Chương 20: Home again

"Are you sure it's a good idea to give Tianxu a sword?" Qianyue asked Shu Yang as they watched the kids in the yard. Tianxu was next to his brother Tianhu like usual, but this time he had his own sword and practiced swinging it alongside Tianhu.

"Well," Shu Yang hesitated. Tianxu was only five years old, after all. Even ignoring the issue that Shu Yang didn't have a martial art with sword moves, a child that young shouldn't be holding a sharp sword, right? Shu Yang sighed, "Let it be. The children have their own ideas; it's not good to be too constraining. Besides, a gift is meant to make the kids happy, nothing else. And he seemed pretty happy to me."

"That's true," Qianyue said, smiling and leaning against his shoulder, "For once, he didn't hold back his emotions. I can't remember the last time Tianxu smiled like that." Shu Yang became curious and felt the connection to his son through the Bloodline Tree. [Name: Shu Tianxu] [Bloodline Power: 1. 34 (Mortal - Low)] [Traits: Slight martial arts talent]'Only five years old and already a higher Bloodline Power than a normal 3rd-grade warrior.

It seems Tianxu inherited most of my Bloodline Power from when I got Qianyue pregnant.'

'I wonder what effect it will have? He doesn't seem stronger or smarter than any of the other kids were his age.' Shu Yang still had a lot to understand about the Bloodline Tree. He had mostly figured out the extent of the trait: Slight martial art talent. But other than that, he was still confused about Bloodline Power. It increased for everyone as they advanced, and it seems that it can be passed on to one's children. Logically, it should give a boost to make it easier to break through bottlenecks.

But Tianxu's talent already had that ability.

'I guess I'll figure it out in the future when I come into contact with more powerful families. They should have a good grasp on bloodlines.'

'Either way, I'm sure it's not a bad thing.'

"Where is Tianan?" Shu Yang asked, not seeing his third son around.

"He probably ran off to play with his friends again," Qianyue said.

'What a troublesome kid.' Shu Yang looked at his other children; they were all together, either reading or training, aiming to improve. Qianyue noticed Shu Yang's face change and chuckled, "Didn't you always say that it's good for kids to be lively?"

"Lively is good, but you should still have some amount of self-discipline, right?" Shu Yang asked.

"If you compare him to his siblings, he might be a little lacking. But compared to the other kids in the village, he is still well-behaved. Doesn't he help around the house, do his assignments, and practice his martial arts?"

"I guess you're right," Shu Yang realized.

"Well, let him be then. He's probably happy about his new shoes and is running them in." Two days had passed since Shu Yang returned home from his visit to Kuo City. When his family saw the horses and carriage and realized they belonged to their family, they were all delighted. His wife immediately went to drag out his father-in-law and show off. Luckily, Shu Yang had prepared and bought some fine wine for him, so he didn't have to put up with any arguing.

When they got home to their newly renovated house, Shu Yang didn't hold back and gave out the gifts he had bought right away. Seeing the joy in his children's faces, Shu Yang couldn't help but wonder if he had been too frugal in the past. Either way, the future was looking a lot brighter, and he wouldn't have to guard his money so tightly in the future.

"Brother Hu," Tianyue called out from beside them. She was sitting with her head down in a book, wrapped in a blanket to stave off the cold.

"Did you know about the Sword Summit?"

"What's that?" Tianhu asked, putting away his sword and walking up to her, Tianxu tight on his heels.

"A place in the Black Beast Mountains," Tianyue answered, continuing to read for more information.

"It's more of an event," Shu Yang put in, having already read the book. Seeing Tianhu's curious expression, Shu Yang explained.

"The Sword Summit is an event taking place every seven years at Black Beast Mountains. It gathers swordsmen from all over the Yan Kingdom and beyond. It was originally intended to gather a powerful force to slay the Black Beast deep inside the mountains, but over time, it's grown to become more of a gathering to meet fellow practitioners and learn from one another. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"There seems to be some sort of Sword School there year-round now, made up from the swordsmen who stuck around over the years, even after the Sword Summit ended. During the Sword Summit, they arrange a competition to hunt for beasts in the mountains. It seems to be quite lively, not only attracting swordsmen but all kinds of people to attend." Shu Tianhu's eyes were practically glowing as he listened.

"Alright, I know you want to go," Shu Yang said with a laugh, patting Tianhu's head, "But you need to become stronger first, right? There is a whole prefecture between us and the Black Beast Mountains. At the very least, you need to be a 1st-grade warrior to travel that far. Ideally, you'd be an Innate warrior." Tianhu frowned slightly before nodding.

