Book 1 Chapter 4 | Ink East

B1C4: Father and Son

It is already late at night. Cold wind is whistling outside, but in the room Qin Yu is so excited that his whole body feels very hot.

‘Grandpa Lian, please tell me how to practice martial arts. I want to practice. I’ll definitely become a Shangxian. Even if I can’t become a Shangxian, I’ll become a Xiantian expert!’ Qin Yu’s eyes shine with an extreme resolution.

Qin Yu has started to picture future scenarios in his mind. He can even imagine his father looking at him with approving eyes.

What he wants is none other than his father’s love. Father’s commend, father’s smiles, even father’s criticism or punishment can all make Qin Yu feel the existence of his father’s love. He only wants father’s love.

Now he has found the method to get back the father’s love that was lost, that is, to try hard to practice and, like his big brother Qin Feng, to become a powerful valiant martial artist, or even… a mortality-transcending Shangxian.

Qin Yu looks at Lian Yun with expectation.

‘Xiao Yu,’ Lian Yun does not know what to do, but he cannot say nothing so he has no choice but to speak the truth, ‘if you want to become a Xiantian expert, you must practice internal techniques. Internal techniques break through the barrier between the Houtian level and Xiantian level. But your dantian is innately unable to accumulate internal energy, how can you practice internal techniques? And how can you become a Xiantian expert?’

‘My dantian has a problem, but people like Uncle Wang said that there’re a shocking number of internal techniques in the world, maybe I’ll be able to practice one of them. Even if I can’t do internal practice, there’s still external practice, isn’t there? I’ll be able to become a Xiantian expert all the same!’ says Qin Yu promptly.

He absolutely cannot accept that he is unable to become an expert.

Because… in this 8 year old kid’s pure heart, this is the only possible way to recover his father’s love.

‘External practice? It merely uses various methods to train the body nonstop, making it stronger and faster. But this is an unpopular path. To this day, even among the people with great natural strength, even though they trained to make their bodies more formidable, no one has been able to become a Xiantian expert through external practice. A person who only uses external techniques to train his body basically can’t become a Xiantian expert.’ Not wanting to let Qin Yu waste his effort, Lian Yan is frank with him.

‘There’s not been even one? Is there really no hope?’ Qin Yu is startled. He goes pale immediately.

The last hope has disappeared, Qin Yu’s heart freezes.

Seeing Qin Yu’s pale face, Lian Yan feels an ache in his heart: ‘Ah, he’s still a child!’

Lian Yan immediately says: ‘Xiao Yu, in fact, external techniques are very formidable too. External techniques are all about muscle power, which is very durable and unlike internal energy, which is used up so fast. Moreover…’ In order to comfort Qin Yu, Lian Yan continuously thinks of the advantages of external techniques. After hearing Lian Yun’s words, Qin Yu’s eyes slightly flash.

‘Moreover, external techniques are difficult to practice, but the body after all is the basis of a person. In the Fierce Tiger Corps, there’s a man with great natural strength who only does external practice. He can lift an 800-jin stone block with one arm.’

‘800 jin? One arm?’ Hope erupts in Qin Yu’s heart again. He can imagine that if he were to have such great strength, wouldn’t raising a broad ax and chopping at people be as simple as cutting barley?

‘That’s right, 800 jin. With 1 arm he can lift an 800 jin stone block. His weapon is a one-legged copper man. On the battlefield, not even Xiantian level experts were as valiant as he was. Every time he brandished that one-legged copper man, a large batch of enemies was smashed.’ Lian Yan unceasingly talks about the advantages of external techniques.

Finally, he concludes: ‘None of those who practice external techniques has become a Xiantian expert, but if you can reach the peak of the Houtian level and your body is trained to its limit, your power will be very formidable. You won’t be weaker than Xiantian level experts.’

After seeing a better look on Qin Yu’s face, Lian Yan secretly utters a sigh of relief. There is no doubt that he has watched Qin Yu grow because he knows Qin Yu’s character.

‘Can a person who has practiced external techniques to the peak of the Houtian level compete with Xiantian experts?’ asks Qin Yu again.

Lian Yan nods repeatedly. At this moment, how can he dare to deny? If he had shaken his head, Qin Yu would have been even more grieved.

‘Grandpa Lian, you said no one has reached the Xiantian level by practicing external techniques?’ asks Qin Yu. Lian Yan nervously nods, but Qin Yu becomes excited. He waves his fists and says: ‘Good. Since no one has reached the Xiantian level, I definitely will!’

Lian Yan is immediately stunned.

‘That no one has been able to achieve it doesn’t mean it’s unattainable. I believe in myself!’ Qin Yu’s eyes shine brilliantly.

Lian Yan forces a smile.

External techniques?

Practicing them is really incalculably more difficult than practicing internal techniques. External techniques are all about training the body. If a person is to reach the peak potential of his body, he will have to use various training methods, which, undoubtedly, will cause the body to undergo countless transformations. That kind of pain is not something that ordinary people can endure.

