power, the Wu family was involved in neither politics nor the military. Even if Li Hongguang wanted to use his connections to shield them a little, there was nowhere to begin.

Then what about ordinary tonics, cigarettes, and liquor?

Please. How could anything ordinary compare with the things they already had for nourishment and health?

So the awkward truth was that he could not think of how to express his gratitude.

Though in the eyes of outsiders, the fact that Li Hongguang would personally visit to give thanks was already the greatest honor imaginable, the three generations of the Li family—old, middle, and young alike—were all as stubborn as mules, and would not think that way.

...

On Sunday morning, Wu You was sleeping in, enjoying a long-lost lazy lie-in.

Yesterday he had taken the remaining employees from headquarters, a large portion of the subsidiary staff, and several people from Hu Lei’s dormitory.

Together they had gone beneath the mountain tree, where they experienced the impact of fantasy colliding with myth.

What Wu You had not expected was that the biggest reaction came not from his own employees, but from Hu Lei and the others.

The mountain tree’s actual existence first shattered their entire worldview, and then drove them into a state of feverish excitement.

By Wu You’s account, this was a being that would eventually become the World Tree. If they could help complete a building upon it, that would be the life’s glory of any architect.

If they missed this chance, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

And the moment Wu You revealed his intention to hire them, the few of them answered almost faster than their minds could keep up.

...

At that moment, though he was asleep, Wu You’s eyelids were twitching violently.

Where am I?

He tried to open his eyes, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could only see through a narrow slit.

All around him seemed to be boundless darkness, and in the far distance, star-like lights flickered now and then.

Where is this? Space?

When he tried to move his hand, he suddenly discovered that his own body was also radiating a dense, soundless wave.

He moved his head, and black strands brushed across his shoulder.

Hair? Has my hair always been this long?

A violent wave rippled up from beneath his feet. Though no sound reached him, Wu You still understood its meaning: moo.

Only then did he realize.

Beneath his feet was a gigantic creature so vast that its edges could not be seen. The pressure it radiated distorted the surrounding space.

Turning to look around, he saw strange and uncanny creatures, bizarre or miraculous, appearing one after another at some unknown time.

They had all gathered around him.

What place was this? Why was it so unsettling?

Suddenly, every one of the creatures turned its gaze toward a certain point in the void.

As though he had only just sensed it at the very end, Wu You slowly turned his head. His eyelids were heavy, and he could still open them only a slit.

A blood-red cluster of stars began to twist and appear, little by little...

“Hahahahahahaha...”

Wu You opened his mouth and laughed wildly. The silent ripple crossed time and space, spreading outward like a storm.

A ringtone sounded from beside the bed.

A mountain in the world, is it the highest of all...

The ringtone yanked Wu You suddenly awake from the dream.

“Haah, haah, haah...”

His rough breathing mixed with the ringing of the phone.

What kind of strange dream was that?

He tried to recall it carefully, but could not remember.

A little irritated, he grabbed the phone that was still ringing and saw that the caller was Lu Zhiyou.

“Hello, Doctor Lu.”

“Hello, Mr. Wu. You remember what I mentioned last time, yes? Old General Li will arrive this afternoon. Will you be home then?”

“No problem. I’ll be home this afternoon. Come on over.”

He hung up directly, then tried once more to remember the dream from just now.

He found that when he had first awakened, he had still been able to retain a vague impression of it, but now not even a single image remained.

Forget it. It was only a dream.

He got up, washed his face, and then went into the courtyard to assume the stance of the Iron Will Fist.

After practicing for about half an hour, with a subtle tremor that seemed to sink into the bones, Wu You began to relax his posture.

A series of crisp crackling sounds rose from his muscles and bones.

Even the soil beneath his feet trembled faintly along with it, until Wu You truly settled down.

With Wu You’s current physical condition, the beginner stage of the Iron Will Fist was far too easy.

Ever since Lion-Faced Vajra had also advanced to the silver grade, his physical abilities, combined with the Iron Will Fist he practiced, had reached a nearly perverse level.

Wu You even thought that if he activated Lion-Faced Vajra’s divine beast power state, it should be roughly comparable to the supposedly invulnerable realm described by the Iron Will Fist.

But the greatest significance of the Iron Will Fist for Wu You lay in its understanding of martial technique.

“You’re up, Xiaoyou?” Zhang Guihua came over from the riverside carrying a basin of freshly washed clothes. “There’s porridge in the kitchen, along with pickles and salted duck eggs. Go have some yourself.”

People like Wu You’s parents had worked all their lives; no matter how much money there was at home, daily life was still daily life, just as it always had been.

“Where’s Dad?”

“He and Old Master Bai are up at the back hill looking at the herb garden.”

Wu You gave an “oh” and, mentioning in passing that there would be visitors in the afternoon, ran off to the kitchen to drink his porridge.