Chapter 94: Art Exhibition and Undercurrents (Part 3)
"Phew!" Clark let out a silent sigh of relief when he saw Robert leaving and Kara did not follow. He was secretly relieved and started guiding Robert in the right direction, then brought a somewhat gloomy Kara back to the farm.
The reason Clark rushed over to stop Kara from going to London with Robert wasn't really because he was worried about Kara revealing her identity.
Of course, Clark had considered that aspect, but the key reason was that Diana was in that area. Clark was worried that if Kara met Diana and the carefree Robert said something out of line, Kara might lose control, and things could end badly.
After all, Diana had run over to Rome when Robert went there last time. Who knew if Diana would run to Robert's side again this time? Clark didn't check Diana's location, but if Diana was at the Louvre, then the Louvre to London was much closer than to Rome! So, for safety, Clark thought it was better for Kara to stay in the Americas, far from Europe.
It has to be said, Clark was really breaking his heart over his silly brother's future, often getting tricked by similar matters…
Under Clark's guidance, it wasn't long before Robert met up with Jackie Chan and Xiaoyu in London, yes, Xiaoyu came along too.
"Xiaoyu, how come you're here too?" Robert gave Jackie Chan a questioning look, who awkwardly avoided Robert's gaze, so Robert had no choice but to turn to Xiaoyu and ask.
"Hehe, Little Master, I won against Uncle Long and proved my strength before I showed up here!" Xiaoyu said proudly, looking up at Robert.
Because Robert taught Xiaoyu and Jackie Chan to cultivate Qi, Xiaoyu called Robert "Little Master." Initially, Robert didn't want to accept this strange title, but considering Xiaoyu didn't call him "Rabbit Master," it was already good enough, so he let it be.
"You won against Uncle Long?" Robert looked at Xiaoyu in surprise, then glanced at Uncle Long. In Robert's perception, Jackie Chan's Qi was still stronger than Xiaoyu's, and he couldn't understand how Xiaoyu managed to beat Jackie Chan, especially with Jackie Chan's vast combat experience and adaptability.
"Yep, I genuinely won against Uncle Long!" Jackie Chan obviously didn't want to discuss this topic further, and Xiaoyu nodded, looking for praise as she spoke.
"Then Xiaoyu's progress is faster than I thought!" Robert exclaimed, then curiously asked, "How did you beat Uncle Long?"
"Cough! Xiaoyu, let's not talk about those tricks!" Jackie Chan glared at Xiaoyu and interrupted her conversation with Robert, saying, "We should get going now, let's see what's happening…"
"Okay! Let's go and see." Robert nodded, then winked at Xiaoyu, his voice echoing in Xiaoyu's mind, "Come on, Xiaoyu, tell me how you did it?"
"Wow? How is your voice in my brain? That's amazing!" Xiaoyu's eyes widened in surprise, asking, "Little Master, can I learn this too?"
"Learning this isn't impossible, but you might need to cultivate your spiritual power a bit. The meditation method taught by old man is pretty good…" Robert's teasing voice echoed in Xiaoyu's mind, causing her face to fall.
"Then forget it, meditation is so troublesome. All of old man's methods are troublesome, none as immediate as what you teach, Little Master!" Xiaoyu grumbled in her mind, but quickly changed her mood, excitedly saying, "I'll still tell you how I beat Uncle Long!"
"I hid Uncle Long's favorite paperweight on me, it's made of Zitan wood, very precious. When we started fighting, I showed the paperweight, and he instantly held back, and I defeated him in a few moves. How's that? Impressive, right?"
"Impressive, knowing how to use an enemy's weakness against them is good…" Robert heard and shook his head with a smile, then softly instructed, "However, using such tactics against an opponent is fine, but it's not good to use them in a friendly spar. Don't use them next time, okay?"
"Don't worry, Little Master, next time I'll win against Uncle Long with my own strength!" Xiaoyu was silent for a moment, then seriously said.
"Are you two talking?" Jackie Chan turned his head back, suspiciously staring at Robert and Xiaoyu.
"Nope!" Robert and Xiaoyu simultaneously shook their heads, their movements in perfect unison.
"Alright then, let's hurry up!" Jackie Chan, still somewhat suspicious, turned back to lead the way, while Robert and Xiaoyu shared a smile behind him, Xiaoyu playfully sticking out her tongue, seemingly happy about fooling Jackie Chan.
Meanwhile, Jackie Chan was leading Robert and Xiaoyu to a week-long small-scale personal art exhibition.
Though it was a small-scale exhibition, it was quite popular. The artist Steve was known as a versatile artist in London, skilled in sketching, oil painting, watercolor, and even comics.
Jackie Chan received intel that Steve had depicted the Pig Talisman in his latest comic preview and seemed to be planning a comic story with a pig as the protagonist.
"A story with a pig as the protagonist? That must be cute!" Xiaoyu was very certain, saying, "I really want to see this artist's work!"
As Robert, Jackie Chan, and Xiaoyu were heading to the small-scale art exhibition, Valon and others also had their eyes on the Pig Talisman.
However, this time Valon didn't send his own men, learning from the last lesson. He directly had Baron Strucker send people to snatch the Pig Talisman, considering Europe was essentially their stronghold, and the UK hadn't separated from Europe yet at this time.
Moreover, the most crucial point was that Baron Strucker's side had made new progress in researching the Monkey Talisman.
No perfect specimen was produced, but several defective specimens were born. These animal warriors had abilities surpassing humans, similar to the previous cow warriors, but their lifespans were extremely short, especially the more animal abilities they used, the closer they were to death…
But, Hydra, of course, didn't fear sacrifice or death, at least most of Hydra's brainwashed soldiers felt that way.
Baron Strucker also knew about the uniqueness of Jackie Chan and his group but thought these animal warriors couldn't just be used for internal data recording; they had to be put to some use!
Thus, Steve's art exhibition was already swirling with undercurrents, and Steve, the artist himself, was oblivious, still focusing on his creations. His aged hands didn't tremble when he picked up the paintbrush, and he was in great spirits, occasionally flashing a gleam of brilliance in his eyes…