Chương 57: Off to war

"Dad, when are you coming back?" Tianyi asked, hugging Shu Yang's waist.

"I don't know," Shu Yang said, patting his daughter's head, "It might be a while before I can come back. You have to be good while I'm away, okay?"

"Can't I come with you?" Tianyi raised her head and asked.

"No. You know that," Shu Yang said with a small smile. The worst part of going away to war was definitely having to separate from Tianyi for so long. He would, of course, miss his other family as well, but Tianyi was only 8 years old. Missing his daughter growing up was hard for Shu Yang to accept.

'I can't stay away for too long. If this drags out, I'll have to find a way to return early.'

'The best would of course be if I could find a way to become a Saint. Then I wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore.'

"Oh," Tianyi said, pouting slightly. Shu Yang could see she was trying her best to resist it, but tears still came streaming down her cheeks. Shu Yang almost felt his heart break; he bent down and hugged his daughter.

"I'll be back, don't worry. Be good while I'm away, okay?" Shu Yang said.

"Okay," Tianyi said, nodding. Shu Yang stood up again and noticed that the atmosphere was pretty somber. His entire family had gathered to see him and Tianhu off, and several grandchildren also started crying as soon as Tianyi did. While his own children didn't cry, they looked a lot more worried than when he told them about his plans to go to the battlefield a few days ago. Maybe the reality of the situation only hit them now.

"Don't worry so much," Shu Yang said with a smile, "I'm a Master; did you forget? Even on the battlefield, there aren't many people capable of taking me down." He turned to look at Tianhu beside him, "Perhaps I'd have to run away if I were up against Tianhu, but luckily we're on the same side."

"Don't get overconfident," Qianyue said with a worried frown, "If there is even the slightest danger, just run away."

'And become a deserter?' Well, Shu Yang didn't mind becoming a deserter if that was his only option. He could still take his family into the Black Beast Mountains if things got to that point. Shu Yang comforted his family for a few more minutes, but he didn't linger; he had already said everything that needed to be said these past few days.

"Let's go, Tianhu," Shu Yang said to his son, and they exited the family manor together. A small black fox was also resting on Shu Yang's shoulder, invisible to everyone but him and his daughter Tianyi.

"Are we going on foot?" Tianhu asked as they stepped out into the street.

"You're an Innate warrior now; running on foot is a lot more convenient," Shu Yang said.

"If you get tired, we can take a horse for part of the journey." His son had advanced at an incredible rate ever since his Bloodline Power increased, having reached the Innate stage six months ago. Shu Yang was pretty certain he wouldn't have much trouble reaching even the Master stage in the future either. While Tianhu lacked talent, his Bloodline Power made sure he could advance without worrying about bottlenecks.

And with the sword art he got from his teacher, Tianhu didn't really struggle much throughout the stages either. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

'Besides Tianxu and Tianyi, the other kids have all given up on learning sword intent. I wonder if there are other ways to increase Bloodline Power?'

'I guess it can't be forced. Having Tianhu break past his limits is already lucky enough.' Shu Yang had long ago accepted that it would be impossible for his children to advance very far. But with Tianhu's unexpected breakthrough, Shu Yang couldn't help but have some hope for his other children as well.

'I guess if it were easy to increase Bloodline Power, there would be far more Martial Families around.

'Whatever, I'll try my best to look for a way, but if it can't be forced, it can't be forced. I'll just have to do my best to make sure they are safe and happy. That much is under my control at least.'

"Are we running?" Tianhu asked as they stepped out of the city gates.

"It will take months if we walk," Shu Yang said, and started running, keeping a slower pace so his son could keep up.

"How long will it take for us to get there?" Tianhu asked.

"About three weeks to cross the Yan Prefecture and enter the Luo Kingdom," Shu Yang answered, "Then it should be another three weeks before we get to Yeli Town, where we'll report for duty." Shu Yang had to report there in two months, so they had plenty of time. But he preferred to get there early, so he wouldn't have to head straight to battle. It might also allow him to transfer his son to Xiaoshi's legion.

Shu Yang would, of course, prefer to be able to keep watch over Tianhu himself, but he knew better than to enforce that sort of control over his son now that he was grown. Since Tianhu wanted to protect his beloved, Shu Yang would do his best to help him. Besides, Shu Yang honestly thought that Tianhu was stronger than he was. Sword intent was no joke.

'It would have been great if sword intent was counted as a trait… Oh, well, I shouldn't be too greedy.' Shu Yang had, of course, tried to understand sword intent himself; it would give him an immense boost in power. But just like everyone else in the family who had tried to imitate Tianhu, he had no luck. Eventually, he had just stopped wasting his time. He believed that while sword intent didn't get passed down through the bloodline, sword talent should be. So why waste time trying to comprehend sword intent now?

It was better to wait for a talented descendant to be born and then try again.

'Hopefully, Tianhu and Xiaoshi can make progress in their relationship. Their children are bound to be exceptional.'

'It's just…Can I trust Tianhu to get things done?' Shu Yang turned to look at his son, wondering if he should give some advice. He hesitated slightly before giving up.

'Forget it, I'll let him be. If there really is no progress after we return to the Yan Kingdom, I'll step in myself.' The two ran all day, only stopping twice to eat and rest. When the sun started to come down, they made a small camp to spend the night by the side of the road.

"How are you feeling?" Shu Yang asked as he lit a fire.

"I'm alright," Tianhu said.

"Then we'll pick up the pace tomorrow," Shu Yang said. Watching Tianhu's face twitch slightly, Shu Yang smiled.

"Try not to show off your prowess too much during the war, by the way," Shu Yang said.

"Why?" Tianhu asked.

"It's better not to draw too much attention," Shu Yang said, "I've never heard of sword intent before, which means it's an incredibly rare ability. The enemy is sure to make you a target if they find out. If those people from the Qing Empire catch wind of you, they might even send people after you and make you their breeding pig." Ever since he overheard the guards from the Qing Empire talking about Shen Ye, Shu Yang had become aware of just how dangerous it could be to have a bloodline trait.

He had made sure all of his children were aware of the danger, so they didn't go around talking too much to strangers about their family's strength. Fortunately, Shu Yang's children didn't have any obvious traits; they were even slightly less talented than what you might expect from a Martial Family. The exception was Tianyi and her Piercing Gaze. Shu Yang had told her repeatedly that if she ever saw something that she wasn't supposed to see, she had to hide it.

Now, Shu Yang realized that while he knew Tianhu didn't have any traits, other people might mistake his sword intent for one.

"That…" Tianhu looked up at Shu Yang, furrowing his brows, "They wouldn't, right? I don't have any special bloodline. Sword intent is something you need to comprehend yourself."

"Do they know that? Even if they do, they might have some other use for your sword intent. We don't know enough about those people, so it's better to lay low," Shu Yang said, "Of course, if the situation calls for it, you should still go all out. It's just something to keep in mind."

"Alright, I'll be careful," Tianhu said with a nod.