Chapter 925: Rao Aimin's appearance!
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
The Eight Trigrams School received a lot of attention from everyone.
Under everyone's gaze, the Eight Trigrams School's disciples walked up one by one from the small pathway leading up to the hilltop. There were men and women, both young and middle-aged. All of them were wearing their Eight Trigrams School's robes with a black and white Eight Trigrams pattern printed on the front and back. It was an awe-inspiring sight.
"They're finally here!"
"They really dared to come!"
"Look, that's the fifth disciple of this generation's Eight Trigrams Palm, Song Jiao!"
"The Eight Trigrams School's Xu Fan is here too!"
"Who is that? Why have I never seen him before?"
"He's the ninth disciple of this generation's Eight Trigrams Palm. He's called Zhao Yunlong. He doesn't usually leave the training hall and I only saw him once last year. He is extremely skilled in kung fu and not many outsiders know that!"
"Why aren't their eldest senior brother and second senior brother here?"
"I don't know."
"It doesn't matter who comes today, it'll be useless!"
"With only about a dozen of them, they still have the guts to make an appearance?"
The people from the Chinese martial arts world were busily commenting as they pointed fingers at them, but when the last figure appeared, everyone reflexively withdrew their outstretched fingers and did not dare point anymore.
Because Rao Aimin had arrived!
Dressed in a very casual white training outfit and wearing a pair of normal-looking canvas shoes that could be bought for just 10 or 20 yuan, Rao Aimin appeared in front of everyone as she strutted in leisurely. It did not look like she was here to attend a Hongmen Banquet 1 , but rather like she was just going for a post-meal stroll on the streets.
"It's Rao Aimin!"
"Ah?"
"She is Rao Aimin?"
"One of the current five grandmasters of our martial arts world?"
"That's her?"
"This…"
"So she really is that beautiful, damn!"
"I thought the rumors were false!"
Rao Aimin's name could be heard everywhere in the Chinese martial arts world. Basically, no one would not have heard of her name since she was one of the five grandmasters left. Who would not know her? Whenever the martial arts community mentioned her name, they would talk about her in whispers, like it was some taboo topic. It wasn't too much to say that one's expression would change whenever her name was mentioned. However, there were only a few people present who had seen Rao Aimin in person before. The number of up-and-coming, rising stars of the Chinese martial arts world was nothing like in the past. As a grandmaster, Rao Aimin had disappeared for some years now, so even her fight with the two grandmasters that had shocked the Chinese martial arts world back then was not witnessed by many. The majority of those present were only seeing Rao Aimin in person for the first time.
Liu Yiquan was very excited. "This is the latest grandmaster?!"
Liu Yizhang could not hide his excitement either. "She has such an elegant aura!"
Li Quanneng nodded his head firmly. "This is my exact mental image of a female grandmaster! Beautiful and elegant! I can tell that she is extremely skilled at kung fu just by looking at her!"
Yan Hui, not far away, sighed in amazement. "This is the one and only female grandmaster of our era? And her kung fu is even at a higher level than Grandmaster Zhou Tianpeng's and Grandmaster Chen Xi's?"
"Aunt!" Chenchen hurriedly tried to run over to her.
However, she was pulled back by Zhang Ye. "Wait and see."
Chenchen was not having any of that. "Zhang Ye!"
Zhang Ye whispered, "We agreed that you would listen to me when we are outside!"
Chenchen did not resist any further.
The main reason that Zhang Ye did not allow Chenchen to go over was because he was afraid something would happen due to the absolutely unusual situation today. It would be dangerous to let Chenchen go to the Eight Trigrams School's side since there was so much uncertainty right now. So rather than that, he might as well just keep quiet and observe. It still would not be too late to act after that. He could save the trouble of not getting Rao Aimin distracted if she had to protect Chenchen while fighting someone else. That would only burden her, so it was better not to let Chenchen go.
On the other side, many of the large sects were stunned!
A few people who had seen Rao Aimin or come across her before forced a smile. Looking at the astonished crowd around them, they only shook their heads slightly and said nothing.
"Senior Sister."
"Senior Sister."
"Eldest Senior Sister."
When she arrived, the disciples of the Eight Trigrams Palm opened up a path for her.
Rao Aimin who was right at the back of the group walked leisurely to the front.
