The Nine Cauldrons

Chapter 1: Teng Qingshan

On the second floor of a quiet tea house.

The soft melody of the music flowed into the hearts of the listeners like a gentle stream of water. There weren’t many customers on the second floor of the tea house, only about a dozen people sitting in groups of two or three. All the customers were chatting softly about their own respective topics when footsteps suddenly resounded at the staircase, causing many guests to glance over.

Walking shoulder to shoulder up the stairs were a pony-tailed, innocent-looking girl wearing a white polo shirt and jeans, and a tall, short-haired woman, dressed in purple casual attire.

The presence of the two ladies immediately brightened the eyes of many people in the tea house!

“Look, two beauties! Especially the one dressed in purple casual attire! Tsk, I have just returned after studying in a university at Suzhou. Yet, I didn’t expect to see such a beauty in our Anyi County City. She is really a mature and sophisticated woman. Although the one beside her appeared slightly young, she is innocent-looking and beautiful as well.”

“Monkey, no matter how great the beauty is, she belongs to someone else, so stop dreaming.”

“Hey, brother. Don’t hurt me. By the way, who is the tall, slender, and short-haired woman? I have lived for over twenty years, but she is definitely ranked top three in all the ladies I have seen. Her facial features and temperament…really make one’s heart flutter.”

“Monkey, let me tell you. That beauty’s name is called Lin Qing. She is a great figure with powerful background. Didn’t we see a Land Rover that cost two millions two days ago? That belongs to her. In the Anyi County City, there’s a hotel, two tea houses under her name. These properties in our county city are just a small share of the the entire property that she owns.”

“Is she that powerful?” The young man nicknamed monkey couldn’t help but feel stunned.

The Anyi County City was just an ordinary county city of the Jiangsu Region. Therefore, the Land Rover that cost two million was indeed very flashy.

“Miss Lin, we have prepared your room. Please follow me.” The waiter in the second floor of the tea house immediately greeted.

Through the lead of the waiter, and under the attention of many people, the two beauties stepped into the private room. The door of the private room then closed.

********

Inside the private room:

After simply ordering a pot of tea, the beauties told the waiter to leave.

“Sister Lin, you have been coming here every day recently and always booked this private room. Haha, everyone knows what you are up to.” The young girl with a ponytail smiled as she flicked a glance outside the window. A children welfare centre was located just outside the window.

Some staff members of the children welfare centre were playing with the orphans at the vacant ground of the children welfare centre.

“You lassy.” Lin Qing couldn’t help but chided. However, Lin Qing still occasionally glanced out the window towards the children welfare centre below. She searched for a while and seemed to have not found the target she was seeking, thus, she was slightly disappointed.

“This is weird. Why can’t you find Teng Qingshan on the vacant ground of the children welfare centre? Why isn’t he here today? Didn’t he know that our Sister Lin is waiting for him in pain?” The pony-tailed girl intentionally sighed as she spoke.

“Alright. Ah Min, stop acting strange.” Lin Qing chuckled.

The pony-tailed girl ‘Xiao Min’ nodded and immediately said in puzzlement, “Sister Lin, I have always thought that this Teng Qingshan is very mysterious. When we went to the Great Xing An Mountain ourselves, Sister Lin got into danger and Teng Qingshan was the one that carried you through almost twenty miles of the mountain road. It was the mountain road! Teng Qingshan’s physical strength is really too terrifying.”

“He is indeed very mysterious.” Lin Qing nodded.

Lin Qing could still distinctly remember when she met Teng Qingshan for the first time.

At that time, Li Qing and a group of like-minded friends travelled northeast for an adventure at the Great Xing An Mountain Range. As highly experienced backpackers, the group of people naturally wouldn’t advance according to the safe route provided by the tourism region. They hired a local villager as a guide and ventured into some regions that weren’t open to the public.

Who would have thought that…

The forest where humans are rare sight was too enchanting and Lin Qing was drawn by a rare type of bird. In order to photographed this bird, Lin Qing unknowingly separated with the group. When she finally realized, she couldn’t find the group.

In this overgrown forest, the phone had no signal and there was no way to contact the group.

In such a situation, it was useless no matter how she shouted. Lin Qing could only gnashed her teeth and walk back alone. However, she didn’t expect to meet poachers at the Great Xing An Mountain Range while she was on the way back. When the poachers saw Lin Qing’s manner of dressing, they immediately knew what happened.

