As his words fell, a robust roar that could match a lion from Hedong echoed from the backyard, "Yang Yinghao, you old rascal, if you spout nonsense again, I’ll smash your damned head!"
Father and son simultaneously shrank their necks, staring at each other with wide eyes and silenced, neither daring to utter another word.
Only after the footsteps from the backyard had faded away did the pair stretch their necks out and heave a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Yang Yinghao frowned and fixed his eldest son with an unhappy look, "Happy now? If your mother comes after me later, you’ll see how I deal with you!"
Yang Tiansheng didn’t back down an inch, "If you dare to touch me, let’s see how my mother deals with you!"
Yang Yinghao, red-faced and raising his hand, began, "You’re utterly rebellious..."
Far from dodging, Yang Tiansheng moved his face closer, "Come on, hit here, let mother take a good look at how you teach your son. I’ll tell you, my lack of intelligence is because of your beatings. Do you realize how heavy your hand is? Do you know how much damage your big slaps can do to a child?"
Yang Yinghao, disheartened, dropped his hand and stamped his foot, "This truly is a sin!"
Seeing an opportunity, Yang Tiansheng quickly changed his tone, "Alright, alright, it was just a verbal spat with you, why take it seriously... But I must go on this matter. If the court were only dealing with Yang Ge, then so be it. Yang Ge has long been prepared for the court to act against him, and I’m just waiting to help him escape to sea. But if the court targets Yang Ge’s family, then it can’t be overlooked!"
"In other words, if the court goes this far and I just watch as Yang Ge struggles alone against the court, then what kind of friend am I? That’s not what friends do!"
He calmed down, and father Yang Yinghao frowned seriously, "Is it worth it? I don’t object to your friendship with Yang Erlang, he really is an extraordinary chap, but for his sake, are you really going to drag our household and the entire Ming Sect into this... Is it truly worth it?"
Yang Tiansheng responded solemnly, "I disagree with what you said, Dad. What do you mean I’m dragging our family and the Ming Sect into trouble for Yang Ge... When have our household and the Ming Sect ever been on safe ground?"
Yang Yinghao shook his head, "You don’t need to split hairs with me. You know very well what’s happening."
After pondering, Yang Tiansheng retorted, "Then let me put it this way... when have the Yang Family of Fengyang or the Ming Sect ever been spared by the court because we bowed and scraped, took insults lying down?"
Yang Yinghao still knit his brows tightly, "That may be true, but once swords are drawn, it could harm hundreds of thousands of our followers..."
"It’s precisely because of the fear of drawing swords..."
Yang Tiansheng assertively interrupted his father’s hesitant words, "that we must not fear drawing swords. Otherwise, no matter how famous our Ming Sect is, or how many followers we have, we would be nothing but a soft persimmon for the court to squash at will!"
Yang Yinghao had to admit, this rebellious son made sense.
But as the Righteous Brightness Envoy of the Ming Sect, he had to be responsible for the entire Ming Sect and couldn’t just let Yang Tiansheng do as he pleased, "This is a major issue. I must consult with the Sect Hierarch at the headquarters before we can make a decision."
Yang Tiansheng nodded, "You discuss what you need to discuss. I know my limits. If you’re truly worried that I’ll burden the family and the sect, I’ll go alone with my sword. I was the one who started the fight against the Japanese pirates at Nansha Bay with Yang Ge; if there’s trouble, of course, I should bear it with him!"
Yang Yinghao instinctively raised his right hand, but as he was about to swing it down on Yang Tiansheng’s head, he begrudgingly pulled back, "Listen to yourself, what nonsense are you spouting? Do you think I’m afraid you’ll be my burden?"
Yang Tiansheng spoke earnestly, "I misspoke, but that’s essentially what I meant. Yang Ge treats me like his own brother, and I can’t treat him like a distant cousin. When he’s in trouble, he might want me to stay out of it, but I can’t just watch him face it alone. That’s not what friends do... Even if I can’t be of much help, I can at least pass him his sword."
Yang Yinghao opened his mouth but then closed it again.
Perhaps he was indeed getting old, starting to envy the unadulterated, pure friendships of the younger generation...
He reached out and gently ruffled his eldest son’s hair, feeling a great sense of contentment as he scolded with a smile, "What a silly thing to say. Your dad isn’t so old that he can’t lift a sword or kill a man. If the sky falls, your dad will bear it for you!"
"Dad."
Yang Tiansheng also laughed, "Although I may not be very capable, I can shield you from the wind and rain too. If the sky falls, I can also bear it for you!"
Yang Yinghao looked at his eldest son, his mind drifting for a moment, as if just realizing that the little tyke who once babbled inarticulately had grown into a man who could stand tall and command respect.
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