Hangzhou, Ming Sect stronghold.
Yang Tiansheng listened as his subordinates reported that the imperial envoy Yang Erlang had gone on a killing spree in Yangzhou, executing over three hundred corrupt officials and bureaucrats from Jiangzhe.
He had only heard half of it when he couldn’t help but slap the table so hard that the bowls and plates jumped, breaking into a shout, "Awesome, Yang Ge is really freaking awesome!"
He stood up, pacing back and forth in the room, agitated, "Young master shouldn’t have left, such a lively scene, and I missed it... Ah, Yang Ge, you really deserve to die!"
"Can you stop rocking, would it kill you? It’s giving me a headache!"
Midlife, with a thick mustache above his upper lip, Yang Yinghao sat in the hall, his face full of disdain as he watched his foolish son.
"Dad, he slaughtered over three hundred corrupt officials in one go... This, this, this, is awesome!"
Yang Tiansheng was riding a high tide of excitement, unable to sit still.
He had personally been involved in the events in Yangzhou... at least half of them!
Basking in reflected glory, indeed!
Yang Yinghao hesitated, opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Well, he also thought... that kid was too damn feisty!
This was the making of a born rebel!
"That kid... is going to make it big!"
After a while, Yang Yinghao finally let out a sigh, slowly exhaling a breath of stale air.
Yang Tiansheng quickly turned around and poured a pot of tea for his father, "Dad, what do you say?"
Yang Yinghao gave him a glance, picked up the teacup, and sipped silently.
Yang Tiansheng was anxious, "Speak up, Dad!"
Yang Yinghao set down the teacup, waved to dismiss the disciples below, and started speaking reluctantly, "Didn’t you ask me before if I could take his strike?"
Yang Tiansheng, "Yeah, what about it?"
Yang Yinghao pondered and said, "Back then... I could take it. I would have been severely injured, but he would have died!"
Yang Tiansheng nodded, "And now?"
Yang Yinghao, "Now... if I were to take his strike, he would be slightly injured, and I would die!"
Yang Tiansheng paused for a few seconds, puzzled, "Where did you hear that from? The kid... I haven’t heard of any improvement in his martial arts!"
"A useless piece of wood cannot be carved!"
Yang Yinghao, frustrated and disappointed, knocked on his son’s forehead making a "bang bang" sound, "Can’t you think a bit more when you encounter issues? Does everyone have to show off exactly what martial arts they know, just for you?"
Yang Tiansheng covered his forehead, silent, trying hard to think, what did Yang Ge’s execution of corrupt officials have to do with his martial arts?
Could it be that executing corrupt officials somehow enhances martial arts skills?
Or did he get a large sum of money by killing those officials to finance his training?
Looking at his foolish son’s incredulous expression, Yang Yinghao knew he must be thinking way off track, and sighed resignedly, "Extraordinary deeds make an extraordinary man!"
"If I’m not mistaken, when that kid killed the Chenfeng monk that time, he embraced the fearless determination of ’Where the path of the Dao exists, though there are millions, I will go!’"
"As the saying goes, knowing is easy, doing is hard!"
"How difficult it is to cleanse the officialdom of corruption and restore a clearworld..."
"Although we are not officials, we can somewhat understand!"
"Being an official himself, the resistance, pressure, confusion, and temptations he faces are ten times, a hundred times what you and I can imagine!"
"It’s not an exaggeration to say..."
"One step forward, and he risks getting beheaded, dying without a burial place!"
"One step back, and he could enjoy a lifetime of glory and wealth, without a worry!"
"Yet that kid stubbornly faced so much resistance, pressure, confusion, and temptations to do what he thought was right!"
"Not to mention, what he did has no precedent, and it will be difficult for future generations to follow..."
"This mindset, this spirit, will lift him high like a great mountain, holding up his fearless determination!"
"He will eventually stand high on the top, overlooking all other mountains!"
"With such a strike, below the unparalleled Grandmaster, he will hardly find an equal!"
He took another deep breath, his hand trembling slightly as he picked up the teacup again and took a sip, calming his turbulent emotions.
Some things, perceived as difficult in youth, seem simple with age.
Other things, considered hard when young, turn out to be even harder later on.
The matters in Yangzhou...
Yang Tiansheng only understands brashness, only sees awesomeness!
Yang Yinghao, however, thinks... this is more than brashness, more than awesomeness!
If the people of Jiangzhe built a temple for that kid, it wouldn’t be too much!
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
Many wanderers in the martial world have spent their lives travelling east and west with swords at their sides, all just seeking a renowned reputation.
Yet, this kid’s starting point has already surpassed ninety-nine percent of the wanderers...
Off to the side, Yang Tiansheng also trembled excitedly as he picked up a teacup and took a sip, murmuring in disbelief, "That guy... not long ago he achieved true mastery, he’s already unbeatable so quickly?"
Yang Yinghao breathed out slowly, saying lightly, "Qin Wuyang, at the age of thirteen, killed a man in the marketplace, and no one dared to look him in the eye."
Yang Tiansheng drained the tea from his cup, his face flushed as he shouted, "Yang Ge, awesome!"
Yang Yinghao glanced at his naive son, naturally wanting to scold him, but before he could say anything, he burst out laughing, "You get along well with that kid, you might as well socialize more later. Although we stand on different grounds, maintaining a connection could be beneficial without..."
"Dad!"
Yang Tiansheng interrupted his father’s heartfelt advice, frustrated, "Can’t you stop using your old ways to talk? My relationship with Yang Ge is that of gentlemen. If I were to interact intentionally with a utilitarian mindset, wouldn’t that spoil it? You indeed have friends all over, but how many were truly there for you when you fell on hard times?"
Yang Yinghao slammed the table and said sternly, "What do you know, you uninformed young brat? The martial world isn’t about fighting and killing, it’s about human relationships and social niceties!"