Chapter 139 - Artifacts

When Xiao Qiang left, Wang Ming couldn't help but ask. "Shifu, don't you like Xiao Qiang? Why do you treat him like that? From what I heard, he even wanted to buy you a house, isn't he a good Shizhi?(Martial Nephew)" Jie scoffed at what Wang Ming and said with a cynical tone. "Do you really think he's that good? You should be more careful disciple, there are some nasty people out there, who'll do anything to further their agenda. You don't even know him why should he be good to you?"

Wang Ming had no answer. Is Xiao Qiang truly bad? Had he misjudged the old man? Xiao Qiang had done nothing, even if he just wants to make Wang Ming owe him, what could he give such a powerful man? "I'm just messing you, Xiao Qiang and me are the only ones left in the Chou Wing Chun school. He's a good man, willing to do anything to make the school popular again. He's much better than me, I'm just a nobody now."

Seeing his Shifu depressed, Wang Ming wanted to cheer him up by telling him his story. "Shifu, since we've just got to know each other, let me tell you my story." Wang Ming stopped to see if Shifu wanted to hear the story. Seeing him nod, Wang Ming told him his story about his mother. Then about how his father got scammed up to when he fought with Hou Zhenan, or got beaten up.

"Wait, so you with no martial arts tried to intervene? Are you crazy? No wonder you got beaten to a pulp. This happened only two months ago? How are you healed already? Even if you heal fast, there's no way that you can fight already." Wang Ming just put his finger over his mouth, which made Jie stop his questioning.

Even though they say one day a teacher a lifetime a father, Wang Ming couldn't tell his Shifu about all his secrets, so he omitted everything about the dream and the voice. He just told him after being in a coma for a month he woke up. His arms had healed, but his legs were still crippled. Wang Ming then told him about how he sold on the street until he opened his own restaurant. Instead of telling him the truth about how his legs got better, as Wang Ming wasn't even sure himself, he told him he met a mysterious old man who gave him a pill that not only healed his body but also strengthened it.

"You lucky brat! You probably met a cultivator he must top cultivator to afford to give you such a high-grade pill!" Wang Ming couldn't believe that his Shifu had believed his lie. "What's a cultivator Shifu?"

"Right, since you're a normal person, you probably don't know what a cultivator is. Cultivators are incredibly rare to come by, they aren't like how we see in the movies or books where they can fly or kill hundreds of people in seconds. But they're a lot stronger than normal human beings. Some can even block bullets with proper equipment. Getting on the road to cultivation is all up to fate, the only way is to get exposed to a sentient artifact. There are two types of artifacts sentient and just artifact. Sentient artifacts if you have the right affinity can lead you on the path of cultivation, while normal artifacts can't. But they have their own uses."

Wang Ming felt his head spin from what his Shifu was telling him, cultivation? Artifacts? Wang Ming wanted to cheer him up with his story, but he got a headache. If Wang Ming didn't know better he would think that his Shifu is crazy, but then maybe he is? Jie had noticed Wang Ming's expression, so he stopped his explanation. He understood that this is like telling someone that aliens exist. He would just have to show Wang Ming some cold-hard proof.

"I know it sounds impossible, disciple. But let me show you something you will understand." Wang Ming didn't want to be disrespectful, so he nodded respectfully. Jie then went up to his room to get some stuff, Wang Ming wanted to help him but his Shifu just brushed his arm away. "Just wait here for a moment I'll get the artifacts, then I'm coming back down."

Hearing what his Shifu said made Wang Ming unsure. Does artifacts truly exist? Did he come in contact with an artifact is that why his body is changing? Is the voice truly only an artifact? It didn't take long for Jie to get the stuff, even though his body is frail. His steps were quick and decisive.

In only thirty seconds, his Shifu had brought down four items, a robe, a knife, a pistol and a mannequin. "Is this the artifacts, Shifu?" Jie just nodded at Wang Ming. The items truly looked normal, but the power they hold is big. "Don't underestimate the items I brought disciple they hold significant power, well except from the mannequin. Let me show you."

Jie then put the robe on the mannequin, the robe looked like a monk's robe. The robe was so thin that the person wearing it would freeze using it outside. "Now disciple, take the pistol and shoot the mannequin don't worry, it's a special type of pistol totally silenced. If you see the barrel attachment, the attachment is even longer than the pistol it's to 'contain' all the sound." Wang Ming had no idea how his Shifu had gotten his hand on such a pistol, but when he asked, Jie just smiled at him.

Holding the pistol, Wang Ming aimed right at the c.h.e.s.t of the mannequin. He could feel his hands shaking even though he only aimed at a mannequin. He got flashbacks from when he shot Hou Zhenan. Even though he knew he had done the right thing, the guilt of taking a human life still rides on his conscience. "Fire!" Getting the signal from his Shifu, Wang Ming fired a bullet at the mannequin, but to his surprise it's almost like the robe absorbed the impact of the bullet. He ran up to inspect the mannequin but couldn't see any signs of the shot at all. The bullet had hit the robe, then fell straight to the ground.

"Now try with the knife." Grabbing the knife Wang Ming stabbed the mannequin he didn't think it would differ from the last time but to his surprise the knife went not only through the robe but since he had used a lot of force, his hand and arm followed the knife right through the mannequin. Pulling his arm out of the mannequin, Wang Ming's eyes widened to see how much destruction such a small knife could do. The knife looked just like a small kitchen knife. He wanted to inspect the knife further, but his Shifu stopped him. "Be careful, the knife is dangerous! You could lose a finger if you're not careful. The person who gave me it, lost his entire hand trying to inspect the knife."

Wang Ming hurriedly put the knife back on the table and didn't dare to touch it after his Shifu's warning he still wanted his hand. "Shifu the knife is incredible! How is it possible that such a small knife could penetrate something not even a pistol could?" Jie smiled and said calmly. "That's the beauty of artifacts, disciple. Do you believe in cultivators and artifacts now?" He hurriedly nodded his head. Why would he not believe it? Unless it's a trick?

Wang Ming grabbed the pistol again that he had just used earlier. He tried to shoot through the robe once again, but it didn't work. Jie just smiled at Wang Ming's actions. He didn't feel it's too weird as the concept of artifacts is something truly unexplainable. Taking off the robe Wang Ming shot the mannequin this time the bullet went straight through the mannequin hitting the wall behind it. Seeing the impact point, Wang Ming now knew everything's real.