Only Got My Martial Arts Modifier in My Old Age

Not long after Shadakang’s impressive black sedan disappeared around the corner, the hurried sound of racing rickshaws echoed from a distant intersection.

The sound drew closer, and soon, four rickshaws came tearing down the road. They all screeched to a halt in front of the magnificent gates of the Lu Family Residence at nearly the same instant.

The next moment, four men with ramrod-straight postures and extraordinary airs stepped smartly out of the rickshaws.

All four sported neat, short haircuts and were uniformly dressed in well-tailored, high-quality black suits, complete with ties and gleaming leather shoes.

The man in the center was the youngest, around twenty-four or twenty-five. He was handsome, with sharp brows, bright eyes, and a high-bridged nose. A confident smile played on his lips, and he radiated the vibrant, worldly air of someone who had seen it all.

He was Lu Yun’s third son, Lu Jingyao, who had traveled to France to study five years ago!

The other three men flanking Lu Jingyao were slightly older, all around thirty years old.

Though they were also in suits, the fabric seemed to struggle to contain their powerful, well-built frames, which rippled with muscle.

Each had broad shoulders and a thick back that strained the seams of their suits. All three had the sharp, predatory air of trained fighters; any discerning eye could tell they were seasoned martial arts practitioners.

Standing before the home he had left so many years ago, Lu Jingyao took a deep breath. A genuine smile spread across his face as he sighed with emotion, "I’m finally home."

He turned to the three men beside him and smiled. "It’s been so long since I’ve seen my father and my two older brothers. I wonder how they are."

The leader of the three—a powerfully built man with a resolute face and pronounced temples—smiled at his words. "That’s right, Jingyao. The three of us have missed the Master dearly as well."

"We saw plenty in the Western World these past five years, but what I missed most was the Master and our own Yun Port City."

His name was Niu Dagang, and he was the eldest disciple among the three. The other two nodded vigorously in agreement.

Just as the four men were lifting their heavy trunks from the rickshaws, the two middle-aged guards flanking the Lu family’s main gate shot them a look of confusion and wariness.

One of the guards narrowed his eyes, studying the young man in the center, Lu Jingyao.

As he stared, his confusion slowly gave way to contemplation until, suddenly, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck his mind.

His eyes flew wide open, his face a mask of utter disbelief!

"It’s... it’s the Third Master! The Third Master has returned!"

Prompted by his companion, the other guard also made the connection, matching the handsome young man before him with his memory of the third young master, Lu Jingyao, who had gone abroad to study five years prior.

"Good heavens! It really is the Third Master!"

He hurriedly said to his companion, "Quick, go help the Third Master with his luggage! I’ll go tell the Old Master that the Third Master has returned from the Western World!"

With that, the guard threw etiquette to the wind, turned, and sprinted into the residence, shouting at the top of his lungs as he ran, "The Third Master is back! The Third Master is back from France! Quick! Inform the Old Master!"

His shouts were like a stone tossed into a calm pond, instantly sending ripples of excitement throughout the Lu Family Residence.

Soon, more of the Lu Family staff—stewards, servants, maids, and guards—heard the commotion and poured out from all corners of the estate, running to the main gate with joyful faces.

The crowd surged forward, bowing and offering greetings as they all scrambled to take the luggage from Lu Jingyao and his companions.

"Third Master! You’ve finally returned!"

"You must be tired from your journey, Third Master!"

"We’ll take the luggage! Please, come inside!"

"The Old Master will be overjoyed."

Looking at all the familiar faces, Lu Jingyao’s heart warmed.

He quickly waved his hands, smiling at the crowd. "Thank you, everyone. Are you all well? The luggage isn’t heavy; we can manage it ourselves."

But Lu Jingyao was no match for their enthusiasm, and his luggage was quickly whisked away.

He then straightened his suit and smiled at the three men beside him. "Let’s go, Brother Niu, Brother Hu, Brother Quan. Come with me to see Father. He’ll be so happy to see that we’ve returned safely."

Excitement gleamed in the eyes of Niu Dagang and the other two. "Yes! The Master must have missed you terribly, Jingyao. We can’t wait to pay our respects to him!"

Inside the main hall, the guard who had sprinted in with the news was now standing a short distance from the master’s seat.

He was panting for breath, his chest heaving.

After taking a few deep breaths to compose himself, he announced in a clear voice to Lu Yun, who was calmly sipping tea in the master’s seat.

"O-Old Master! It’s the Third Master! He... he’s back from France! He’s at the gates now!"

Upon hearing the news, Lu Yun, seated in the master’s chair, paused for a fraction of a second. Then, his expression unchanged, he gently placed the warm teacup back on the mahogany table beside him.

"Mm. I know."

Just then, four figures swept into the hall like a gale, bursting in from the main entrance.

They had clearly rushed here without a moment’s delay, practically running in their eagerness.

The men had barely stepped into the hall when four excited voices cried out, each one trying to be heard over the others.

"Father!!!"

"Master!!!"

The middle-aged guard reacted in a flash. With a great deal of tact, he sidestepped to clear a path and then slipped silently out of the hall.

Lu Jingyao was at the forefront. Still several meters away, his knees gave out without hesitation. Using his forward momentum, he dropped into a clean, dramatic slide on his knees!