It was an uninhabited mountain and Lin Qing was very pretty. The group of poachers in this great mountain had not touched any women for a very long time. When they saw Lin Qing, their hormones boosted and without any hesitation, they immediately made their move. Lin Qing refused to yield and resisted with all her might. However, it was one woman fighting against five men. How could Lin Qing win?

Lin Qing was naturally beaten and wounded. When she was just about to be humiliated and when she was on the verge of despair, Teng Qingshan, who was venturing the Great Xing An Mountain alone, emerged. Teng Qingshan moved at lightning speed. Before the injured Lin Qing could even get a clear image, the five men had already lost their consciousness and collapsed on the ground.

“Hmm…” Whenever Lin Qing recalled what had happened, she couldn’t help but hum and a bright smile would crept up her face.

“At that time, Teng Qingshan actually wanted me to walk back alone. Fortunately, he wasn’t that cruel and piggybacked me home in the end.” The scenes and images of what had happened emerged in Lin Qing’s mind as she thought. While she was on Teng Qingshan’s back, it felt like she was on a floating little boat that had returned to the harbor. No matter how rugged the mountain road was, Lin Qing still felt peace in her heart.

On the rugged mountain road, Teng QIngshan carried Lin Qing for a total of twenty miles and eventually arrived the destination.

Ordinary people would be extremely exhausted after walking twenty miles of the mountain road, not to mention walking and carrying a living human. Moreover, they were at an uninhabited region of the Great Xing An Mountain. This was something that probably even the excellent special forces soldier can’t handle.

After the mysterious young man ‘Teng Qingshan’ and Lin Qing parted at the Great Xing An Mountain, Lin Qing thought that she would never see Teng Qingshan again. Who would have thought that she could see Teng Qingshan in this Anyi County City again.

“Teng Qingshan…” Lin Qing was still immersed in her memories.

“Eh! Sister Lin, look! Teng Qingshan appeared!” The voice of the pony-tailed girl ‘Xiao Min’ aroused Lin Qing, causing her to turn and look outside the window.

A welfare centre named ‘Hua Xin Children Welfare Centre’ was located opposite the window. Lin Qing and Xiao Min could distinctly see the vacant sport field of the welfare centre. At this moment, a short-haired young man wearing spectacles and a typical casual attire arrived at the vacant field with a washbowl filled with apples.

“Wow! Apples!”

“Time to eat apples!”

“Quick line up. It’s time for apples.”

“Don’t rush. Stay behind me and line up.”

The children that were originally playing immediately came over and simultaneously line up into two rows.

Every morning, the Hua Xin Children Welfare Centre would give each of the orphans a cup of milk and one fruit. The orphans normally have not much snacks, therefore, the apples in the afternoon especially attract them.

“Uncle Teng, thank you.”

After the cute kids took the red apples, they all called out in a well-behaved manner.

When the short-haired young man heard, a smile appeared on his face as he continued handing out the fruits.

……

Inside the private room of the tea house, Lin Qing and Xiao Min were looking out the window, watching the short-haired man distribute the fruits.

“Sister Lin, take a look at how happy Teng Qingshan is smiling. It looks like he really like kids.” Xiao Min sighed as she said.

“He really loves kids, otherwise, he wouldn’t have become a volunteer in this welfare centre.” Lin Qing’s eyes completely fixated on the short-haired young man ‘Teng Qingshan.’ Teng Qingshan’s sincere smile towards the orphans totally attracted Lin Qing.

“Xiao Min, I suddenly recalled that I need to do something.” said Lin Qing.

“What?” Xiao Min’s eyes brightened as she replied.

Lin Qing sighed emotionally and said, “Mrs. Hua Xin had been caring for this welfare centre by herself for almost thirty years. Such act really deserve one’s respect…I prepare to donate one million. How’s this? You can go and contact the staffs of the welfare centre.”

Presently, Mrs. Hua Xin was over eighty years old and she was the head of the welfare centre.

“This is a good thing.” Xiao Min said in exultation.

……

Currently, the short-haired young man ‘Teng Qingshan was distributing the apples. Most of the kids have received their share and have begun munching on the apples.

