Volume 1, Chapter 7 – Decision

“From now on, stay away from him! Got it?” Shi Yiming warned Shi Qinghu.

Shi Qinghu froze for a moment. Thinking of all the rumors outside about Shi Lan, he couldn’t help but shiver and hurriedly nodded.

…

At this moment, Shi Tianlu was in his study, meeting with a rather special person.

Shi Tianlu stood in front of his desk. Not far off to the side, a young man in his early twenties was kneeling on one knee, his expression respectful.

The young man’s features were delicate and refined; at first glance, he looked harmless.

On the desk before Shi Tianlu sat a black square box, about a foot on each side.

Shi Tianlu raised his hand and opened the box. Inside lay a severed head, drenched in fresh blood.

Looking at the head, Shi Tianlu’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Everything was within his expectations.

“You did well on this mission.” Shi Tianlu closed the box, turned to look at the young man, and spoke in a mild tone.

“You flatter me, Patriarch.” The young man lowered his gaze, face calm.

“Shi Feng, in another half year it will be the day the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect opens its mountain to take in disciples. I can help you secure a slot to compete for an outer sect disciple position. With your talent, it shouldn’t be hard for you to stand out.”

Hearing Shi Tianlu’s words, the calm on the young man’s face cracked. He lifted his head in slight astonishment.

The Sacred Martial Immortal Sect—this was a name that filled everyone in the Chengtian Domain with reverence the moment they heard it.

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In the Chengtian Domain, the Sacred Martial Immortal Sect was the heavens themselves. It was the top sect where, according to legend, a Human Emperor personally sat in town.

The Sacred Martial Immortal Sect only opened its gates once every ten years to recruit disciples, and they only accepted those under the age of twenty–five.

One had to know, in the entire Chengtian Domain, how many people met that age requirement? Far more than hundreds of millions.

To even compete for an outer sect disciple slot, one first had to stand out from among those hundreds of millions. Thus, even just the qualification to compete for an outer sect disciple position was exceedingly precious.

“Patriarch, please reconsider. Such a precious opportunity should go to the Second Young Master or the Third Young Master.” Faced with such a tempting chance, Shi Feng did not accept in wild joy, but instead tried to decline.

Shi Tianlu shook his head. “Yiming’s aptitude is ordinary, and he overthinks everything. He won’t go far on the martial path. As for Qinghu… heh, that brat’s talent is actually not bad, but his temperament is far too impatient. And with how weak his strength is, he’d only waste the opportunity for nothing.”

After speaking, Shi Tianlu looked at the rising morning sun and said meaningfully, “Shi Feng, Tenglong City is far too small for you…”

“Patriarch, I was just an orphan. You granted me the Shi surname and gave me a place to stay. Your grace is like giving me a second life. By rights, I shouldn’t go against your wishes, but on this matter, I’m afraid I can’t obey.” Shi Feng’s expression was firm.

“Oh?” Shi Tianlu glanced at Shi Feng. “Let’s hear your reason.”

Shi Feng was silent for a long moment before he slowly spoke:

“I don’t wish to leave the Shi Residence.”

“Enough. We’ll discuss this another time.” Shi Tianlu waved his hand with a smile. “Go do whatever you should be doing.”

“Yes, Patriarch. This subordinate will take his leave.” Shi Feng answered and withdrew.

Watching Shi Feng’s departing back, Shi Tianlu shook his head slightly. It wasn’t the Shi Residence he was truly unwilling to leave…

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A gust of morning wind swept into the study, lifting the papers on the desk and revealing a sheet of letter paper pressed beneath.

To my esteemed Brother Shi,

My little daughter, Yueqing, has already passed her maiden years. In the middle of this month, she will be escorted by our elders to pay a visit to your honored residence to discuss the matter of marriage.

As your younger brother, I had originally wanted to come in person. However, recently storms have been brewing in Nine Skies City, and I am entangled in many affairs and cannot travel. I am unable to personally bring my daughter to visit, and I beg your forgiveness.

My daughter’s temperament is straightforward. If her words should offend in any way, I hope, Elder Brother, that you will be tolerant.

