Chapter 228: Chapter 111: A Heart of Affection
When it came to talent, Yang Jing had cultivated two martial arts to the Dark Energy stage. The speed of his progress was in no way inferior to Lin Yue’s.
As for his disposition, he was calm, resilient, and composed in the face of danger—an even rarer quality.
With such potential, he was likely a cut above even Lin Yue.
’Heh, this is... quite unexpected.’
Sun Yong muttered to himself, picked up the teacup from the table, and took a sip. The warmth of the tea flowed down his throat, warming him through.
Just then, the study door was pushed open gently. Sun Ningxiang walked in carrying a basin of clean water, preparing to wipe the desk.
The corner of her eye caught the lingering smile on her father’s lips, and she paused.
Her father was usually stern and rarely smiled; it was a rare sight to see him like this.
"Father, what’s made you so happy?"
Sun Ningxiang set down the basin, picked up a cloth, and asked curiously, "Junior Brother Yang just left the study. Is it related to him?"
Sun Yong looked up at his daughter, pondered for a moment, and said slowly, "I’m thinking of taking Yang Jing as my Closed-door Disciple."
"What?" The cloth in Sun Ningxiang’s hand fell into the basin with a SPLASH, sending a spray of water up in a circle.
She stared at her father in astonishment, her eyes wide and round. She clearly hadn’t expected to hear such a thing.
She knew perfectly well the significance of a Closed-door Disciple.
A so-called Closed-door Disciple was a master’s final disciple in their lifetime. They would receive the master’s full dedication and training and would be the first choice to inherit their legacy.
Since the founding of the Martial Arts Hall, her father had never taken a Closed-door Disciple. Even with Junior Brother Lin Yue, he had only treated him as a disciple to be specially cultivated, never stating any intention of making him a Closed-door Disciple.
And now, today, he was actually saying he wanted to take Yang Jing as his Closed-door Disciple.
"Father, you... you’re not joking, are you?" Sun Ningxiang picked up the cloth, her voice still trembling slightly.
Sun Yong shook his head, his expression solemn. "Do you know what Yang Jing did yesterday?"
He briefly recounted how Yang Jing had single-handedly stormed the stronghold to rescue Liu Maolin, joined forces with Li Tieyun to annihilate the Flying Horse Thieves, and even personally slain Li Qianxiong—a top-tier expert at the Peak of Dark Energy. He concluded, "As he is now, below the Transformation Realm, Yang Jing has few rivals in Yuhe County."
"Junior Brother Yang... killed Li Qianxiong?" Sun Ningxiang was completely stunned, her mouth slightly agape, unable to close it for a long moment.
She had long heard of Li Qianxiong’s brutal reputation. He was a ruthless figure that even the authorities had trouble with, and he was nearly unrivaled among those at the Peak of Dark Energy. For Junior Brother Yang to have killed him? It was simply too incredible to believe!
Seeing his daughter’s shocked expression, Sun Yong sighed. "Although I valued him before, I still underestimated his talent. This child, his innate constitution may seem inferior, but his talent far surpasses that of an ordinary person. To achieve so much in just one short year... he is the most talented person under my tutelage."
Sun Ningxiang stood there in a daze, her father’s words echoing in her mind along with the image of Yang Jing’s silent figure training day after day.
That junior brother, who was always practicing his forms in silence, so serious with every single move, had unknowingly grown to such a level.
Watching his daughter’s stunned expression, Sun Yong’s thoughts churned. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally asked, "Ning Xiang, what do you think of... Yang Jing?"
His tone seemed casual, but his gaze was fixed on his daughter’s face, holding a hint of imperceptible anticipation.
Sun Ningxiang was taken aback. Snapping out of it, she recalled the sight of Yang Jing training silently and her own impression of him. She nodded earnestly and said, "Junior Brother Yang is very good. He has a calm disposition, trains diligently, and now he’s... he’s become incredibly strong."
As she finished, her voice carried a note of admiration.
Sun Yong’s heart leaped with joy. He decided to be direct. "Since you think he’s good, how about I betroth you to him?"
As soon as Sun Yong finished speaking, the study fell deathly silent.
"Father!"
Sun Ningxiang, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, snapped her head up. A blush instantly bloomed across her face, spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
She had never imagined her father would suddenly say such a thing. Her heart began to race, and she didn’t even know what to do with her hands and feet.
"What... what are you saying..."
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, thick with shyness, and her eyes darted away, not daring to look at her father. "I... I’ll be leaving now!"
Before the words were even out of her mouth, she gathered her skirt and practically ran out of the study, forgetting the basin and cloth.
Sun Yong watched his daughter’s flustered retreat, stroking his chin. He scratched his head in confusion. ’Is that... a yes? Or a no?’
He recalled the last time he had tried to arrange a marriage between Qi Yun and Yang Jing. Both had refused publicly, and Qi Yun’s expression, in particular, had been awful, leaving him quite embarrassed.
This time, he had deliberately asked his daughter in private, hoping to sound her out. He never expected this kind of reaction.
’Ah, well. Girls are easily embarrassed.’
Sun Yong shook his head, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift into a slight smile. ’Seeing her reaction, she probably doesn’t object.’
...
「Inner City, Li Family Mansion.」
Inside the study, Patriarch Li Haitao of the Li Family was seated in a Grandmaster’s Chair draped with a fox-fur pelt. In his hand, he held a stack of papers covered in dense script—a detailed investigative report on Yang Jing.
It covered everything from his ancestral roots in the Yang Family Village of Wazi Town, to his entry into Sun’s Martial Arts Hall and his ranking in the training ground trials, to the full account of yesterday’s annihilation of the Flying Horse Thieves. It even recorded his daily routines and his fighting style.
The more Li Haitao read, the tighter his brow furrowed, yet his eyes revealed a trace of solemnity.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
There was a knock on the study door.
"Come in," Li Haitao called out.
The door opened, and Li Mengchao walked in.
He wore a set of martial attire, his features handsome, and his brow held a hint of arrogance. He was none other than the most outstanding disciple of the Li Family’s current generation, the champion of this year’s training ground trials.