Lu Jingyao slid to a stop right in front of Lu Yun. He threw his arms wide, completely disregarding his image, and hugged his father’s legs tightly, crying out.

"Father! I’m home! Your son is home!"

Niu Dagang and the other two, close behind him, stopped in unison before Lu Yun. Then, with a resounding THUD, they dropped unhesitatingly to their knees.

"Master! Your disciples have returned! We have come to pay our respects!"

After a moment of silence, Lu Yun looked down at his youngest son, Lu Jingyao, who was still clinging tightly to his legs.

Instead of the warm smile of a loving father, a slight frown creased his brow.

"Jingyao," he began, "in your last letter home, didn’t you say you still had a few months until graduation?"

"Why... have you suddenly come running home ahead of schedule?"

’This boy... surely he didn’t get into some terrible trouble in France? Did he have no choice but to flee and come rushing back?’

The ominous thought flashed through Lu Yun’s mind.

His gaze then shifted to Niu Dagang and the other two, still kneeling respectfully on the floor. He gave a slight nod. "The three of you have worked hard escorting Jingyao. Rise. There’s no need for such ceremony."

"Thank you, Master!" Niu Dagang and the others rose to their feet.

But when they finally got a proper look at Lu Yun, they were hit by a tidal wave of shock.

’Why does the Master seem... so different?’

’The Master they remembered was a martial arts expert, but countless battles in his youth had left him with a host of hidden injuries. Combined with the natural decline of his vitality...’

’...five years ago, he had already been gray-haired and often seemed weary. He had even needed a Rosewood Walking Stick for support when he walked.’

As a result, the Master had looked much older than his sixty years.

But the Master before them now, though still white-haired, was bursting with vigor. His eyes were bright and sharp, his breathing was long and deep, and he sat there like a great, unshakeable mountain. There wasn’t the slightest trace of his former frailty.

What astonished Niu Dagang even more was that strands of black had appeared in the white hair at his Master’s temples, and the wrinkles on his face were significantly reduced.

His skin seemed firm and taut, as if time itself had miraculously reversed its course for him!

To Niu Dagang and the others, Lu Yun now seemed like a mighty tiger in its prime, brimming with vitality, merely lying in wait.

He appeared calm, but they could sense an unimaginable, torrential power coiled within him—the kind that could shatter stone and shake the heavens with a single movement!

How could this possibly be a sixty-year-old man?

He looked like a hero in his forties, at the absolute peak of both his life and his martial power!

As Niu Dagang and the others reeled from the shock, Lu Jingyao, still hugging his father’s legs, looked up.

Gazing up at his father from so close, he too immediately noticed something was different.

Lu Jingyao blinked, his face a picture of surprise and curiosity. He blurted out, "Huh? Father! How is it that... you seem... so much younger?"

With that, he let go and scrambled to his feet, taking half a step back to look Lu Yun up and down.

The more he looked, the more astonished he became. "It’s true! Father! Your complexion, your vitality, your hair... it’s like you’re a completely different person from when I left five years ago!"

"Did... did you take some kind of Spirit Pill? Or have you mastered some divine art that reverses aging?"

Lu Jingyao’s question voiced the exact same doubt in the minds of Niu Dagang and the others. And so, four pairs of curious eyes focused intently on Lu Yun.

A faint, enigmatic smile touched Lu Yun’s lips. He retorted, "What? Is it a bad thing that this old man looks a little more vigorous?"

"Good! Of course, it’s good! It’s wonderful!" Lu Jingyao immediately shot back, a brilliant smile returning to his face.

"For you to grow younger and more energetic, Father, is the greatest blessing for us sons! Isn’t that right, Brother Niu, Brother Hu, Brother Quan?"

Niu Dagang and the other two quickly nodded in agreement. "The Master’s vigor is indeed a blessing for us disciples!"

Lu Yun waved a dismissive hand, unwilling to dwell on the topic. His gaze fell back upon Lu Jingyao.

"Don’t you change the subject, Jingyao," Lu Yun said sternly. "You still haven’t answered my question. Why did you return from France ahead of schedule?"

At his father’s words, the playful, cavalier expression on Lu Jingyao’s face vanished without a trace.

He straightened his posture, his expression becoming intensely serious and earnest. His eyes shone with an unprecedented, almost fanatically idealistic light.

"Father, diplomas, degrees, all the standard procedures for graduation... they’re not necessary anymore. They’re not important!"

"During my five years studying in France, I have finally opened my eyes. I have seen the world for what it truly is!"

"And I believe... this world shouldn’t be the way it is!"

Listening to his youngest son’s impassioned declaration from the master’s seat, Lu Yun’s expression slowly morphed from calm to one of stunned disbelief.

This was followed by an indescribable sense of strangeness, until finally, he was just plain baffled.

He blinked, looking his impassioned youngest son up and down once more.

’This tone... this cadence... this great awakening... why does it all sound so... familiar?’

’Isn’t this the same damn thing a certain famous "failed art student" used to say?’

’Did I send him to the wrong country?’

’I remember... I sent him to France to study commerce and Western culture!’

’Not to a place called Vienna to study art!’

Lu Yun looked at his youngest son, who was radiating an aura that screamed ’I’m about to do something huge,’ and for a moment, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.