The pavilion wrapped in silver attire, thin ice floats upon the lotus pond.
It was already the twelfth lunar month...
Yang Tiansheng and his son sat in the pavilion, blissfully tending to the charcoal stove with hot tea and roasted seeds, discussing the lively affairs of the martial world.
After rousing themselves with an animated rundown of the chain of events triggered by the death of the Five Poisons Cult Sect Hierarch Yan Shijun, Yang Tiansheng suddenly asked, "Dad, the Sect Hierarch went to the Louwailou Restaurant again, didn’t he?"
Without a second thought, Yang Yinghao replied, "Seems like he did."
Yang Tiansheng chuckled, "He went to see who is stronger between Yang Ge and the man behind the Five Poisons Cult, didn’t he?"
Finally catching on, Yang Yinghao narrowed his eyes and scolded in a low voice, "What are you laughing at, you little rascal?"
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Yang Tiansheng quickly shook his head, "I wasn’t laughing at anything."
Yang Yinghao, "Don’t I know whether you were laughing at something or not?"
Yang Tiansheng, "If you know what I am laughing at, why ask? That would be like dropping my..."
Seeing his father raise his fist with paternal love, he wisely swallowed back the last word, "fart."
Yang Yinghao lowered his fist and spoke with heartfelt sincerity, "Don’t think the Sect Hierarch is making a fuss over nothing. You neither know the strength of the man behind the Five Poisons Sect nor how strong Erlang really is. You’re just able to sit back and watch the show because you’re good buddies with Erlang. If you were in the Sect Hierarch’s shoes, I guarantee you’d be even more restless!"
Hearing this, Yang Tiansheng glanced reflexively at the rockery meditation chamber in the center of the lotus pond and, after pondering for a moment, shook his head slightly, "I don’t think the Sect Hierarch is making a fuss over nothing."
Yang Yinghao snorted, "You’re my son, how could I not know what’s on your mind? I know exactly what you’re up to just by the way you stick out your butt!"
Yang Tiansheng spread his hands and smiled, "Then this time you really are wrong. I truly don’t think the Sect Hierarch is making a fuss. It’s just that..."
Yang Yinghao, "It’s just what?"
After some thought, Yang Tiansheng said, "I’ve grown up listening to the heroic tales of the Sect Hierarch. I used to regard him like a deity, feeling as if he was as high as the sky..."
Yang Yinghao, now understanding, felt an inexplicable complexity in his heart. "And now?"
Yang Tiansheng laughed, "Now, I don’t know if it’s because I’m closer to him or see him more clearly, but I suddenly realize that he... seems just so-so!"
Yang Yinghao instinctively felt that this attitude was very inappropriate and wanted to give him a lecture.
But he opened his mouth several times and still didn’t know what to say or could say...
In terms of fame, his boy, with the help of the two big events in Zhoushan and the expedition to Dongying, was hardly less renowned than the Sect Hierarch now. In some very remote places, people had only heard of this kid’s name, ’Sunrise Sword,’ but not the Sect Hierarch Yang Potian’s title, ’Great Sun Buddha Venerable.’
In terms of martial arts, he was even less entitled to speak. Ever since the kid had deduced the ’Eight Swords in Flight,’ his martial skills had completely surpassed his own father’s. Often, he couldn’t even comprehend the mysterious swordsmanship the kid used; the only thing he was sure of was... the kid’s martial arts were not far from the level of the Sect Hierarch Yang Potian anymore, at least there was no qualitative gap. Perhaps, this rascal could face Yang Potian just like Yang Erlang faced the Old Heavenly Master from Mount Longhu, even if he couldn’t win, he could still leave unscathed!
Not to mention, he had friends like Yang Erlang, Xiang Wudi, and Li Jincheng outside of the Sect.
Under these circumstances, to expect this kid to revere the Sect Hierarch and obey him like the ordinary members do...
Yang Yinghao himself found it unrealistic!
But as the saying goes, one mountain cannot harbor two tigers. Although the Ming Sect is large, it cannot accommodate two authorities!
After a long while, Yang Yinghao thought of a more tactful way to phrase it and pretended to speak casually, "Son, do you know when a knife is most feared by others?"
Yang Tiansheng looked at his father and replied with an unconcerned smile, "Are you talking about the principle of ’a sheathed knife’? I’ve heard about it from Yang Ge... But, the Sect Hierarch isn’t my sheath, is he?"
Yang Yinghao wanted to say something more, but Yang Tiansheng cut in, "Dad, you and the Sect Hierarch have been close since childhood, and you’ve served as his right-hand man for decades. You respect him, you hold him in high regard, and I have nothing to say about it."
"But the Sect Hierarch’s treatment of me can’t really be called generous, can it? Even if I haven’t made any contributions to the Sect, I’ve certainly put in a lot of effort, haven’t I? Not to mention our Ming Sect’s reputation in Jiangzhe, just take the gold and silver brought back from Dongying. I didn’t even touch it; it was all handed over to the Sect for allocation..."
"How did the Sect Hierarch treat our Yang Family, and me?"
"Let’s not even talk about that money for now. Just take the previous encirclement of the Five Poisons Sect by the three Sects, when the Sect Hierarch forcefully ordered me to head south to the White Lotus Sect with a Sect decree... What kind of scheme was the Sect Hierarch playing at? You can’t possibly fail to see it, right?"
"I’ve given him face on both fronts, but he keeps using me like the foolish son of a landlord!"
"And still, he expects me to submit to him?"
He continued to smile as usual, but somehow, the previously mischievous and somewhat innocent grin now seemed defiant, "Why should I?"
Yang Yinghao opened his mouth to speak, but Yang Tiansheng spoke first again, "But rest assured, Dad. I understand what’s important and won’t make things difficult for you. However, the next Sect Hierarch... it can’t still be Lu Wujie, can it? Nowhere does it say in the rules of our Ming Sect that ’the position of Sect Hierarch must be passed on only within the Sect Hierarch’s lineage’!"
He picked up the tea cup in front of him and gestured to his father, "The position of the next Sect Hierarch, I’m determined to claim it!"