How can Lian Yan be willing to let Qin Yu endure that kind of pain?

‘Xiao Yu, practicing external hard techniques is very painful, even more painful than taking 100 lashes a day. You’re East Vanquishing Prince’s son, you’re protected, there’s no need for you to take such a great pain,’ advises Lian Yan. He really does not have the heart to see such a little boy suffer.

Qin Yu slowly shakes his head.

‘No!’ Uttering only one word, he shows no room for discussion.

Lian Yan does not know what to do. He thinks: ‘Why are this Qin clan’s people all like that? No matter the outward appearances, the most basic in their characters is to be endlessly resolute. None of them will turn around once they identify their goal. His father is like that. Now he’s also like that.’

Qin Yu suddenly smiles. He knows his Grandpa Lian cares about him.

‘Don’t worry, Grandpa Lian. Maybe there’re still internal techniques that I can practice. Please find some internal techniques for me to try. Only if I really can’t practice internal techniques, will I practice external techniques.’ Qin Yu walks to Lian Yan’s side, embraces him around his shoulders and says: ‘Don’t worry, Grandpa Lian, the villa has the best doctor, various experts and the fantastic hot spring. Why are you worried?’

Lian Yan strokes Qin Yu’s head. His face has a faint, kind smile.

He certainly knows Qin Yu does not want to worry him.

‘All right, Xiao Yu, you should go to sleep. Just leave this matter to me,’ says Lian Yan.

But Qin Yu suddenly raises his head and says: ‘Grandpa Lian, please find me one more expert who does external practice. It’s better to have an instructor.’

‘Don’t worry. This grandpa knows,’ says Lian Yan laughingly. Qin Yu immediately laughs and gives Lian Yan an affectionate smack on the cheek. Then he skips toward the outside of the door and shouts: ‘Goodnight Grandpa Lian. I’m going to sleep too!’

When his voice stops, he has already gone out of the room.

Lian Yan immediately brings out his brush and paper and writes a letter…

******

Qin De is standing in the study of his mansion in Yan City.

He raises his head and looks outside through the window. It is getting light at the moment.

The black-clad scholar Xu Yuan has come. His hand is holding a letter. He walks to Qin De’s side and says with a smile: ‘Your Highness, this is the letter that Uncle Lian delivered using pigeons. It’s about Xiao Yu. You should take a look at it.’

Qin De receives the letter and reads all of it at once. As he is reading, there is a complicated expression in his eyes. After a long time, he still has not put the letter down.

‘Your Highness…’ Xu Yuan quietly calls him. Qin De sobers at once. A stream of internal energy in the form of a flame issues from his hand, which burns the letter to ashes instantly. After that, still with a grim expression, he says coldly: ‘Xu Yuan, take all the secret books on internal techniques and external techniques in the mansion, make a copy of each of them then send the copies to Misty Villa.’

Xu Yuan is startled. He knows Qin Yu cannot practice internal techniques. He also knows how precious these internal technique secret books are. Even if compared with the secret books in the Imperial Palace of the Chu dynasty, East Vanquishing Prince’s internal technique secret books will still be much more valuable.

Is it not such a waste to give so many secret books to Qin Yu, who is unable to practice internal techniques?

‘Your Highness, you mean all of them? Even including the Ancestral Dragon Art? But Xiao Yu, he can’t practice internal techniques…’ asks Xu Yuan again.

‘Didn’t you hear what I said just now?’ says Qin De coldly. Xu Yuan nods and does not say anymore. He can see that Qin De is having a load on his mind, and can also guess Qin De’s mood at the moment.

‘Also…’ sighs Qin De, ‘Yu’er wants some experts of external techniques, right? Bring all the 3 great external experts in the Fierce Tiger Corps along. In addition, find all the external experts in the 3 Eastern region counties and bring them along as well.’

‘Yes!’ responds Xu Yuan to the order.

Qin De pauses for a while then suddenly says: ‘Xu Yuan, send an order to the Immense Wilderness telling General Zhao Yunxing to go to Misty Villa. If Yu’er chooses him to be his teacher, he will stay at Misty Villa for a year.’

‘General Zhao Yunxing?’ Xu Yuan is shocked.

Qin De nods then walks outwards the study. Xu Yuan suddenly says after him: ‘Your Highness, returning to Yan City this time, why don’t you go to Misty Villa to meet Xiao Yu? The last time you saw him was already more than a year ago. Shouldn’t we squeeze out a day’s worth of time for a trip?’

Qin De is slightly jolted. He says calmly: ‘That’s not necessary.’ After that he immediately walks out of the study. Xu Yuan follows Qin De’s back with his eyes then shakes his head and sighs: ‘Could it be all the Qin clan’s people are like this? Every one of them is so stubborn. Because of the oath at that time, even the love between father and son is ignored?’

Xu Yuan lets out a sigh and also goes out of the study, leaving behind on the floor only the ashes of the burnt letter.

End of b1c4.

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