“It’s so small.” A child with slightly curly hair stared at the fruit in his hand and glanced at the fruit in other kids’ hands. He realized that his apple was much smaller than the others. It was naturally impossible for all the apples that the welfare centre purchased to be of the same size. Therefore, the fruits that the kids held were naturally not all of the same size.

However, kids love to compete with each other! Apparently, if one had gotten the smaller one, then it represented that one had suffered a loss.

“Brother, my fruit is the smallest. Your fruit is much bigger than mine. It’s almost twice as big as mine.” The curly hair child said towards the slightly sturdy child beside him.

“Eh. My tummy doesn’t feel well today. I can’t finish such a big apple. How about I exchange this with yours?” The sturdy child said with a smile. Hearing this, the curly haired child’s black eyes lit up as he hastily replied, “Really?” Although this was what he asked, his eyes focused upon the big apple in his brother’s hand.

“Of course it’s true.” The sturdy child smiled. He took the apple in his little brother’s hand and handed his own bigger apple over.

At this moment, Teng Qingshan had already gave out all the apples and he coincidentally witnessed this scene.

“These two brothers…” Teng Qingshan’s eyes appeared

as a scene from a long time ago appeared in his mind.

It was a very long time ago on new year’s day.

It was snowing outside and the sounds of firecrackers rang out. In a spacious room, a big group children cheered as they encircled an elderly granny that appeared to be around sixty years old.

“Everyone will get it. Come one by one.” The white-haired grandma looked at the group of kids benevolently and gave each kid three pieces of White Rabbit Milk Candy. During that distant era, a destitute time, being able to have White Rabbit Milk Candies is already considered good.

“Thank you, granny.”

The group of children cheered and excitedly took the milk candy, one after the other.

They have not eaten the milk candy for one and a half year. At this moment, it was impossible to endure the urge. Everyone of them ate the candy happily and chatted excitedly.

“Brother.” A child donned in old, patched up shirt pursed up his lips as he stared at his big brother.

“What’s wrong? Qinghe?” A slightly taller kid dressed in similar plain clothes looked over puzzledly.

“I-I finished all my milk candies. It’s so tasty…and I finished within only a short while.” As the child named ‘Qinghe’ spoke, he looked over at the other kids eating, salivating at the sight. The slightly taller kid lowered his head and glanced at the two pieces of White Rabbit Milk Candy.

“Er. Qinghe, take these two and eat.” The slightly taller child said.

“Brother, aren’t you eating?” Qinghe hesitated slightly.

“My tooth ache.” The slightly taller child answered with a smile, “I have just ate one piece and my tooth already hurts badly. I will just give it to you. By the way, remember…Don’t bite the candy. It’s all because you were chewing. The others haven’t even finish one piece, yet you already finished all three pieces.

“Yes, I know, brother. Brother is the nicest to me.” Qinghe chuckled and said, “However, lets each have one of the two pieces.”

The slightly taller child looked down. It was apparent that he was just a child. As he was unable to resist the temptation of the milk candy, he nodded and said, “Yes, lets each have one.”

……

“Each have one.” Teng Qingshan mumbled, “Qinghe, it has been twenty-two years. It has already twenty-two years.”

“At this moment, footstep sounds rang. Teng Qingshan looked over and saw a silver-haired granny walking over while accompanied by a lady.

“Granny!”

“Granny!”

The group of orphans immediately shouted and the elderly granny with silver hair responded with a very bright and happy smile.

“Granny.” Teng Qingshan froze briefly and said. The granny before his eyes matched the granny in his memory, the granny that once took care of him and his little brother. “It has been twenty-two years. Granny should be eighty-three years old this year.” Teng Qingshan was so excited that his body trembled slightly.

However, almost at an instant, his excitement vanished and he became calm again.

“Headmistress, this fellow’s name is Teng Qingshan. He volunteered to work for us for free and has been here for six days. He’s a very diligent and smart fellow.” The lady said with a smile.

“Oh, Teng Qingshan?” The silver-haired granny over eighty years of age grinned as she stared at Teng Qingshan.

“Qingshan, help take care of the headmistress for a while. I need to go to the dining hall to prepare dinner for the kids.”

“Don’t worry, Aunty Liu.” Teng Qingshan smiled.

