Chapter 99

"Sure. Keep listening to your sister. Even when you grow up, you should still listen well. Got it? Promise."

Hwaryun was about to answer, "I understand," but then hesitated.

"What if you don't keep the promise?"

"What if you don't keep the promise?"

Is this already a sign that you're not going to listen? Ryeon thought it was funny but held back a laugh.

"Hmph. I won't talk to you anymore."

Ryeon crossed her arms and said haughtily.

"Are you saying you won't talk to me forever?"

"Not forever, just for a hundred nights."

"What, a hundred nights? Can't it be just ten days?"

"What can you achieve in just ten days?"

"Is this even a great achievement?"

"Of course, it's a great achievement. I'm raising a baby Hwaryun."

"If you're raising a baby, you can't not talk for a hundred nights."

Ryeon frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly flicked Hwaryun's forehead.

"Are you already thinking about breaking the promise? If you keep the promise, we can talk every day."

But Hwaryun, holding his forehead, didn't have a chance to argue.

Finally, someone on the boat mustered up tremendous courage.

"M, M, M, M... Master Muyuejian..."

It was the martial artist who had just knocked over the tangerine basket. He was so tense that his whole body was red.

When he spoke to Danmuchi, everyone on the boat looked at him with a mix of envy, admiration, and jealousy.

The moment Danmuchi, who was holding a Go stone, raised his head, the boat was deathly quiet, with only the sound of the water lapping against it.

"Hmm? Do you know me?"

Danmuchi wasn't surprised because he had known the man was approaching, but he was curious why a stranger would approach him. He looked back and forth between the man and his children.

The two children shook their heads, indicating they didn't know him.

The man swallowed hard and spoke.

"I, I am... Jinchunle."

By the time he said that, his face was almost beet red. He glanced down at his palm, which seemed to have tiny writing on it, and spoke quickly.

"When the Blood Demon Valley attacked, you, you saved us, and because of that, I entered a small temple to learn the sword... my brother grows tangerines. When I heard that you were coming to the Jinghangyunlian, I thought I might be able to thank you, so I brought tangerines... tangerines... this..."

He spoke so fast that by the end, he was out of breath, and his face turned even redder.

Danmuchi, who had been blinking at the sudden outpouring, narrowed his eyes at the word "tangerine" and slowly recalled the past.

"Yes, I remember. It was when I visited Guangdong... a couple had planted tangerine trees for their children. The tangerines they offered were very sweet and fresh."

"!"

Jinchunle stiffened and looked at Danmuchi in disbelief.

"You... you remember?"

"Didn't you have three brothers? Are your two younger brothers still growing tangerines?"

"Ah, the youngest... the youngest is studying literature."

After saying that, Jinchunle quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

Then, he remembered he hadn't come here just to tell his story and tightened his grip on the object he was holding.

But Danmuchi spoke first.

"Did you come all the way from Guangdong? That's quite a journey."

"No, no! My brother and I... we now live in Zhejiang! Tangerines don't usually grow in the north, but my brother improved the variety, so... it's now possible to grow them in Zhejiang..."

Jinchunle wanted to bang his head. Why would Danmuchi care about tangerine tree improvements!

"That's... that's why... I came here... to thank you for saving us back then... my parents never forgot their gratitude until the day they passed away. And my brothers and the people from our village also sent letters!"

Jinchunle hurriedly reached into his robe. Normally, martial artists standing face to face like this would be ready to draw their swords, but no one moved, perhaps out of respect for Danmuchi.

Tense, Jinchunle, forgetting how his actions might look to others, thrust out a crumpled bundle of letters and a box of tangerines.

His hands were trembling.

"Meeting you again... is an honor... I'm grateful for saving us back then. For a long time, I heard that you were unwell and not seeing visitors, so I didn't dare to come, but this time... I mustered the courage... to come and see you. Please forgive me..."

Tears streamed down Jinchunle's face, leaving marks on the letters. Startled, he tried to wipe them away, but the ink on his palm smeared, making him even more flustered.

Danmuchi watched him for a moment, then smiled gently and took the box and letters from his hands.

"How can a martial artist be so emotional?"

"I, I'm sorry... I've been regretting not coming to see you sooner, so I... I came here, despite the intrusion..."

"How could I think that coming to say thank you would be a bother?"

"But there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands of people like me in the Central Plains martial world... if they all came to see you, it might be a problem..."

But this time, he couldn't let it go. Jinchunle wiped away the tears streaming down his face with the back of his hand.

He suddenly realized that not expressing his gratitude because it might be a bother was not the right thing to do.

He had been restless ever since, but he hadn't had the courage to cross the high threshold of the Danmu family until now.

Watching him, Danmuxian and Danmuhuan's eyes also turned red.

One by one, the people who had boarded the boat to thank Danmuchi approached him with small gifts and words of gratitude.

Danmuchi, realizing that most of them had boarded the boat to Jiangzhou just to have a chance to speak to him, was a bit surprised but smiled.

The line of people waiting to express their gratitude seemed endless.

* * *

"I... must have been more diligent than I thought."

"What are you talking about?"

Hwaryun grumbled as he peeled a tangerine and placed it near Ryeon, who was lying in the cabin, pretending to be seasick.

The long line of people on the boat, all there to thank Danmuchi, was enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed.

At that moment, Ryeon and Danmuchi had a brilliant idea.

Most of the people who had boarded the boat to thank Danmuchi were martial artists, people who valued the advice of the greatest martial artist in the world more than anything.

Since this was a connection, Danmuchi suggested that those who needed advice could engage in a sword discussion. Everyone enthusiastically agreed.

Ryeon, sitting nearby, laid out paper and ink, and as Danmuchi gave advice, she used her Heart Sight to add details and organized them, passing a sheet to each person.

At first, it was enjoyable.

Before this, Ryeon had been pretending to be seasick, rolling a tangerine in her hand and looking at the rippling river, reading the bright red warning message.

*Current Spirit Energy: 75 / 120*

*Warning! Maintain Spirit Energy above 60.*

*Remaining Lifespan: 3 weeks 5 hours*

Using her Heart Sight to examine so many people and spending Spirit Energy would not only increase her luck but also help in the long-term fight against the Blood Demon Valley!

'This is why education is a long-term investment. I'll start with a ten-year plan.'

Thinking this, she worked enthusiastically, giggling to herself.

But she got too absorbed.

When she realized it, her Spirit Energy was down to just 10.

As she was about to finish the last sheet for the final person, Hwaryun and Danmuchi, who were right next to her, immediately noticed her change in demeanor.

She pretended to be seasick to avoid Hwaryun's stern look.

Danmuhuan, thinking it was natural for a child to be tired after writing all day for the elders, made a fuss, and Ryeon and Hwaryun went down to the cabin.

During this time, the family members all came to check on her, worried. Danmu Bi even clung to her, sobbing.