Chapter 65: This Editor-in-Chief Is Rather Impressive

The Priest’s Martial Art was indeed astonishing. After spending an entire night studying it, Lu Ming realized that it could well be called an art of combat. It was a pure technique, unrelated to raw strength, yet the greater your strength, the more powerful the Priest’s Martial Art became.

Just now, without using any mana or the power of the dragon, Lu Ming had relied solely on technique to knock Qin Lan, an internal martial artist, off her feet. Although Qin Lan had been caught off guard, this was still proof enough of the art’s might.

Now, Qin Lan stood up with a grim expression, assuming a fighting stance, ready to give Lu Ming a proper match. In the past, she had never been Lu Ming’s equal; whenever they sparred, she would be defeated within twenty or thirty moves. But this time, she felt something distinctly different. When Lu Ming flicked her aside with a casual motion, she realized what was happening and tried to react, but her body was uncoordinated, beyond her control.

Perplexed, Qin Lan was eager to know what was going on.

Lu Ming, taunting her, crooked his finger, his face full of disdain.

Furious, Qin Lan lunged at him with a single swift step and brought her palm down toward his head with a slicing motion.

Yun Ketian, witnessing this, quickly scuttled to a corner; with his small frame, he couldn’t risk getting caught between the two.

As Qin Lan’s palm descended, Lu Ming closed in, ramming into her arms while lifting his knee. With that single move, Qin Lan curled up like a shrimp and was sent flying, landing right in front of Yun Ketian.

Yun Ketian glanced at her pained expression, instinctively reached out, but in the end, didn’t dare to help her up.

Lu Ming stood with hands clasped behind his back, exuding the air of a reclusive master, his gaze icy as he looked at Qin Lan.

Gritting her teeth, Qin Lan struggled to stand, glaring at Lu Ming with venomous intent.

“What are you staring at? Never seen such a handsome leader before?” Lu Ming said coolly.

“Drop dead, you bastard!”

Unwilling to accept defeat, Qin Lan cursed, then exploded forward, her palms glowing with a white mist of inner energy, slashing at Lu Ming like twin blades in a raging storm—clearly, she was truly enraged now.

Lu Ming laughed heartily, moving with ease through the flurry of attacks. He closed the gap and struck her in the waist with his palm.

Down went Qin Lan once more.

When she finally got up, clutching her waist, she shot Lu Ming a murderous glare.

Lu Ming sneered, “Still want to keep fighting?”

“I’m done playing with you, hmph.”

Knowing she was no match, Qin Lan finally gave up the idea of competing, admitting defeat. Lu Ming’s last strike had not been particularly forceful, but it landed precisely where she was channeling her strength, causing her to lose her balance and fall.

It was at this moment that Qin Lan realized the chasm between her skills and Lu Ming’s was now vast. Continuing would only invite more mockery, so she accepted her loss without hesitation.

Lu Ming laughed, “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

With that, looking immensely pleased with himself, Lu Ming led Qin Lan and Yun Ketian toward the breakfast shop.

The breakfast shop was just a short way from the general store. Over the past year, Lu Ming had eaten there nearly every day.

When the three entered, Lu Ming at once called out, “Sister Zhang, ten baskets of buns, twenty fried dough sticks, three bowls of spicy soup!”

Yun Ketian and Qin Lan exclaimed in unison, “Can the three of us really eat that much?”

Lu Ming rolled his eyes. “That’s for me. If you two want anything, order for yourselves.”

“Pfft—” The two nearly spat blood.

Soon, a plainly-dressed woman in her forties, the owner known as Sister Zhang, brought their breakfast to the table.

“Lu Ming, enjoy your food. After today, I’ll be closing the shop,” she said.

Mouth full of buns, Lu Ming mumbled, “Where are you going? How many days will you be closed? I’m so used to your buns, I can’t go a day without them.”

Sister Zhang sighed. “Your Brother Yang has been fired from his job. In a few days, we’ll be returning to the countryside.”