“Headmistress, I will be leaving first.” The lady said to the headmistress. Teng Qingshan approached in a very natural manner and helped support the headmistress. The granny glanced at Teng Qingshan and said with a kind smile, “Qingshan, you are twenty-three this year, right? I have seen your resume.”

“Right, I have just graduated college.” Teng Qingshan nodded.

“The soft skin of yours clearly shows that you’ve never done any hard work. You must have been suffering here, these several days.” said the Headmistress while laughing.

“It’s nothing, I’m quite happy doing these work.” Teng Qingshan said with a smile while he supported the Headmistress.

The Headmistress sighed and said, “ Qingshan, to be honest, when I saw you, I felt very familiar. I couldn’t help but recall about an orphan in this orphanage, it was around the 80s, the condition of the orphanage was in a very bad state, my two daughters and I were the only ones that took care of the orphans, during that time, there was two brothers, one named Qingshan and the other named Qinghe. I was the one who named them. You are also named Qingshan…this is really fate.”

Teng Qingshan’s heart skipped a beat as he nodded and said, “ Yes, it must be fate.”

“But Qingshan was adopted, it’s already been twenty-two years since he left. He should be twenty-nine years old by today, much more older than you, he might even be married and might even have kids.” the Headmistress remarked emotionally, “ He was a well-behaved child, I wonder how he is doing now, my health is getting worse and worse as days pass by, I really hope I can meet him again.”

Touched by the words of the Headmistress, Teng Qingshan said “I believe your wish will definitely come true one day.”

The two brothers, Qingshan and Qinghe, were abandoned outside the orphanage not long after their birth. At that time, the headmistress Hua Xin had just opened this orphanage. Therefore, Qingshan and Qinghe could be considered the earliest batch of orphans. Moreover, the headmistress ‘Granny Hua Xin arduously raised the two brothers. Thus, she was naturally closed with the two brothers.

……

Lin Qing and Xiao Min watched Teng Qingshan, who was in the welfare centre. Teng Qingshan first accompanied the granny and then he played the children. From beginning until the end, he showed not a hint of annoyance. Those kids obviously loved this ‘Uncle Teng.’ In the end, Teng Qingshan accompanied the children to the dining hall for dinner.

“Sister Lin, he came out.” Xiao Min immediately said.

Seeing that Teng Qingshan had walked out the gates of the orphanage, Lin Qing immediately shouted through the window. “Teng Qingshan!”

Teng Qingshan then lifted his head.

“Come up and join us.” Lin Qing said with a smile. She knew clearly that Teng Qingshan had eaten dinner in the dining hall. This was because she had invited Teng Qingshan a few times during the past few days and Teng Qingshan had only come to chat with her for a few times.

Teng Qingshan shook his head and replied, “No, thanks. I still have things to do today. Let’s do it next time when we both have time.”

“That’s good too.” Lin Qing was slightly disappointed, but she still responded with a smile.

And so, Lin Qing and Xiao Min just watched Teng Qingshan leave.

“Sister Lin, this Teng Qingshan really doesn’t respect you at all. Sister Lin, the great beauty, invited him personally, but he doesn’t even agree.” Xiao Min said with a smile.

“Alright. Let’s go to my house for dinner.” Lin Qing stood up and left the tea house with Xiao Min.

*******

In a village courtyard at the outskirts of the Anyi County City.

In the spacious courtyard, Teng Qingshan, who was half-naked, didn’t wear any spectacles. The bespectacled Teng Qingshan appeared gentle and humble. However, when he took off his spectacles, he appeared calm and determined.

The current Teng Qingshan was half-naked, standing as he performed the Three Xing Yi Postures.

He drew in his chest and straightened his back. He then formed his palm into the shape of a tiger claw and walked with the soles of the feet not touching the ground. It was as though he was walking on mud. As Teng Qingshan stood there, he gave people a feeling of a tall mountain situating in front. Whether it was moving forward, sideways, or even the slashing of the fists, all the actions could stupefy the minds of men.

“Whew!” “Whew!”

The sound of a strong gust of wind resonated in the air.

Once the energy is stored, one would be as calm as a goblet cauldron.

His left leg was like plow that tilled the land. Suddenly, he stomped his right leg and his right fist went along with the force of the leg and burst out. His body was like a drawn bow while his right fist was like a flying arrow.

