Under the dim twilight before dawn, a raging fire ignited the hemp mourning attire...
Li Jincheng, who had not slept for two days and nights, silently hugged his father’s spirit tablet next to the bonfire, vacantly staring as the tombstone slowly settled, sealing the tomb chamber.
Yang Ge, Yang Tiansheng, and Xiang Wudi, the three brothers, stood behind Li Jincheng, exchanging glances.
Finally, it was Yang Ge who stepped forward, put his arm around Li Jincheng’s shoulder, and turned his body towards the way they came, "Let’s go, you have a pile of matters waiting for you back home."
Li Jincheng took one last look at the sealed tomb chamber, took a deep breath of the slightly cool morning air, and cracked a hoarse joke, "You really know how to comfort people."
Yang Ge, pulling him back, laughed, "It’s not like I haven’t said nice things too, but you just won’t listen."
Yang Tiansheng and Xiang Wudi followed them, one on each side, also adding some dry phrases like, "The deceased is gone, you need to look forward."
Li Jincheng silently let the three of them pull him, pushing him to walk back. After a long walk, he suddenly said, "Brothers, I’m fatherless now."
The three brothers’ steps sank, and each sighed deeply in their hearts.
Just as Yang Ge and Yang Tiansheng looked at each other, not knowing how to comfort him, Xiang Wudi who was pushing Li Jincheng from behind suddenly muttered, "If you’re willing, you can consider me your adopted father!"
Yang Ge and Yang Tiansheng turned around in shock, looking at this straightforward general.
Xiang Wudi spread his hands innocently, "He said it himself, didn’t he? I’m just trying to help."
Li Jincheng was both annoyed and amused by him, turned around, and hugged Xiang Wudi’s neck tightly, shaking it vigorously, "You should be considering me as your adopted father instead."
Xiang Wudi let himself be shaken, then suddenly added, "Your marksmanship is not as good as mine."
Li Jincheng was taken aback, "What?"
Xiang Wudi replied, "My marksmanship is as good as your father’s."
After saying this, he wriggled out of Li Jincheng’s hold and sprinted away.
Li Jincheng then snapped back to reality and chased after him like a hungry tiger, "Scoundrel, where do you think you’re going!"
Yang Ge watched the two of them hasten away, a smile slowly forming on his lips, "Before, watching these two bickering, I was always worried they’d end up fighting..."
Yang Tiansheng said, "Back in Dongying, I could see that despite their squabbles, they are highly in sync on ordinary days; if one kills, the other hands him the weapon..."
Yang Ge slowly exhaled, "That’s a good thing!"
As the two walked back leisurely along the path they came, they chatted sporadically, "Your big day is coming up, right?"
Yang Tiansheng answered, "Yes, you still remember my wedding. Make sure you come early, I won’t send you an invitation!"
"Hmm, I know."
Yang Ge remarked, "Keep an eye on Jin Cheng with Xiang, help monitor him..."
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Yang Tiansheng asked, "What about you?"
Yang Ge answered, "The respect they lost, he must reclaim by his own hands. If he can’t regain it, this hurdle will haunt him for life. It’s inappropriate for me to loom here."
Yang Tiansheng acknowledged, "That makes sense... fine, don’t worry, little lord and Xiang live close by, we can respond quickly to any incident. If military masters that neither little lord nor Xiang can handle appear, it won’t be too late to call you for support!"
Yang Ge laughed, "How many people can little lord and Xiang not handle together?
Yang Tiansheng pondered for a few moments, then said, "I believe I have now almost reached the strength of the Seven Heroes, but since I’ve never faced an expert of that tier, I’m not sure whether I can outmatch them."
Yang Ge considered and then said, "Apart from Li Qing, that guy is not much weaker than your average Grandmaster, other fighters of the Seven Heroes caliber, even if you and Xiang can’t overcome them, should at least be able to protect yourselves."
Yang Tiansheng asked, "What about those top-tier Grandmasters?"
Yang Ge responded, "Didn’t you hear me? If you two can’t even handle Li Qing, you’re also thinking of challenging a top-tier Grandmaster?"
Yang Tiansheng insisted, "Little lord has to know how big the gap really is, right?"
Yang Ge pondered for a long while, finally shaking his head, "I can’t say for certain; the few Grandmasters I’ve fought are at the bottom rank amongst them, so they’re not very representative."
Yang Tiansheng asked, "Can’t even give a rough estimate?"
"Roughly..."
Yang Ge thought for a bit, then said, "Take old eunuch Tong Ying from the incident at Huai’an Bian River for example. If you two faced him, within thirty moves, you might still have a chance to walk away; beyond thirty moves, you wouldn’t even have a chance to escape."
Yang Tiansheng’s face fell, incredulously asking, "Really? I thought with my current strength, I wasn’t much different from you back then!"
Yang Ge gave him a deep look.
Yang Tiansheng was about to speak when he suddenly felt a strong palpitation, but fortunately, the sensation came quickly and went just as quickly.
Yang Ge retracted his gaze and nodded, "Just talking about skill alone, your current level indeed isn’t much different from mine back then."
Yang Tiansheng asked, "Then what’s the difference?"
Yang Ge replied, "Your heart lacks ’The Sword’!"
Yang Tiansheng asked, "What’s that?"
Yang Ge shook his head, "Don’t ask me, if you understand, you understand; if you don’t, no matter how detailed I explain it, you won’t get it!"
Yang Tiansheng opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Having almost grasped the true essence of martial arts, he knew that some things were indeed understandable if one could, and incomprehensible no matter how they were explained.
More precisely, understanding depends on ample contemplation, insight, and experience—it naturally follows.
And not understanding is like a clever wife unable to cook without rice; lacking those thoughts, insights, and experiences.