The Su Family handled this matter with extreme secrecy; all who were informed have gone and also died there.
However, the family had no clue whatsoever.
Only one elder, not quite the head of the household, had a vague idea that they went looking for some treasure.
But he didn't understand the specifics.
Now, it's been six consecutive days without their return, and that's quite unusual.
When have they ever taken so long for a task before? They're just a Ninth-level Family from Bibo City, not a real big Martial Arts clan—what task takes six days to complete?
And all the important figures went, none returned, not even a message?
Thus, the Su Family had already panicked and started secretly asking around for information.
But such matters can't be easily hidden; the panic among the Su Family members was noticed by those with ulterior motives.
With so many eyes and ears around, some information leakage was inevitable.
Gradually, rumors began to spread that 'all the Su Family members had died,' a startling piece of gossip.
And surprisingly, the rumor-mongers hit the mark with their speculations.
Now, aside from the Su Family, other families like the Fangs, the Lvs, the Zhangs, and the Weis were all restless and eager to act.
Even the masters who were on missions outside for the Guardian Hall were being urgently recalled.
Fang Che's mother, Fang Qianyi, had also hurried back this time.
She first went to the Guardian Hall, completed the family mission, obtained Contribution Value, then sold some of her external earnings—two sleeves filled with gold.
Carrying good things for her son, she was headed home and was just called over by her elder brother as soon as she entered the house.
...
"What's the matter?" Fang Qianyi, who had been away from home for half a month, was just missing her son.
"Come here first."
Fang Zhenghang pulled his sister into the study surreptitiously.
"There has been some change with Little Che these days."
Fang Zhenghang was quite mysterious.
"What change?" asked Fang Qianyi.
"This kid, he seems to have changed a bit; these days he actually hasn't been cursing at people. Well, not exactly—he only curses at that fellow bought off by the Su Family. He's quite gentle with everyone else. And he's even called back the maid he'd dismissed."
Fang Zhenghang spoke in a hushed tone within his own study, his eyes sneaky, as if he was committing a theft: "Little sister, I think the boy has come to his senses, become more sensible. At least, he's not so hostile towards the family anymore. He still looks defiant and unwilling, but I can feel he's changed a lot."
These past few days, Fang Zhenghang had taken the opportunity to visit twice, and although Fang Che maintained his original cold and distant persona,
as the head of the household experienced in social interactions, how could Fang Zhenghang not sense something?
He had been relieved in his heart for several days.
Now that his sister was back, he wanted to share the good news, no matter what.
"Really?"
Fang Qianyi was also somewhat pleasantly surprised.
"Mhm, so when you go back, there's no need to praise him. The child is silently changing, and he's too shy to make it obvious. If you praise him upon returning, it might just embarrass him," Fang Zhenghang said with an air of secrecy.
"Mmm hmm," Fang Qianyi's heart filled with joy, unable to hide her smile: "Big brother, you're sharing good news, yet why do you sound like you're plotting something? Where's the dignity expected of the head of the family?"
"It's all because of your son."
Fang Zhenghang said, "Archer has taken on a master, but he's keeping it a secret and doesn't let anyone know. This master of his is a real expert."
"An expert? How skilled?" Fang Qianyi was curious.
"More skilled than us, more so than our entire family," Fang Zhenghang said solemnly.
Fang Qianyi was shocked: "Could it be at the General Level?"
"I fear it's even beyond that," Fang Zhenghang said. "I suspect it's at the King level."
"King level?!"
Fang Qianyi realized the gravity of the situation and understood why her brother was being so secretive: "There aren't many King-level Masters not affiliated with either side of control, right? Which side is this one from?"
"How would I know?"
Fang Zhenghang frowned and said, "That's why I wanted to discuss this with you."
"This kid is too impulsive, just taking a master without consulting us," Fang Qianyi also felt it was a bit tricky.
The current issue was: the master had already been accepted.
Regardless of whether the family acknowledged it or not, it was a done deal.
If the master was from the Guardian side, that would be better; but if not, what to do if something happened in the future?
"So, should we report this?"
Fang Zhenghang furrowed his brow, "How to report it? I'm worried that if we do, it might hurt the child's feelings—what then?"
That was his real concern.
Now that Fang Che seemed to be changing for the better, what if the Fang Family officially reported his apprenticeship, making it a personal action, and disassociating it from the family?
What if the child, already so sensitive, took it the wrong way?
If it were his own son, the matter would be easy to resolve with a beating from a stick. But this was his nephew.
That's why he had to discuss it with his sister.
Fang Qianyi snorted, "We must report this, and he knows that. He must've deliberately kept it hidden because he wanted us to report it like this, otherwise, why the secrecy?"
"Still, you should go back and discuss it with the child first," Fang Zhenghang said. "It's safer. The child is finally showing some positive change; don't let us cause him to lose heart again by saying that we're drawing a clear line between us and him... it would be difficult to mend."
Fang Qianyi thought it made sense, so she immediately headed towards the small courtyard.
She grabbed her son who was practicing his sword technique, "Little Che, I heard you've taken a master. Where is your master?"
Fang Che jumped with fright.
He turned his head to look at his mother, slender in figure, with pale complexion and tall stature—an absolute beauty.
However, her eyebrows were thick, and indeed, they were sword-shaped.
Her eyes shone brightly.
As the saying goes: those with bushy eyebrows and big eyes are exactly such.
She exuded vigorous vitality, and to describe her as 'valiant and spirited' seemed insufficient, one had to add 'women who let no man surpass them'!
Moreover, she didn't seem particularly attentive.