“Pew!”

The sound of the air exploding rang out, producing a gust of wind in the courtyard.

His Three Postures of the Xing Yi Martial Arts suddenly changed to the Bursting Fist of the Five Elemental Fist. The change was easy and smooth like the moving clouds and flowing water. The power of the fist was so great that it caused an explosion of air.

If the cultivators of martial arts saw this, their jaws would drop in astonishment.

Teng Qingshan immediately started moving nimbly in the courtyard. With the Three Postures as the basis, his moves occasionally turned into the Five Elemental Fists. Of course, it was apparent that amongst the Five Elemental Fists, Teng Qingshan’s cultivation of the Cannon Fist was at the highest level.

“Whew.”

As Teng Qingshan turned, he resumed the preparing moves for the Three Postures of the Xing Yi Martial Arts. With this, he let out a deep breath.

He appeared as calm as the water in a rippleless surface of a lake. He could naturally sense every aspect of his physical body, from the internal organs to every muscle, skin, and hair. However, he was still far from achieving the legendary “Inner Sight.”

“Although I am only one step away, this step is like the distance between heaven and earth. It is almost impossible to move beyond this step. If I can step into the Grandmaster Realm, I will be able to die without any regret.” Teng Qingshan said with a sigh.

If one could understand this Dao, one would be able to die without any regrets.

The Xing Yi Martial Art was one of the three major Internal Martial Arts. Throughout history, there were people that managed to attain the Grandmaster Realm. However, it was very rare for people in modern society to attain the Grandmaster Realm.

“This ground is too weak. I can’t even practiced freely.” Teng Qingshan stared at the ground and noticed that there were already soe cracks on the cement floor. Yet, Teng Qinghsan didn’t even perform with all his strength. He was only practicing. It he fought another powerful expert here, this cement floor would have broken.

Teng Qingshan then sat cross-legged. He focused his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart. His faint breathings could barely be heard. At this moment, his heart was as calm as water.

His Spirit reached a state of unrestrained relaxation.

“Walla~~” The faint gurgling sounds of blood flowing within the veins and the palpitations of the heart could be heard very clearly.

Time passed slowly. Soon, it was midnight.

Teng Qingshan was still sitting cross-legged in the courtyard. At this moment, on the cemented road outside the courtyard, a thin man clothed fully in black was whispering to his collar. “Grey Eagle, I think I have arrived the target’s residence.” The skinny guy then calmed himself and began approaching the residence silently. With nimble steps, he didn’t make any sounds.

A pair of hands stealthily gripped the edge of the courtyard wall. He exerted some force as he gripped, pushed, and jumped into the courtyard like a raccoon dog. As he landed on the ground, he barely made any sound.

The man in black immediately looked around. Suddenly, he jumped back in shock as he noticed someone sitting cross-legged in the center of the courtyard.

“You all still found me.” The man sitting cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes.

“Run!” The expression of the man in black changed as he fled immediately.

The man in black knew well that if he had successful made a stealth attack, there is chance of a success. However, the target had discovered him. According to the intelligence agency, he would have no chance if his presence had been discovered.

“Whoosh.” The man in black retreated rapidly. Immediately, he flipped back and prepared to leap out of the courtyard.

“Boom!”

The man in black could sense that the figure sitting cross-legged had stood up abruptly. The entire cement ground trembled and cracked. Like a ferocious tiger, the figure instantly moved a distance of seven-to-eight meters and pounced towards the man in black. The man in black was horrified. Before he could even retrieve his weapon, he felt an intense pain on his throat. “Spoosh!”

“Ha~~, He~~” He wanted to speak, but he couldn’t… His head then drooped down powerlessly and he died.

Teng Qingshan ripped the sleeves of the man in black. He rubbed some blood on the man’s arm and a tattoolike code appeared. Although the only source of light was the faint moonlight, Teng Qingshan could still see very clearly with his powerful eyesight. Upon the sight of the code on the arm, his facial expression changed. “They are actually willing to pay such a huge price for my death. They actually requested the members of the ‘Hand of Darkness’ to track me down.”

“My whereabouts have been exposed. I can no longer stay in this Anyi County City

Teng Qingshan immediately returned to the room. After a change of clothes, he carried his bag and left Anyi County City silently amidst the dark night.