NOVPUB"Yi An?"
Zhao Feng was startled upon hearing this and couldn’t help but glance at the boy who was completely oblivious to the conversation.
Wang Yi’an was busy helping Bu Chan tidy up the table, including the bowls, dishes, and chopsticks.
Although he was only seven or eight years old, he worked quite efficiently and with an air of seriousness.
He didn’t at all resemble the child who had been so lively at the dinner table just moments before.
Zhao Feng couldn’t help but nod slightly in approval.
Seeing this, Wang Ba quickly said:
"Yi An, come here."
Wang Yi’an walked over with a puzzled look.
"Father, Uncle Zhao."
Zhao Feng nodded, and without any pleasantries, immediately reached out and placed his hand on Wang Yi’an’s head.
Seeing this, Bu Chan hastily stopped what she was doing and looked towards Wang Yi’an and Zhao Feng.
Wang Yi’an, however, was full of confusion.
Soon, Zhao Feng withdrew his hand, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, and spoke softly to Wang Yi’an:
"Yi An, would you like to take me as your master?"
Wang Yi’an was taken aback and didn’t immediately respond. Instead, a hint of contemplation flashed in his eyes before he asked:
"Uncle Zhao, if I take you as my master, what skills will you teach me?"
Upon hearing this, both Zhao Feng and Wang Ba were surprised.
Wang Ba couldn’t help but become furious:
"You impudent boy! How dare you to your Uncle Zhao..."
However, Zhao Feng gently stopped Wang Ba and looked at Wang Yi’an:
"Learn skills?"
With a casual flick of his finger, a sword-light quietly flew out from his fingertip.
In front of Wang Yi’an, the sword-light instantly split into countless sword shadows.
The sword shadows crisscrossed, enveloping the entire sky above Wanfa Peak like a blanket that blotted out the sun, indescribably majestic and magnificent.
Witnessing this scene, Wang Yi’an couldn’t help but widen his eyes, which lit up in an instant.
"I want to learn this! Just this!"
It seemed as if Uncle Zhao heard Wang Yi’an’s words.
Whoosh!
The myriad sword shadows abruptly coalesced back into a single sword-light and leaped back into Zhao Feng’s body.
Wang Yi’an, however, rushed over immediately, his eyes filled with stars as he hugged Zhao Feng:
"Uncle, dear Uncle, I want to learn this! I only want to learn this!"
What stunned him immediately after, however, was Zhao Feng calmly shaking his head:
"I won’t accept you."
Wang Yi’an paused for a moment before asking, "Why not?"
Zhao Feng replied calmly, "Following me in cultivation will be very hard."
Wang Yi’an immediately shook his head vigorously like a rattle:
"I’m not afraid of hardship!"
"It will be very lonely."
"Lonely? What’s that... Never mind, I’m not afraid either!" 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓅𝓊𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
It seemed his determination had moved Uncle Zhao, and Uncle Zhao’s face showed a slight softening:
"Can you truly do it?"
Wang Yi’an asserted confidently, "I can for sure!"
Zhao Feng’s brows betrayed his contemplation:
"All right then... for the sake of your father and mother, I will take you on as my disciple. But let me make this clear—if you cannot endure the hardships or meet my demands, do not blame me for sending you home."
Wang Yi’an immediately puffed out his chest and declared, "A man must stand by his word!"
Zhao Feng finally showed a trace of a smile:
"Good, then come with me now."
"Ah?"
Wang Yi’an was startled.
Then, before he knew it, everything before his eyes blurred, and he found himself already high up in the air.
He was not afraid, but he couldn’t help but look down at the two familiar figures on Wanfa Peak and cried out:
"Mother! Father!"
However, the next moment, a somewhat indifferent voice from Zhao Feng reached his ears:
"If you cannot bear the pain of leaving your parents, I’ll take you back right now."
Wang Yi’an suddenly got a shiver down his spine, remembering the skill he had longed for so much; a determined expression, uncharacteristic for his age, appeared on his little face: "No! I can bear the hardship!"
After speaking, he forcefully suppressed the fear, nervousness, and reluctance in his heart and turned his head away.
Witnessing this scene, Zhao Feng nodded imperceptibly, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, with a mere thought, the sword-light surged forward, streaking across the sky.
Atop Wanfa Peak.
Bu Chan leaned against Wang Ba’s side, watching the light vanish into the sky, her face betraying her worry:
"Senior Brother, sending him to Senior Brother Zhao, isn’t it too soon? I’ve heard that the cultivation at Xinjian Peak is very harsh, and Senior Brother Zhao is known to be quite strict..."
Wang Ba gently patted Bu Chan’s shoulder and said soothingly:
"Don’t worry. A strict teacher produces outstanding disciples. Besides, considering Liu Jin’s talent in Sword Dao, among the people I know, only Senior Brother Zhao is capable of teaching him."
Still, a look of concern remained in Bu Chan’s eyes:
"I understand, but Liu Jin is still so young..."
Wang Ba reassured her softly, "If not, we’ll visit more often. Children must eventually leave us to grow. Besides, with the ongoing calamities, we never know when disaster might strike. It’s not a bad thing for Liu Jin to grow up a bit sooner."
Upon hearing Wang Ba’s words, Bu Chan nodded slightly and then said:
"Then you should hurry and send the tribute gift over. Senior Brother Zhao left in such a hurry, and we didn’t have a chance to let Liu Jin give it to him."
"No rush on that... Also, with Liu Jin gone, shouldn’t we be doing something else?"
"Hm? But it’s still daylight... well..."
...
Another beginning of the month.
Diwu Hall.
"The demand for all varieties of elixirs, spirit food, talismans, and magic tools from the southern part of West Sea Country has increased by over thirty percent since last month, with elixirs being consumed in great quantities, followed by spirit food... Our inventory levels are already tight."
"Following the resolution passed by Chunyang Palace last month to support Chu with some inferior resources in exchange for local spirit items, Rende Hall has already dispatched personnel to take inventory, and it is expected that the first batch of spirit items will return to our sect within half a year..."
"The blood calamity in Li State was finally eradicated not long ago, but the local losses were tremendous. And due to the proximity to our sect, they have requested our support as well. Consequently, this month and for the following six months, we will continue to allocate a portion of our inferior resources there. The current list of support resources is as follows... Some of the inferior resources have already begun to run short..."