In the ring, the martial arts performance was still going on. The injured disciples of the Kongtong Sect couldn't possibly stop their performance just because someone had arrived. They just carried on performing their boxing routine and put in much more effort than before.
Rao Aimin looked up at those Kongtong Sect disciples who were swathed in bandages. Suddenly, she lowered her head as she reached into her pocket and felt around in it. Then she took out something from the pocket and threw it up into the ring.
Jingle jangle.
It was a one-yuan coin.
The Kongtong Sect disciples in the ring were stunned.
Numerous martial artists outside the ring were also stunned.
What?
What was the meaning of that?
Rao Aimin turned around and told her juniors, "Spare them some change, everyone. They're still performing in the streets even though they're this badly injured. It must hard on them." After she said that, she turned to the people in the ring. "Broken physically but firm in spirit, that's very good. I have high hopes for all of you. Will you guys be smashing any concrete blocks on your chests? Perform that, I love watching it."
The Kongtong Sect people nearly fainted from anger!
Smashing concrete blocks on the chest?
I'll smash your grandpa!
Why do you have to be so sarcastic?!
We're in this state already, so who the fuck could still have a concrete block smashed on them!
A deputy leader of the Kongtong Sect did not take this well. He quickly stood up and said, "Rao Aimin, you're targeting our Kongtong Sect the moment you arrive. What do you mean by this?"
Rao Aimin leered at him. "Are those people from the Kongtong Sect?"
The Kongtong Sect deputy leader said, "Yes, they are!"
Rao Aimin made a noise of acknowledgment and asked curiously, "When did the Kongtong Sect people start practicing square dances? Not bad. I was just wondering which professional square dancers they are to have sneaked into here. So they turned out to be Kongtong Sect's disciples!"
The deputy leader was getting frustrated and shouted, "Rao Aimin, don't push it too far!"
Rao Aimin looked at him and said, "That's what I'm doing. What are you going to do about it?" She looked at his teeth and remarked, "Oh, so you've replaced the front teeth I knocked out a few years ago? And they're even gold teeth? How rich!"
The Kongtong Sect deputy leader's face flushed then lost color. "You…"
The Iron Palm's Master Sun said angrily, "Now is the time for the martial arts performances put on by the large sects. As a grandmaster, you ought to be more respectful to martial arts, and respectful to—"
Rao Aimin interrupted him and pointed to the ring. "Do you call those limping moves a martial arts performance? I could watch a performance like that at any old folks' home."
Master Sun raged, "Are you picking a fight?"
Rao Aimin said, "Would you like to fight? Sure then, I'll fight you one hand tied behind my back!"
Master Sun was just quick with his mouth, so when he heard Rao Aimin say that, he immediately fell quiet. He was considered one of the top few fighters in the Chinese martial arts world. If not, he wouldn't be addressed as "master" wherever he went. But he knew the disparity between a master and grandmaster was vast as the distance between heaven and earth. Let alone Rao Aimin giving him a one-hand handicap, even if Rao Aimin fought without using her hands, he would still be unable to beat her!
An eminent monk from the Shaolin Monastery asked, "Almsgiver Rao, do you intend to offend everyone from our martial arts world?"
Rao Aimin replied in a nonchalant tone, "I've already offended many people in the past, so there's no difference in offending another one or two sects. Do you have any opinions about that? If you do, why don't we spar to settle our differences?"
The eminent monk was rebutted by that. Of course he wouldn't spar with Rao Aimin. Some years ago, their previous abbot of the Shaolin Monastery could not even take twenty attacks from her. Him? He could not even hold her for three attacks!
The surrounding "martial artists" who were seeing this one and only female grandmaster of the Chinese martial arts world for the first time were quite startled. Their image of a martial arts grandmaster was instantly shattered!
"So this is Rao Aimin?"
"This is…a grandmaster?"
"Uh…"
"This…"
"Why is this grandmaster kinda…"
The brothers, Liu Yiquan and Liu Yizhang, wiped their sweat away.
Li Quanneng and He Badao looked each other in the eye.
Why was this female grandmaster totally different from what they had expected!
Only Zhang Ye and Chenchen heaved a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Zhang Ye was no longer worried about her. Having not seen her in over six months, Old Rao was still behaving the same. She had not changed at all!