Lu Ming forced down his mouthful, surprised. “What happened, Sister Zhang? Wasn’t Brother Yang a journalist with a staff position? How could he be fired so easily?”

Sister Zhang wiped away a tear. “It’s his own fault. Always poking around, always investigating this or that, never listening to reason. This time, he exposed the Yongxing Chemical Plant’s scandal and offended the editor-in-chief. He’s already been suspended—he’ll probably be dismissed in a few days.”

She spoke while dabbing at her eyes.

Lu Ming was unable to contain his anger. After eating here for a year, he was well acquainted with Sister Zhang and Brother Yang and knew their situation.

Brother Yang, whose full name was Yang Pengyi, was a reporter at the Xijing Daily—a veteran college graduate, righteous and principled. In all his years as a journalist, he had never taken a bribe, and his habit of reporting on controversial issues had earned him many enemies and made him unpopular at the paper.

Sister Zhang, Zhang Hongxia, came from a rural background with little education. She had met Yang Pengyi during one of his field assignments when he was young. Her innocence and purity had captivated him; he pursued her despite his family’s objections and eventually married her.

After marrying Zhang Hongxia, Yang Pengyi was disowned by his family and forced to start anew. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter. Yang Pengyi got a job at the newspaper, bringing home several thousand yuan a month—enough to make ends meet.

But as the children grew, and as Yang Pengyi continued to stick to his principles, life became increasingly difficult. A couple of years ago, their eldest started college and the younger entered high school, putting ever more pressure on the family.

Zhang Hongxia’s odd jobs could no longer supplement their income. She borrowed some money from her family to open this breakfast shop, barely keeping the family afloat.

Now, if Yang Pengyi was dismissed, the meager profits from the breakfast shop would never cover the family’s expenses, and they’d have to search for another way.

Lu Ming frowned. “But why go back to the countryside? Doesn’t Brother Yang have a home in the city?”

Sighing, Zhang Hongxia explained, “Because of me, your Brother Yang hasn’t spoken to his family for years. We have no other choice. With two kids in school, we plan to move back to my family’s village, raise pigs, and see if we can afford to keep the children in school.”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Lu Ming’s heart ached. “Sister Zhang, can you tell me exactly what happened?”

Zhang Hongxia, well-acquainted with Lu Ming and feeling aggrieved, saw that the shop was empty and poured out her troubles between sobs.

It turned out that Yang Pengyi’s integrity and dedication to journalistic ethics had repeatedly put him at odds with the leadership at the newspaper. This time, he’d secretly investigated the Yongxing Chemical Plant’s illegal pollution. The plant was a major enterprise in Xijing. Yang Pengyi uncovered evidence of their clandestine waste dumping and wrote a report to expose them in the Xijing Daily.

But when the article reached the editor-in-chief, it was suppressed. Yang Pengyi was reprimanded, told there was no such problem, and warned to stay out of it. With evidence in hand, Yang Pengyi refused to back down and argued his case. In anger, the editor-in-chief suspended him on the spot and threatened to recommend his dismissal.

Lu Ming’s anger flared. He’d met Yang Pengyi a few times and knew him as a man of honesty and principle. The whole situation reeked of collusion.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Ming said, “Don’t be discouraged, Sister Zhang. Maybe things will turn around.”

She forced a smile. “Eat up. This is the last breakfast I’ll make for you.”

With that, she retreated to the kitchen.

Lu Ming, still fuming, finished his meal and returned to the general store with Yun Ketian and Qin Lan.

Just as Qin Lan was about to flop onto the sofa, Lu Ming tossed her aside, declaring, “That’s my spot. Anyone who sits here again is dead.”

Seeing his dark expression, even the fiery-tempered Qin Lan didn’t dare protest and obediently sat elsewhere. Yun Ketian didn’t need to be told—he slunk quietly to a corner.

Lighting a cigarette, Lu Ming blew a smoke ring. “That editor-in-chief is quite something, isn’t he?”

A genius could remember this site’s address in a second: . Mobile reading: m.