parentshiftbook Chapter 15 The sad thick barrier
Chapter 15 The sad thick barrier
Lu Li also noticed Zhang Wu coming out.
Putting aside the crowded people, the continuous laughter alone was hard to ignore.
He only glanced at it and didn't think about going up to chat or deliberately befriend it.
Being neither humble nor arrogant has always been his habit.
Of course, Lu Li had thought a lot about what to say in his blessing. Although he was somewhat envious of Zhang Wu's sudden rise to power, he sincerely wished him well.
After all, Zhang Wu had previously recounted his family background: his parents had both died, and his elder sister had raised him alone. To support his martial arts training, his sister sold her dowry to pay for his tuition. His living expenses were also earned by his sister through weaving cloth every day, amounting to only a few hundred copper coins a month.
Moreover, there were local bullies who frequently harassed the siblings.
How can one word describe how tragic it was?
Lu Li had met Zhang Wu's sister before. She wasn't exactly a "national beauty," but rather a typical image of a rural woman from a backward region.
His complexion was sallow, his skin was dark, and his hands were covered with needle marks and calluses...
When she met Lu Li, she kept asking him to take care of her younger brother.
Those at the bottom are most able to empathize with those at the bottom.
Therefore, Lu Li held blessings for Zhang Wu's current rise to power.
At least his unfortunate sister can finally live a good life.
If it were me, I would want my parents to come back, my third uncle and aunt to have an easier time, and ideally, to move into the safer inner city so that my younger sister could marry a good man in the future.
"I need to start practicing harder too." Lu Li knew that daydreaming was useless.
Only a few days until the breakthrough!
As long as I can break through this barrier and move into the inner city, providing my family with a stable life will not be a dream!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Lu Li was hitting his favorite sandbag.
……
That night.
Lu Li dragged his tired body back to the dormitory.
I was really motivated by what happened with Zhang Wu today, so I worked harder.
At that moment, Zhang Wu, reeking of alcohol and with a flushed face, was drunkenly packing up his belongings.
Upon seeing Lu Li return, Zhang Wu let out a burp.
Today he was treated to a banquet by his fellow disciples, and he was wondering why he hadn't seen Lu Li.
But now that he'd seen it, his eyes widened in complex emotions as he opened his mouth:
"Master Lu..."
Calling him Senior Brother Lu had become a habit, but Zhang Wu felt it was inappropriate.
After a moment, he continued:
"Junior Brother Lu, I'm moving to the inner courtyard."
He was an inner disciple of the academy and a close disciple of Master Qin, possessing superior aptitude and a smooth path in martial arts. In contrast, Lu Li was a disciple who had been in the academy for nearly five months without even attempting to enter the gates.
How could I call him senior brother?
Junior Brother Lu?
Lu Li smiled helplessly.
Has it really changed in the end?
At this moment, Zhang Wu's figure gradually overlapped with Liu Zheng's from not long ago before him.
He still remembered that not long ago, Zhang Wu was indignant because Liu Zheng called him "Junior Brother Lu".
He remembered that after that incident, Zhang Wu cautiously asked him, hoping that he wouldn't turn his back on someone like Liu Zheng did in the future...
Furthermore, he resolved to achieve something and was not ashamed of Liu Zheng's behavior.
How did he suddenly transform into this kind of person?
Although Lu Li felt regretful, he still offered his congratulations.
This is indeed a joyous occasion.
Zhang Wu noticed the coldness in Lu Li's tone, and immediately, he sobered up a bit.
He felt a little regretful, but when he opened his mouth, he felt there was nothing to say.
Lu Li and I are of superior and inferior aptitude, respectively. Only when we live in the same dormitory can we pave a path for each other and have a tiny bit of interaction.
The other party will likely be unable to get through, and will only leave in disappointment.
His stage was the entire city of Lin'an, and even the entire Dayong Dynasty!
In the end, Zhang Wu left.
Lu Li sighed.
He knew that a sad, thick barrier had already separated them.
I guess everyone has their own path.
Of the three people sleeping in the dormitory, only Lu Li remained.
"It's become a private room now, I guess. I'll sleep sideways tonight."
……
Just three days after Zhang Wu was promoted to a disciple of the Qin Master, news of Zhang Wu came from the inner courtyard again.
Zhang Wu has entered the stage of mastery.
He became a Ming Jin martial artist in less than a month.
This news undoubtedly caused a huge stir.
"Less than a month! Is this what genius is? I've been practicing for four months and haven't even accumulated enough energy yet..."
"You have no idea, Master treated him like his own son, feeding him all sorts of nourishing foods and medicines without restraint!"
"My master said he will definitely reach the Transformation Realm in the future, and may even surpass it!"
The disciples were undoubtedly very envious.
None of them didn't want to be like Zhang Wu, and the vast majority of them wanted to curry favor with and flatter Zhang Wu.
Lu Li felt a pang of regret. He had to acknowledge the gap between them, but he did not resign himself to fate. Instead, he diligently practiced stances and boxing.
Those disciples who wanted to curry favor with Zhang Wu initially did so because of their affection for Zhang Wu, and they also wanted to curry favor with Lu Li. However, as time went on, people gradually discovered that not only had Lu Li not gone to look for Zhang Wu, but Zhang Wu had also never mentioned Lu Li's name.
The two seemed to have parted ways.
A perceptive person noticed that the relationship between the two did not seem as close as they had previously observed.
Regarding the two "parting ways," different versions have emerged in people's minds. Some say that Lu Li was jealous of Zhang Wu's promotion, while others say that Lu Li was arrogant and self-important...
In short, their attitude towards Lu Li changed once again.
"Instead of spending time practicing stances and boxing, you should cultivate a good relationship with Senior Brother Zhang Wu."
"Exactly! Heaven placed this shortcut right in front of him, yet he couldn't seize it!"
Zhou Miao and Wang Wei, who had previously invited Lu Li to hang out with them, couldn't help but express their disdain, saying that Lu Li was "hopeless and incompetent."
At the same time, they also felt a little regretful that they hadn't seized the opportunity to befriend Zhang Wu earlier, as it would be quite difficult to meet him now.
Lu Li had already seen through all of this, but he was not affected by it.
He was a somewhat reclusive person to begin with, and in the past he only had some social interaction with Zhang Wu. Now that rumors and gossip are rampant, it has given him a quiet environment.
His only goal was to practice martial arts.
……
The high platform in the inner courtyard, which overlooks the entire outer courtyard, is a favorite spot for several inner courtyard disciples with internal strength, because from this vantage point, where they can "see all the mountains as small," they can have a feeling of looking down on all living beings.
Originally, it was just a fighting platform, built high so that outer court disciples could admire it and strive for it.
At this moment, the eldest senior brother Liang Jing, the third senior sister Xu Fang, and the newly joined Zhang Wu all stopped here.
Xu Fang keenly noticed that her newly recruited junior brother seemed to really enjoy coming here to gaze in a certain direction.
"Junior Brother Zhang, what are you looking at?" she couldn't help but ask curiously.
Senior Brother Liang Jing, equally curious, followed Zhang Wu's gaze and, seeing Lu Li diligently practicing on the plum blossom stakes, smiled at Xu Fang:
"Junior sister, isn't that your attendant? I haven't seen him for a while."
Xu Fang gave a soft snort.
She didn't have a deep impression of Lu Li, only remembering that he used to always follow behind Zhou Miao and Wang Wei.
She changed the subject:
"Junior Brother Zhang, are you very familiar with this person?"
Zhang Wu's expression was somewhat complicated. Looking at the figure diligently practicing his stance under the scorching sun, he opened his mouth, but ultimately only uttered:
"Irrelevant."