Your foolish younger brother, Changfeng.

…………

By the time Shi Lan arrived at Su Lanyue’s separate courtyard, daylight was already bright.

Zique was standing at the door. When she saw Shi Lan approaching, she tilted her head and whispered something to another maid. After that maid went inside, Zique came up to greet him, bending at the waist in a curtsey.

“Young Master.”

Shi Lan nodded slightly and asked, “Is Mother here?”

“She is, and I’ve already informed the Madam. Please wait a moment, Young Master.”

Not long after, a maid came running out and led Shi Lan inside.

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As soon as she entered the room, Shi Lan saw Su Lanyue sitting at the table, with two cups of steaming tea set out on it.

“Mother.” Shi Lan bowed in greeting.

“Sit.” Su Lanyue gave a slight nod and lifted the cup of tea before her.

Shi Lan sat down. Without circling around the topic, she said directly, “Mother, I want to train in the martial arts.”

Su Lanyue’s hand paused. After sending the surrounding maids away, she asked in puzzlement, “Why do you suddenly want to practice the martial path?”

“Cultivating the martial path strengthens the body. Having a bit more ability to protect myself can only be a good thing.” Shi Lan gave a reason that sounded perfectly reasonable.

Su Lanyue had originally wanted to dissuade him, but on second thought, this seemed to be the first time Shi Lan had ever expressed his own wish. If she rejected him outright, it would feel too cold and unfeeling.

Moreover, this was the first time since she was old enough to understand things that Shi Lan had shown any interest in the Martial Dao.

For a time, Su Lanyue fell silent.

Shi Lan couldn’t quite read Su Lanyue’s attitude and felt somewhat uneasy. If this route through Su Lanyue didn’t work, she would have to think of some other way, which would undoubtedly waste a great deal of effort and time.

“So be it…” Su Lanyue made up her mind, stood up, and said, “Wait here.” With that, she turned and went into the inner room.

Shi Lan let out a small breath of relief. It looked like there shouldn’t be any big problem with this matter.

After a short while, Su Lanyue came out holding a brocade box about half a foot long.

Shi Lan stood up, looking at the brocade box in Su Lanyue’s hands with some anticipation.

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“Sit down first and listen to me.”

Su Lanyue walked back to the table and sat down, pressing the brocade box beneath her hand.

“Among us humans who walk the martial path, a hundred schools contend, each with their strengths and weaknesses. But of them, the most powerful are the Zen Sect, the Daoists, and the Confucian School. Of these three forces, the Zen Sect places the greatest emphasis on tempering the flesh.

The Body Tempering Realm is the foundation of the Martial Dao, like a nine–tiered high platform built up from mere earth. It is of utmost importance to every martial artist and must never be treated as a joke…”

Su Lanyue spoke on and on. Though she knew in her heart that, judging from Shi Lan’s past temperament, he probably couldn’t endure the hardships of training and would give up in a few days, there was still a faint thread of expectation in her heart.

What parent doesn’t hope their son will become a dragon or their daughter a phoenix? If there was even the slightest chance, why wouldn’t Su Lanyue hope that Shi Lan could become a dazzling genius like Lu Yueqing?

As for whether Shi Tianlu would discover Shi Lan’s true gender because of this, Su Lanyue had temporarily pushed that matter to the back of her mind. She had only this one daughter, Shi Lan. Perhaps this lifetime would simply be so, but Shi Lan still had a chance to turn things around.

If Shi Lan’s identity really was exposed, Su Lanyue did not believe that Shi Tianlu would be cruel enough to lay hands on his own flesh and blood. As for what would happen to her, she would wait until that day truly came to think about it.

The many thoughts in Su Lanyue’s heart were, of course, unknown to Shi Lan. She was listening with full concentration to Su Lanyue’s teachings.

Shi Lan understood very well that a tall tower had to rise from the ground up. These basic concepts were extremely important, and from the earnest look in Su Lanyue’s eyes, she could feel the expectations in her mother’s heart.

After a long while, Su Lanyue finally stopped speaking and pushed the brocade box toward Shi Lan.