Hao Ren was sitting beside the campfire and Yin sat next to him. The young trio sat across them. Even though Hao Ren appeared kind to them, the people weren't completely relaxed. The young men were specially protective of Alka Gurung, the young lady who was sitting between them.
Yin looked at them and said, "You three are just in core formation realm. How did you manage to survive in the wilderness?"
One of the young boys said, "Senior, we relied of our family's secret technique, however, it was mainly due to the stronger ones in the group."
Hao Ren thought for a bit and said, "Reverse blood flow."
The three people were surprised, and Hao Ren continued, "I can see you are all injured internally but I didn't expect that the cause would be something ."
He noticed that the three people became even more wary of him. He sighed and said, "Given my realm, do you think if I had any ill intentions you would have a chance to live till now?"
The three people shook their heads. Yin suddenly stood up and said, "Baba, there are a few people lingering around."
Hao Ren waved his hand and said, "Be careful."
Then he watched her vanish in the darkness, he wasn't worried about Yin suffering any damage, because as delicate as she looked, she was a killing machine when it came to battle. Alka Gurung flinched and turned her head in the direction where Yin had vanished, she could here the sounds of battle. The two young men were the same.
Hao Ren looked at them and asked, "Are you perhaps thinking why is the difference between you and her so much?"
The three looked at him. They saw his eyes reflecting the flickering flames before them. They nodded, and Hao Ren smiled as he said, "Comparison is the root of distress, and distress is the father of obsession. Don't think to much, you will have your opportunities."
His words calmed down the people. After a few minutes, Yin came back and sat down beside Hao Ren. She took out a few space rings and asked, "Do you recognize these?"
Alka looked at her palm and she exclaimed, "We gave them to the bandits to let us go. How..."
Her eyes widened as she mumbled, "They meant to tail us even though we gave them everything?"
The two young men were angry as well, but one of them took a deep breath and said, "Young Miss, this is the reality of the world. The strong prey on the weak and at the moment, we are weak."
Alka clenched her fists, and Yin said, "Take them. It has stuff that you can use."
Alka shook her head and calmly said, "I cannot accept this, Senior. You fought with the bandits to get them. It is yours now."
Hao Ren was surprised, and then he smiled as he said, "Young one, even in such a time of distress you can manage to uphold the righteousness in your heart. I am impressed. However, don't be too complacent. Nobody in the world will reciprocate what you just did, even though it was to someone who gave them food."
Alka nodded and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Senior. However, I still believe that I have no right to accept those rings. They were robbed from us because we were weak. Senior fought the bandits to get it back, so it belongs to her."
Yin clicked and said, "If it belongs to me and I tell you to take it, take it. If you think this is a favor, then in the future return it. That is how things work in the world."
Alka hesitated and Hao Ren suddenly said, "You three are rather pleasing to eyes. You have high virtue, and you are a little naive as well. How about till the time I drop you off to your people, let me teach you?"
Yin was surprised but she didn't say anything. Looking at the three dazed people, she asked, "Are you unwilling to listen to a sword saint?"
Hao Ren sighed, he looked at the three people looking at him. He was left with no options and waved his finger. The sword qi dashed through the void and hit the trees on the side.
With each thump a tree fell to the ground. The three youngsters dropped their jaws on the ground. They quickly reacted and knelt before him, "We have seen the Master."
Yin found the scene a little too funny and chuckled, "Kids."
Hao Ren sighed, he waved his hand and lifted the trio in upright position. He looked at Yin, who gave back the space rings, and the young man took out a three wine cups, and a gourd. He poured the wine in the cups and said, "Drink this, consider it a meeting gift from me."
The people exchanged gazes with each other, and accepted the cups, and raised them in Hao Ren's direction before swallowing in the content in one breath. Hao Ren said, "Yin, teach them how to guide the energy. They will need it."
The girl said, "I want two cups too."
Hao Ren directly handed her the gourd and closed his eyes to cultivate. Yin took two sips and guided the trio on how to unlock their Yin and Yang sight. She also gave them a pill from her end, to wash their marrows and flesh. The entire night the three people cultivated and they reached the peak of core formation realm. They were shocked, although they weren't much stronger than what they were earlier, but they could tell that their foundations have improved a lot in terms of quality.
The sun came up, and Hao Ren whistled, two steeds appeared in sight. He looked at the people and said, "Yin, take Alka with you."
The young lady nodded, and then he looked at the two boys, as he asked, "What are you two called?"
One of them was a bit taller, and he said, "I am called Ramji."
The other one replied, "I am Deepa."
Hao Ren nodded and said, "Ramji, and Deepa, I see that your legs appear to be a little weaker than Alka, why is that?"
Alka chimed, "Master, they used to skip on the exercises taught at home."
The two boys lowered their heads and Hao Ren said, "Never hide away from your mistake. Own them and improve. Now I want you two to on foot, and while you do so, cycle your spiritual energy around your body. Until you are exhausted, I will not ask you to stop. Every time you take a break, I will add fifty kilogram weight on your legs."
The two young boys shivered, they realized that the tutelage won't be easy and with no options left, they nodded. Hao Ren got on the back of Blue Wise and they dashed away with the two young men in tow.
Alka sat behind Yin, and she asked, "Senior, do you cultivate sword?"
Yin nodded and asked, "Why? Do you also want to learn?"
Alka nodded and Yin said, "Wait till you have reached the Nascent Soul realm. Before that, don't even think about dwelling into the weapon path. Just learn enough to defend yourself."
The young lady asked, "Why is that?"
Yin replied, "You have weak foundation. The skills, they grow complex as you go further on the path. First fix your foundations, and then the weapons."
Alka nodded, and then she heard Hao Ren saying. "Alka, I want you to meditate and run your spiritual energy in cycles while we ride. Refine your core even more and at the same time suppress your cultivation as much as possible. Don't break through yet."
The girl nodded and closed her eyes while maintaining her balance on the back of the horse. The two steeds were so wide that they could only sit with their legs crossed, and Hao Ren even lay down, sprawled completely.
The journey continued till noon, and Ramji and Deepa appeared behind them completely exhausted. They had fallen back a while back but they didn't give up and continued trailing the path. Hao Ren looked at them and tossed them two pills. He said, "Eat them, and circulate your spiritual energy, follow your sutras while running." Official source is novelFirｅ.net
The young men nodded and sat down to rest for a bit. They were at the golden core, and Spirit food prepared by Hao Ren was a great boost for them. Just when the five of them were eating, Hao Ren raised his head to look at the side. He found a carriage and a group of horse riders approaching from the distance.
Sensing their pace and their aura, Hao Ren sighed and said, "Yin, look after the kids, and let me talk to these people. There is chaos everywhere in the world. Like why can't I just have a day of peace?"
Yin chuckled and said, "You are just missing Ma."
Hao Ren looked at her and said, "Don't unveil my secrets like that."