Upon hearing that stern voice, Asura froze, as if he were a mouse caught by a cat, his body covered in a cold sweat. He slowly turned around and saw his father, Afengtian, standing at the door with a serious expression.
His little sister, Azhiya, hurriedly put down the pen she had been using to copy the book and stood with her head down at the corner of the desk.
Afengtian walked slowly into the room and asked, "So, what were you saying? Once you become the number one in the world, what will you do?"
Seeing the cold smirk at the corner of his father's lips, Asura's mind quickly flashed back to countless painful memories of being beaten in his childhood. He knew that if he answered poorly, he would face yet another painful experience.
So, he immediately began to flatter, "Once I become the number one in the world, I will proudly return to the Aolei Kingdom, bringing glory to the A family! I will make sure the world knows that the son of a tiger cannot be a dog!"
"Everything I've achieved today is because of your teachings, Father. I'll make sure all the powerful figures come to you for advice on how to raise such an outstanding son like me!"
"I'll have more children to expand the A family and make it the greatest family under your leadership!"
Upon hearing his third son's words, Afengtian twitched his mouth, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. His hands even began to twitch as if he wanted to hit someone.
Meanwhile, Azhiya, standing by the side, felt her face turning red. It was hard for her to suppress a laugh.
Afengtian turned and looked at her, saying, "Have you finished your magic homework?"
The girl immediately ran out of the study without turning back, heading to find her mother...
Asura, seeing this, silently cursed, "No loyalty!"
But then he saw his father's stern face and didn't know where to place his hands. He could only force out a smile that was more painful than crying.
Afengtian, too, was staring at his fourteen-year-old son, who was tall and lean. His face was like a jade crown, his eyes like shooting stars, with a muscular body and long limbs. His black hair was loosely tied at the back of his head. Aside from that annoying smile on his face, he really did look like a promising young man.
Afengtian realized that his third son had grown up, but his personality was still mischievous. Perhaps, as a father, he had never had a serious conversation with him.
With that thought, Afengtian sat down in the chair at the desk. Asura remained standing by the desk, unable to sit due to the painful bruises on his backside.
An eerie silence filled the room.
After a long pause, Afengtian suddenly spoke, his voice low: "Do you remember? No matter how mischievous you were, your grandfather always said that you would have great prospects in the future!"
Asura had no idea that his father would say something so random after such a long silence. He thought for a moment and replied, "Grandfather sure had a sharp eye!"
Upon hearing this, Afengtian's veins popped on his forehead, and after a while, he seemed to calm down. "Among the four of you siblings, you have the best talent. If you focus on cultivation, your achievements will surpass anyone in our A family!"
Asura didn't expect his father to say such words. He replied cautiously, "I think Big Brother and Second Brother have great talents as well!"
Afengtian glanced at him and said, "Big Brother is talented, but he is the eldest son of our family. The A family has served in the military for generations, and the commander of the Shaking Mountain Army must be from our family!"
"Big Brother has spent a lot of time studying military strategies and tactics, so he hasn't been able to focus on martial arts. His achievements should not differ much from mine."
"Big Brother knows his responsibilities, which is why he never mentioned going to a military academy to improve his martial arts. He's also about to marry the daughter of the Xu family this year..."
Before Asura could respond, Afengtian continued, "Second Brother is obsessed with martial arts, but he is stubborn and lacks flexibility. His talent and aptitude are limited!"
"He has made some progress through hard training, but his progress will slow down as he advances. Our family doesn't have the resources to help him improve his combat skills, but if he can get into Aogus Academy this year, that will at least fulfill his wish!"
"As for your little sister, her talent isn't bad, but she's just as playful as you!"
"We don't have the resources in the A family to support a high-level magician. Your mother only reached the third stage of magic with the help of your grandfather, who spent half his life accumulating resources through medicine and healing!"
"Your little sister might surpass your mother in her magical achievements, but she'll eventually get married, after all..."
Asura remained silent after hearing all of this. He knew his father was speaking the truth, but he didn't understand why his father was telling him all this. With Big Brother and Second Brother in the family, they shouldn't need him to do anything, right?
Afengtian seemed to read his mind. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Our Aolei Kingdom is just a small vassal state of the Valency Empire. Our A family is just a small hereditary military family."
"The surrounding wars are constant, and the civil officials in the court even criticize our A family for having too much military power. We are indeed in a state of internal and external troubles."
"I've been stuck at the third stage of the Grand Warrior realm for a long time, unable to find an opportunity to break through."
"Your grandfather was once at the peak of the Magic Warrior realm, but after years of serving the country and suffering injuries, his realm dropped to the first stage of the Grand Warrior realm."
"We all know our own limits in martial arts and what we can contribute to the A family."
"For the A family to continue peacefully, each of you in the next generation must work hard. This world isn't as beautiful as you imagine, and survival of the fittest is an eternal truth!"
After saying this, Afengtian stood up, patted his silent son on the shoulder, and left the study without saying anything more.
Asura stood there for a long time before turning to pick up the pen and continue copying the medical book. This time, he wrote slowly and carefully.
It was the first time in fourteen years that this mischievous boy was so quiet.
As day and night alternated, when the sky began to brighten with the first light of dawn, he had finished copying the book and collapsed onto the desk, falling asleep.
Outside, Afengtian saw the boy sleeping, his brows furrowed even in his sleep. He sighed, unsure if the conversation from last night was right or wrong, and turned to leave...
Just then, there was a commotion at the general's residence. The sounds of hurried footsteps and panicked servants shouting, "Quick, someone help! The eldest son has had an accident!"
The shouting woke Asura from his sleep, and he suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Without a moment's hesitation, he ignored the pain from his bruises and rushed toward the front of the general's residence...
