Chapter 63

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During the day, Danmook Honso taught him, and at night, he studied with Lian for a whole month. The duel with Jin Zhongxia was approaching tomorrow, and the Xihu area was buzzing with the news again.

"Since tomorrow is the day of the duel, there will be no training today. Get plenty of rest."

Even as Danmook Honso said this, Danmook Cheng's face remained stern as he replied.

"Master! Could you at least spar with me?"

"It's not necessary."

"But still..."

"More importantly, you need to decide what to do from now on."

When Danmook Honso shifted the conversation to the future rather than tomorrow, Danmook Cheng's focus also turned in that direction.

Lian noticed a mischievous glint in Danmook Honso's expression as he looked at Danmook Cheng and inwardly shook his head.

Unaware of this expression, Danmook Cheng asked seriously.

"Can I not learn the Dao anymore in the future?"

"Hmm. If you want to, you can continue."

"......!"

"But I don't know what your mother will say."

"Mother..."

Danmook Cheng's expression stiffened as he belatedly recalled his mother, Danmook Xianyao.

Is there anyone as sensitive to their parents' desires as their children? Danmook Cheng knew what his mother desired.

When he brought the duel with Jin Jiazhang and started learning the Dao, he thought his mother had remained silent only this once.

Danmook Honso smiled after observing his expression.

"Hmm. When I was young, no one in my family supported my decision to take up the Dao. This place is full of fools who only know swords, isn't it?"

Danmook Cheng almost burst out laughing at Danmook Honso's sudden criticism but then realized his mother was included in the "fools" and bit his lip to suppress his laughter.

"In such cases, you need to show them this."

Danmook Honso tapped the large Dao at his waist.

"If you win and make them unable to move, no one can say anything."

"......!"

"The martial world is a world of power. In a world of power, you need to speak with strength, not words."

"......Yes!"

"And... about the previous Young Master, he could do everything."

"What?"

Lian perked up at the mention of his father. Danmook Honso leaned in and whispered to the girls.

"Everyone said he was a genius with the sword, but that wasn't true. There was no weapon he couldn't handle. If I had only practiced the Dao in this family, I wouldn't have come this far."

"Ah..."

"So, if you want to catch up with him, you could learn the Dao first and then think about the sword later, right?"

Lian coughed softly.

It was doubtful whether Danmook Xiancheng really handled all weapons, and even if he did, it was only possible for a true genius like Danmook Xiancheng.

Once you achieve a certain level with the Dao, who would tell you to return to the sword, no matter what excuse you give?

But Danmook Cheng nodded, looking as if Danmook Honso was making a very reasonable argument.

Danmook Honso chuckled with satisfaction.

Before finishing the day's work, Zheng Ying, who was about to tidy up his sword and say goodbye to Lian, tensed up upon sensing someone's presence but then relaxed when he recognized who it was.

"Leader?!"

"Hey! Isn't it our Ying? It's been a while."

"I heard you came a month ago, but how could you not see us even once?"

As harsh criticism flew out, Danmook Honso flinched.

"No, I'm not the leader anymore."

"How can someone be like this? You just left without a word and now you come back without even telling us when you arrived?"

Danmook Honso looked uncomfortable at the criticism, as if he were speaking to someone who wasn't there, but he couldn't say anything more.

"And now you think saying you're not the leader anymore is enough?"

"Hey, it's all for a greater purpose. This leader..."

"You said you're not the leader."

"You've grown up a lot."

Everyone knew that Lian had risen with the help of the Sichuan Tangmen, but no one knew exactly what kind of great technique he had received.

It was kept secret to protect those who performed the technique.

And Danmook Honso wanted to keep it a secret for other reasons.

He was delving deeper into the Danmook Heavenly Qi and, despite being distant, was still a relative of Danmook Lian. He didn't want the family's warriors to think they had to dedicate all their inner strength and everything they had for their master.

'We're not some evil cult.'

In that place, the cult leader absorbs the inner strength of his subordinates, but this is a reputable orthodox sect, isn't it?

