Nie Yong slowly blinked, his vision blurry as he regained consciousness. The scent of antiseptic and a faint trace of herbs filled the air. His body felt sore, as if every muscle had been stretched to its limit, and the weight of bandages around him reminded him of the battle he had fought—against the scarred man, against his own limitations.
"Where am I...?" he muttered under his breath, trying to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his chest, forcing him to lie back down. He glanced around, but the unfamiliar surroundings only added to his confusion.
Had someone found him? The last thing he remembered was defeating the scarred man... and then everything went black.
Before he could think any further, a series of familiar chimes filled his mind, the unmistakable sound of system notifications.
[Ding!]
[You have acquired the secret art, True Heart of Yang Secret Art!]
Nie Yong's brow furrowed as the words echoed in his head. He frowned, his body still groggy from his unconscious state.
[The martial skills Ghostly Yin Fang and Scorching Arts are compatible, would you like to merge them?]
"Wait a moment!" Nie Yong muttered in confusion, pushing himself up slightly, careful of his tender body. "What is this True Heart of Yang Secret Art? When did I get this...?"
His head spun, trying to make sense of it all. The last few hours—or had it been days?—felt like a blur.
And then, it hit him. His eyes widened in realization.
"Oh, right..." he whispered to himself, the pieces coming together. "I was merging the True Yang Secret Art and the Yang Heart Secret Art together before passing out..."
That must be it. The system had somehow integrated them into something new—the True Heart of Yang Secret Art. He wasn't sure what it could do yet, but given the nature of one of the previous arts, the True Yang Secret Art, it was bound to be something extraordinary.
"System, why can I merge the Ghostly Yin Fang and the Scorching Arts?" he then asked. "Didn't I already use up the Ghostly Yin Fang martial skill when merging it with the Swirling Wind Palm?"
The system responded immediately.
[Host, even if you merged them together, you still know and can execute both the Swirling Wind Palm and the Ghostly Yin Fang martial skills, so they can obviously be used to merge with another martial skill.]
Excitement immediately took over him.
"Are you saying that... when I learn a martial skill... I can merge it with as many skills as I like?" Nie Yong's voice was filled with anticipation.
[Yes, host.]
"That's great!" he exclaimed, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "System, merge the Ghostly Yin Fang and Scorching Arts!"
[Merging...]
[The merge has been successful!]
[The martial skill, Phantom Scorching Wrath, has been successfully created!]
"Fucking yes!" Nie Yong couldn't contain his excitement. His heart pounded with adrenaline, the thought of creating even stronger martial skills filling him with exhilaration. But before he could fully celebrate—
[The host does not possess any Yang Qi. This skill is currently unusable.]
"Eh?" Nie Yong's excitement immediately crashed. His expression froze as reality sank in.
"...Sigh." He let out a long breath, rubbing his temples. "Does that mean even the Scorching Arts is unusable?"
[Exactly, host.]
Another sigh. "Figures... That seemed too good to be true."
Shaking his head, he calmed himself down. No point in getting frustrated. I just have to cultivate harder and hit the 7th Tempered Body Stage as soon as possible—
Nie Yong was in the middle of speaking when—
Creak.
The door suddenly swung open.
Three figures stepped inside. Nie Yong's gaze shifted toward them, recognizing them immediately.
An older man with blue hair and a sturdy build led the way—his posture upright, his eyes sharp yet kind. Beside him stood a gentle-looking woman, her features warm and motherly. And trailing behind them, clutching the hem of the woman's sleeve, was He Yue.
Nie Yong's brows furrowed. Uncle He? Auntie Mei?
Before he could even open his mouth, Auntie Mei rushed to his bedside, her expression filled with concern.
"How are you, young master?" she asked softly, her hands hovering uncertainly as if debating whether to touch him. "Have your injuries healed?"
Nie Yong smiled, his expression softening. "I'm fine, Auntie," he reassured her. She really reminded him of his mother too much—her warmth, her worry.
"I've already completely healed up—"
Before he could finish his sentence—
Poke!
A sharp pain suddenly shot through his abdomen, making him yelp.
"Argh!" Nie Yong clutched his stomach. His head snapped toward the culprit, only to find He Yue standing there, arms crossed, staring at him with a smirk.
"You're fine, you say?" she huffed, clearly unconvinced.
"Yue'er!" Auntie Mei scolded immediately, giving the girl a disapproving look.
Meanwhile, Uncle He simply chuckled from the side, his arms folded as he watched the scene unfold with amusement. "Haha, looks like you're still plenty alive if you can yell like that, my son in law!"
Nie Yong and He Yue immediately snapped their heads toward Uncle He, their voices overlapping in shock.
"Son-in-law?"
Nie Yong's face twitched. Did he hear that right? Again?