"I guess I'll practice my martial arts some more then." Shu Yang raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'That's good! I guess I found the right way to encourage Tianhu to train.'

'Unfortunately, he doesn't have Tianren's talent. It's going to be difficult to reach the 1st-grade stage, not to mention Innate.'

"What kind of beast is the Black Beast, Dad?" Tianxu asked curiously.

"I don't know," Shu Yang said, "I don't even know if there ever was a Black Beast or if it's just a rumor. The Black Beast Mountains got its name over a hundred years ago; not many people are alive today to remember that time. Considering the history of the Sword Summit, there might be some truth to it, though. But from the books I bought, there seems to be no consensus on what kind of beast it is, only that it's terribly strong."

"Oh," Tianxu nodded, "Can our horses become beasts?"

"I doubt it," Shu Yang said, "Beasts are basically animals but with a stronger bloodline, allowing them to grow a lot more powerful, just like martial artists. I don't know if there are any special resources out there that can help evolve the bloodlines of animals." Shu Yang continued talking with his children for a while. He had a lot more knowledge now, not just from the books he brought with him, but also from the hours he spent browsing in the bookstore in Kuo City.

After a while, Qianyue went inside to start making lunch, and Shu Yang joined his sons in their training. He didn't continue practicing his top-grade martial art, though. He was experimenting with the low-grade martial arts he had brought from Kuo City. The first martial art he tried his hand at was called the Evergreen Art. It was very easy for Shu Yang to learn it now that he was a 1st-grade warrior, but deducing the improved version through the Bloodline Tree would take some time.

Shu Yang took a firm step forward, feeling carefully for a reaction from the Bloodline Tree. He had to make the same move several times over before he could begin to feel a more 'correct' way of doing the same movement.

'It will probably only take me a week or two to complete the whole Evergreen Art. But will it offer me any benefits? Is there a way to merge it with the improved version of the Hurricane Art?' Shu Yang himself wouldn't get stronger from practicing a low-grade martial art. You couldn't advance to the 3rd-grade stage twice. But he thought it might help his sons or grandchildren in the future if he found a way to merge the different arts to create a more complete version of the Shu Art.

'Even if it doesn't give any real result, it should improve my ability to connect with the Bloodline Tree. And I believe that if I come into contact with enough martial arts, even low-grade ones, it will surely bring me some benefit in deducing more advanced arts in the future.' After practicing for a while, his wife called everyone in to eat. As soon as Shu Yang finished his meal, he put on his shoes and got ready to go outside again. He needed to buy a few things from Chunsi Town.

"Where are you going, Dad?" Tianyue ran up to him and asked curiously.

"I'm just heading into town for a while. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Can I come?" Tianyue asked excitedly.

"I'm not taking the carriage. Are you sure you want to walk so far in this weather?" Shu Yang asked with a smile.

"Why can't we take the carriage?" Tianyue asked with a pout. Shu Yang just shook his head. Taking the carriage for a small errand was unnecessary. He was used to walking the stretch between Baishu and Chunsi and had grown to quite enjoy it.

"Fine. I'll come with you," Tianyue said, grabbing her shoes.

"Why do you want to go to Chunsi all of a sudden?" Shu Yang asked.

"I have to see if there is a second part of my book," Tianyue said, "It seemed like there was more to the story when I finished it."

"Fine. Come along," Shu Yang said with a small smile. Tianyue had loved the book he gave her, as expected, and read it all through the night as soon as she got it.

"Can I come too, Dad?" Tianren stepped up and asked.

"What are you going there for?"

"To visit Yezi," Tianren answered. Shu Yang frowned slightly, "At Liang Huang's martial arts hall?" He remembered that Tianren's friend seemed to have joined the Boulder Bearing Hall a few years ago, the martial arts hall opened up by the oldest son of the Liang family. Yezi had tried talking Tianren into joining as well. Obviously, Shu Yang refused to allow that to happen.

"Better not," Shu Yang said, shaking his head, "Just meet him when he visits his home next time. It's better to stay away from the Liang family as much as we can."

"It's not like I'm going to meet the head when I'm over there. Just Yezi and a few of his friends. Didn't you say it was good to practice fighting with other martial artists?"

"That's true. But I'll have Zhangye take you to the Tiger Claw Hall, he has some status there and can look after you…" Shu Yang trailed off into silence. He realized his son was getting older. And he was already a 3rd-grade martial artist. He couldn't control every aspect of his life; if he did, he would never grow up.

"Well. I guess you're right. Come with us and go see your friends," Shu Yang said. Tianren smiled and nodded, "Okay."