There was a sort of carefree feeling to it, like "the sons and daughters of Jianghu are not bothered by trivialities."
Fang Che couldn't help but admit he really appreciated that kind of personality in a woman.
Moreover, she was his own mother, and a sense of intimacy naturally welled up inside him.
"Master has gone out... Mom, how come you came back without even alerting me?"
Fang Che called her "Mom" very naturally, as if the original deep affection the body had for its mother was still influencing him.
He himself didn't feel any sense of rejection.
The leftover instincts of his body were guiding him, and he had completed this transformation without even realizing it. And he did not resist.
Being alive again was already a stroke of luck; using someone else's body for rebirth, shouldn't he fulfill his filial duties on behalf of the original person?
Besides, I can't even figure out who I am, so right now, I am completely Fang Che.
And naturally, the person before my eyes is my mom.
"Do I need to inform you when I come back?"
Fang Qianyi twisted her son's ear lightly, playfully chiding, "And where is that master of yours? You've got some guts now, daring to accept a master on your own, how are we going to handle this?"
Although she looked fierce, she actually wasn't exerting any force.
"What else can we do about it? It's perfectly normal for me to take on a master. My Master is a martial arts expert, a King-level Master at that. It's only right that I should follow him to learn Martial Arts, isn't it?"
"King-level Master?"
Fang Qianyi paused, then said, "But our family needs to report to the Guardian Hall! What if he's a bad guy? Do you understand your master's background?"
Fang Che found it strange, "Why do I need to know my master's background? I'm just learning martial arts from him. Whether he's a good guy or not, he won't be able to catapult me to the heavens, and if he's a bad egg, it doesn't matter to us. Even if it does relate to me, it's got nothing to do with the family."
He said, "The family should report if it must, or else, should I secretly take on a master? Isn't it just to learn some skills and not involve the family?"
Fang Qianyi glared with her lovely eyes.
Couldn't help but slap her son on the back of his head, laughing and scolding, "You little rascal, you're quite the schemer!"
After hitting him, she rubbed her son's head, chuckling, "Mother got you a lot of good stuff this time."
Turning around, both mother and son froze awkwardly in place.
Behind them stood Sun Yuan, who had just been elevated to the status of master a few days ago.
He was giving Fang Che a peculiar look.
Fang Qianyi immediately realized who the other person was.
She didn't know what to do in such an awkward moment.
Both mother and son were discussing how to disassociate themselves from the other if he turned out to be a bad person, and there he was, standing right behind them, listening in.
As for Fang Che's embarrassment, it was all an act.
"Master, you were listening the whole time?"
Fang Che asked with an embarrassed expression.
"If I wasn't listening, I wouldn't have known my good disciple was so cunning," Sun Yuan said, with a dry tone.
Fang Che smiled, "It's just smart tactics, Master. Even now you're here, I would still say the same thing. After all, you didn't take me as a disciple for the sake of my family, right?"
"While that may be true, there's still something..." Sun Yuan had a nagging feeling that something was off.
"If Master disagrees, then just expel me from the sect. I won't blame Master," Fang Che said.
"That won't be necessary, not at all," Sun Yuan quickly shook his head.
How could a small family compare to the world's best disciple, a prodigy directly inherited from my mantle?
So, he said, "Actually, what you're doing is right. You've thought it through thoroughly."
"Thank you for your understanding and consideration, Master."
"Don't mention it, I am your master, not a stranger."
"Yes, Master, you're the best."
Fang Qianyi was dumbfounded.
This... was this also a viable tactic?
She couldn't help but turn to look at her son, realizing she had never noticed before how well he could talk.
She vaguely felt there was something different about her son, but after looking him over, aside from him seeming a bit more handsome, she couldn't pinpoint anything else.
"Such a chip off the old block!"
Then, she proceeded to greet Sun Yuan and apologize, "Senior, the child is naive, please forgive him."
Sun Yuan rolled his eyes, "The child is very well-behaved. There's nothing to forgive."
Fang Qianyi: "..."
Swallowing hard, she asked with a hidden delight, "May I ask for the name of the senior?"
Sun Yuan said, "Now that I've accepted Che'er as my disciple, and you are his mother, it's not quite appropriate to keep calling me a senior. My family name is Sun, and my name is Sun Yuan. On Jianghu, I am known as the Flying Sky Saber King. You can call me Brother Sun from now on."
He was actually a King-level Master.
And even the Saber King!
Fang Qianyi wasn't Fang Che; a King-level Master to a Ninth level Family was someone way above their league!
Who in this mortal world could claim to be a King?
Truly, becoming a King was not an easy feat!
One had to reach the peak in their cultivation and combat prowess, to be unparalleled in a certain field before they could be called a King!
Fang Qianyi felt secretly thrilled and smoothly said, "Greetings, Brother Sun."
Her mind pondered over the origins of this Brother Sun, vaguely recalling the name, seemingly related to a Jianghu Wanderer, known for walking the line between righteousness and wickedness.
With half of her worries eased, she continued, "With my son encountering such an esteemed teacher, as his mother, I can rest assured; but the child is slow-witted, so Brother Sun, please be patient with him in the future."
Slow-witted.
Sun Yuan felt a twinge in his chest and almost wanted to roll his eyes.
Where from this world did she see that her son was slow-witted?
I have taught him all my life's knowledge, and he cleaned me out in three days. It forced me to make up an excuse to leave, to make his 'advancement to the Martial Arts Academy and becoming the first' a task that could earn Merit.
And still, he's called slow-witted?
...
[The monthly ticket count is nearly 800, let's step up, folks. We're not asking for much, can we reach a thousand by tomorrow?]