"I’m not timid! I’m not! I’m not timid!"
"Alright, alright. My Ah Brother isn’t timid. In the future, he’ll definitely become a Great General."
"Yes! I’ll definitely become a Great General in the future!"
"Ah, the Daoist temple door is opening!"
"Hahaha! Tricked you! Look how scared you are. How can you become a Great General ?"
"Eh? Why is a little child sneaking over the wall? Do you know who lives in this Daoist temple?"
"A madman who eats children."
"Oh, that’s right! I love eating children the most. Children are great—tender skin, not too greasy. Mmm. Dredge them in flour, fry them in a wok... Oh, my, my, the taste is so exquisite, it’s enough to make anyone drool to death!"
"I’m not afraid of you!"
"You’re really not afraid of me?"
"I’m not afraid of you!"
"Why aren’t you afraid of me?"
"I, Tian Wujing, will be a Great General in the future! I cannot be afraid of anyone! I mustn’t be afraid!"
"Well, well, well, whose child are you?"
"My father is the Patriarch of the Tian Family."
"Ah, Tian Bokai’s son."
"You’re not allowed to call my father by his name directly! I’ll kill you!"
"Hahahaha! Then come on!"
"Ouch! Let go of me! Let go of me! Let go of me!"
"Tsk, tsk. So young, yet quite strong. Hmm? Innate Qi and blood complete... HSS... Little child, let me ask you, didn’t Tian Bokai hire someone to teach you martial arts?"
"You’re not allowed to call my father by his name directly!"
"Hehe, quite a filial child, actually."
"My seniority surpasses your father’s! How dare you speak to this old man like that? See if I don’t whip you to death!"
"Speak! Didn’t your father hire someone to teach you martial arts?"
"My father had someone take a look. That person said I’m still too young, my bones haven’t fully developed yet. I should wait until I’m a bit older to start martial arts."
"That’s not wrong. How about this: you cultivate the Dao with me, your Granduncle."
"I don’t want to be a Daoist priest."
"Then what do you want to be?"
"I want to be a general! I want to be a Great General!"
"My, my, such grand ambitions! And after becoming a Great General?"
"I will lead our Great Yan’s iron cavalry to trample the Barbarians’ Royal Court! I want to go to Qian State and capture the Emperor of Qian State, to make those Qian people never dare to call us ’Yan barbarians’ again!"
"Tsk, tsk. You little child, your aspirations are truly something. Wanting to be a Great General... very well. You are indeed excellent material for martial arts. Starting tomorrow, come to me, your Granduncle, every night. Your Granduncle will help loosen up these bones of yours. That way, when you practice martial arts in the future, you’ll achieve twice the results with half the effort."
"Heh. Would your Granduncle lie to a young whippersnapper like you?"
"Ah! Don’t pinch my face!"
"I’ll pinch, I’ll pinch, I’ll pinch!"
"Stop pinching! I’m not a child anymore! Only children get their faces pinched!"
"I’ll pinch, I’ll pinch!"
"Let go! I won’t let you pinch! If my face gets pinched, I won’t grow tall!"
"Fine. If you don’t let this old man pinch, this old man won’t teach you martial arts."
"Then what? Why is the Great General stuttering?"
"Then... you can pinch. But be gentle."
"There we go. That’s a good boy."
"Ouch! It hurts!" Content orıginally comes from 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥
The old man flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
The sensation transmitted from the sword told him that the man before him had grown up. His face had grown gaunt. This cheek... it couldn’t be pinched anymore.
Tian Wujing tilted his head up, his mouth agape, his eyes bloodshot.
His figure vanished from his spot and reappeared beneath the old man, reaching out to catch him.
Tian Wujing knew clearly that the old man’s previous, life-risking sword strike could have shattered his foundation, but the old man had held back at the very last moment.
The old man in his arms was light, absurdly so.
All hostility had vanished from the old man’s face, leaving only an emotion that could be described as relief.
His hand grasped Tian Wujing’s arm.
While the flush on his face had yet to fade, he said urgently, "To eradicate the governance of the powerful clans, besides you and His Majesty, is the household of the Earl of North Border also involved?"
"The current Earl of North Border, Li Liangting, is already in the capital city."
"The three of you... the three of you have already...?"
Tian Wujing remained silent.
"I see. I see. I see... Hehehehe..."
The old man suddenly began to laugh, then just as quickly, he suppressed his laughter and continued, "Although this old man cannot see, I can still observe the celestial phenomena. This past year, I have observed the stars twice. The first time, a comet suddenly fell near the border of our Great Yan’s northern desert. The comet’s brightness was erratic and difficult to ascertain, holding too many variables. This old man did not know what it represented, whether it was a blessing or a curse; it was hard to determine.
"A month ago, because I discovered the divine statue had fractured, I observed the stars a second time. Do you know what this old man discovered?"
Seemingly aware that his time was short, the old man didn’t wait for Tian Wujing’s reply and continued, "A Black Dragon coils; Great Yan’s National Destiny is so flourishing it’s terrifying! Hehehe... I see, I see..."
"Unfortunately, healers cannot heal themselves, and diviners cannot divine their own fates. That day, this old man still believed that Great Yan’s National Destiny was on the rise and that our Tian Family could also enjoy eternal prosperity. But I never anticipated... never anticipated..."
If the powerful clans are not eliminated, how can Yan flourish?
"Wujing, your Great Uncle is a failure. Confining myself for decades, I’ve only cultivated this laughable level of skill. But even your Great Uncle can see that Great Yan’s fortune is already showing signs of boiling over. Those Qi cultivators of Qian State, the Shamans of Chu State, and the Skyscraper Pavilion of Jin State—there are many Mystic Cultivators far more skilled than your Great Uncle. They can naturally see it too.
"Our Great Yan’s iron cavalry is naturally unmatched under the heavens. You hold the title of Lord Jingnan. With the Earl of North Border and the current sovereign of the Ji Family, if the three of you are of one mind, looking across the four states, who could possibly be your match?
"But... but you must be careful. Changes in National Destiny are not solely about matters of warfare. If they cannot defeat you on the battlefield, be wary of them using... using other methods.
"Little Mirror, this old man... tonight, my heart hurts so much. It’s killing me... Really... It truly hurts to death...
"But this old man is also happy... My Little Mirror... Little Mirror...
"You’ve really become a Great General!"
As the last word was shouted, the flush on the old man’s face receded, and his vitality scattered.
Tian Wujing gently placed the old man on the ground.
He retreated three steps, then knelt and kowtowed, saying with utmost sincerity, "Respectfully sending off Great Uncle... to ascend to the heavens."
Thanks to Larryyu for becoming the 72nd Alliance Leader of ’Devil’s Arrival’.