He Yue's expression went from confused to utterly embarassed. "Father! What are you talking about?!"
Uncle He simply grinned, completely unfazed by their reactions. "What? I made a promise, didn't I?" He crossed his arms, nodding to himself. "Nie Yong saved you, so it's only right that he becomes my son-in-law."
Nie Yong's eye twitched. "Uncle He… I thought we already talked about this?" He let out an awkward laugh, scratching his cheek. "I was joking back then. I obviously wasn't expecting any sort of reward, let alone marriage."
Uncle He blinked, looking genuinely confused. "Eh? But you agreed, didn't you?"
"No! I didn't!" Nie Yong nearly choked. "I just asked you if she was beautiful!"
Uncle He frowned, rubbing his chin. "Huh… I must've misunderstood…" But then, with a shrug, he added, "Well, it's not a bad idea either way."
He Yue's face was bright red, and this time it wasn't just from embarrassment—it was pure frustration. "Father! You can't just decide these things on your own!"
Auntie Mei let out a helpless sigh. "Dear, enough," she said, shaking her head. "You're stressing the young master."
"Tsk, you're all too serious," Uncle He muttered, waving his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine, I won't push it… for now."
Nie Yong let out a breath of relief, but He Yue was still glaring daggers at her father, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "You better not!" she huffed.
Nie Yong, deciding it was best to change the topic before Uncle He said anything else insane, forced a chuckle. "Anyway… thanks for taking care of me. How long was I unconscious?"
"For eight hours," Auntie Mei replied gently.
Nie Yong nodded. "Oh, then..." Without hesitation, he removed the bed cover and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His body still felt sore, but he had been through worse. "I should get back to the High Heaven Pavilion."
As soon as he pushed himself up—
Slap!
A firm hand landed on his shoulder, forcing him back down.
"You're not going anywhere," Uncle He said, his voice firm. "You just woke up after nearly getting yourself killed for us, and you think you can just walk out like that?"
Nie Yong frowned. "I feel fine," he insisted. "Besides, I can't just stay here. I have things to do."
"You have a body to recover," Auntie Mei countered, giving him a pointed look. "Even if your wounds aren't life-threatening anymore, moving around carelessly will only slow your healing."
Nie Yong sighed but didn't sit back down. Instead, he stood up once more, stretching his arms slightly. His muscles still ached, but he could move well enough.
"Don't worry, Auntie," he said with a reassuring smile. "I'm a cultivator. My body can handle this much."
Auntie Mei frowned, clearly still reluctant, but after a moment, she sighed in resignation.
Uncle He crossed his arms, studying Nie Yong for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that, kid?" he asked. "You took quite the beating."
Nie Yong nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, I'm sure. I'll be fine."
A thoughtful look crossed Uncle He's face. Then, all of a sudden, a realization seemed to dawn upon him. His eyes lit up with a glint of mischief.
"He seems like a good guy to have as a son-in-law!" he exclaimed inwardly, nodding to himself in satisfaction. "Strong, kind, resilient, he's not that good-looking to be honest, but that doesn't matter! He Yue could do much worse!"
And with that thought in mind, he grinned and spoke up, "Then why don't you let He Yue walk you to the sect?"
Nie Yong blinked. "Huh?"
He Yue, who had just calmed down from her earlier embarrassment, immediately stiffened. "What?! Why would I—"
"Well, it wouldn't be proper to let you walk back alone in your condition," Uncle He reasoned smoothly. "And since my daughter has some free time, she can make sure you don't collapse halfway."
"I'm not going to collapse halfway!" Nie Yong protested, exasperated.
Uncle He smirked. "Then what's the problem?"
Nie Yong opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words. Meanwhile, He Yue was glaring daggers at her father, her face turning red again.
"Father, you're being ridiculous!" she huffed. "Why do I have to go with him?"
Uncle He chuckled. "Because I said so."
He Yue clenched her fists. "That's not a reason!"
"It is when I'm your father," Uncle He shot back with an amused grin. "Now, off you go, you two. No arguing."
Nie Yong sighed, rubbing his forehead. He could already tell this was going to be a headache.
"Fine, whatever," he relented. "Let's just get going."
He Yue groaned, but seeing her father's stubborn expression, she knew she had no choice. "Ugh, this is so stupid..." she muttered under her breath.
Auntie Mei, watching from the side, could only sigh helplessly. "Dear, you really do as you please..."
Uncle He merely chuckled. "Of course I do! That's how I got such a great wife, after all!"
Auntie Mei shook her head, while He Yue looked like she wanted to dig a hole and disappear. Meanwhile, Nie Yong just exhaled, already bracing himself for whatever nonsense would come next.
And so, with no room for argument, the two of them set off toward the High Heaven Pavilion together.
To be continued...
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Hope y'all a great day!