And they don't even know the greater purpose behind his actions!

Danmook Honso swallowed his unnecessary sorrow and cleared his throat, then patted his shoulder.

"You've grown a lot, haven't you?"

"You just said that a moment ago."

"Do you really not understand what I mean?"

"Have I grown a lot in the past year?"

Zheng Ying changed the subject. Danmook Honso sighed.

"Yes, you've grown a lot."

"Then are you fully returning to the family?"

The youngest, who had been sulking, now had a subtle hint of expectation on his face. Danmook Honso smiled inwardly but didn't show it.

The Youcheng Eighteen Elders, the elite strike force of the Danmook family, is not just a group of eighteen. There are eighteen more in reserve, and thirty-six more in the second reserve.

Now, the second reserve has disappeared, and Zheng Ying was the eighteenth in the first reserve, the youngest.

Even if everyone moved up one rank when he left, Zheng Ying would still be the youngest.

"......I think so."

Danmook Honso grumbled, thinking that Danmook Tianqi would probably laugh at this. He was already glaring at him, saying, 'You only said you'd teach for a month, right?'

Zheng Ying noticed that Danmook Honso's voice had become deeper and more resonant than before he left.

He wouldn't have noticed such a change before, but lately his consciousness had been clear and sharp. He had even noticed Danmook Honso's presence immediately just a moment ago.

"Leader, did you... achieve something?"

"What? Does it smell?"

"I didn't say it smells..."

Danmook Honso stopped sniffing his collar, chuckled, and pulled Zheng Ying along.

"Let's have a drink!"

"But tomorrow is the day we go to Jin Jiazhang. It's Cheng's duel."

"Are you dueling? It's Cheng who is dueling."

Danmook Honso always called her by her name when teaching but referred to her as "young lady" otherwise.

"But..."

"Aren't you off work now? If you're off, you're free."

"Ah, I see. Just a moment."

Zheng Ying said this and headed inside the quarters.

He pushed the door open slightly, and a small girl came out. The girl with stars in her eyes, Danmook Lian.

Danmook Honso was a bit surprised to see that the two seemed to have a good relationship.

Danmook Lian gestured to Zheng Ying, who bowed. Danmook Lian whispered something. Although they were quite far apart, Danmook Honso could hear their conversation by subtly listening.

— Does Master Youcheng drink a lot...?

— What?

— Does he often encourage drinking?

— Ah, a little. He is a wine lover.

— If you don't want to drink, don't. Tell him I said not to.

— Yes!

'What do they think I am!'

While Danmook Honso grumbled, Zheng Ying finished his greeting to Lian and returned.

"Cough. Let's go quickly. I have a place in mind."

They settled in a secluded inn near Xihu, where Xihu could be seen from a distance. As the drinks were served, Danmook Honso asked before even raising his glass.

"You've also made significant progress."

"I still have a lot to improve."

Zheng Ying answered with a slightly stiff voice.

"How is your training going?"

"I practice for two hours before starting work and two hours after finishing. On my days off, I..."

Zheng Ying straightened his back and answered seriously.

Danmook Honso was not only the leader of the Youcheng Eighteen Elders but also a spiritual mentor to its members.

"Is that so? Has the young lady done anything for you?"

Zheng Ying's hand, which he had placed on his knee, twitched slightly.

He then looked at Danmook Honso with a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"Why do you ask that?"

"You suddenly seem to have made rapid progress, and recently, the only person around you has been Young Lady Lian."

Danmook Honso's words made Zheng Ying think carefully, looking down at his knees.

'She says she's not anymore, but she's still the first sword of the Youcheng Eighteen Elders. A loyalist to the Grand Ancestor.'

What about himself?

'A low-ranking member of the Youcheng Eighteen Elders. A warrior guarding the young lady’s quarters... and...'

Just a nobody. Someone who only received a bit of advice from the young lady.

Zheng Ying thought about Danmook Lian for a moment.

A small girl who was hastily learning martial arts, going back and forth to the medicine hall, and trying to revive the family every day.