When Asura arrived at the entrance, he found a large crowd had gathered. His father's furious roars, Second Brother's curses, his mother's crying, and the servants' shouts all mixed together.
The young man couldn't help but slow down his steps, repeatedly praying in his heart that there wouldn't be any bad news.
When he reached the doorway, he saw his second brother, with bloodshot eyes, kneeling on the ground, holding the severely tortured eldest brother.
His mind went blank as he couldn't believe what was unfolding in front of him.
A Naga was covered in injuries, lying in Asubo's arms. His knees were drenched in blood, his breathing weak, and his consciousness fading. He had been thrown to the gate of the general's residence by the assailants.
Asura stood there, stunned, for quite a while. Then, suddenly, he ran back into the courtyard. Soon after, he brought a set of silver needles and rushed to his eldest brother, using acupuncture to stop the bleeding and attempt to save him.
As he treated him, Asura discovered multiple fractures in A Naga's body and that his kneecaps had been forcibly removed.
The young man could no longer suppress his fury and screamed to the sky, "Aaaahhhhhhhh...."
Just then, a few mocking laughs came from the street in front of the general's residence.
A well-dressed young man, accompanied by four warriors, walked out from the shadows of the street.
While walking, he spoke arrogantly, "Is he dead already? I clearly ordered someone to leave him with one breath, yet he couldn't even take a few hits before dying? Hahaha..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Asura dashed toward the young man like a shadow, holding a silver needle aimed at his eye. He intended to silence this bastard once and for all.
However, before he could reach the young man, one of the warriors behind him stepped forward and kicked Asura several meters away.
Asura, seemingly numb to pain, spat out blood, got up, and rushed toward the young man again.
The warrior who had kicked him sneered as he stepped forward, throwing a punch. But at that moment, a figure blocked in front of Asura, intercepting the punch with one of his own.
The warrior staggered backward, chuckling lightly, "Is the commander of the Shaking Mountain Army really this weak?"
Afengtian stepped forward, stopping his furious son, suppressing his anger as he asked in a deep voice, "You were the ones who harmed my son, A Naga? Why did you strike him so viciously? Do you really think the A family is easy to bully?"
The young man in fine clothes, Sang Kun, sneered, "Tch~ Others may fear you, Afengtian, but I don't. Listen up, I am the heir of the Black Water Family, Sang Kun!"
"Even the king of your Aolei Kingdom treats me with respect, but you, a mere gatekeeper and guardian general, are nothing in my eyes!"
Sang Kun's words made Afengtian's anger surge. He now understood who this young man was.
The Black Water Family was a martial arts family from the Aolei Kingdom, filled with experts. Both the family head and the chief elder were at the third stage of the Magic Warrior realm, and in the small Aolei Kingdom, they weren't restricted by imperial authority.
Afengtian spoke in a deep voice, "The A family has no enmity with your Black Water Family. Why have you gone so far as to harm my eldest son?"
Sang Kun smirked viciously, "Hmph~ I've taken a liking to your son's fiancée, the youngest daughter of the Prime Minister, Xu Ying'er. But that slut refused to comply and shaved her head in defiance."
"I've never had a woman I wanted who didn't obey. It's your son's bad luck. I'll see if, after turning him into a cripple, that slut still wants to marry him. Hahaha..."
Before he could finish his laugh, a large blade whistled through the air, slashing toward his face. The warrior behind Sang Kun quickly pulled him to safety, narrowly dodging the strike.
Sang Kun's face turned pale with cold sweat as he looked at Adolf, who stood in the center of the field, holding a large blade with his hair and beard flying in the wind. Adolf shouted, "You've gone too far with the A family, do you really think I can't wield a blade anymore?!"
Sang Kun angrily shouted, "Old fool, try touching me again and see what happens!"
"I know your realm has fallen. I have two Grand Warriors at the third stage here. Do you think you and your son can stop us? What about the others?"
"Try and touch me, and I'll slaughter everyone in the A family. What's more, do you think your king will still tolerate you if you mobilize the Shaking Mountain Army against me?"
"Do you want to provoke the Shaking Mountain Army? See if your king will allow you to live then! Kekekeke..."
Adolf trembled in fury. An old man like him had never been humiliated like this before!
But in order to protect his family, he had no choice but to lower his blade.
At that moment, Asubo, who had been holding A Naga, suddenly raised his bloodshot eyes and glared fiercely at Sang Kun, swearing, "I've marked this grudge. In the future, I will come for you, and I will never let the ones who harmed my eldest brother go unpunished!"
Sang Kun, momentarily stunned by Asubo's bloodshot eyes, sneered again, "I know who you are, Asubo. I've investigated you useless brothers. With your realm, you're not even worthy of my attention."
"By the way, didn't you want to take the Aogus Academy entrance exam this year? You plan to come back and demand debt from me after you finish? Let me tell you, you can forget about getting into the Aogus Academy."
"I'll have spies in the surrounding areas to ensure you never make it to the exam!"
Upon hearing Sang Kun's words, Asubo's eyes turned even bloodier, his fists clenched so tightly that they creaked. This Sang Kun not only hurt his elder brother but now aimed to shatter his martial dream...
Asura, however, was surprisingly calm as he listened to Sang Kun's arrogant words. He fixed his gaze on the faces of the men before him. He knew that, for now, there was nothing he could do, but he swore that one day, these bastards would experience a hundred times the pain his brother was enduring right now—blood for blood!
The troubled youth from the past seemed to have grown up in an instant...
After laughing mockingly, Sang Kun gave the group a disdainful look. He spat on the ground and arrogantly turned to leave.
Behind him, a young man stared fiercely at his retreating figure, his gaze unwavering, until they vanished at the end of the street...