69novels Chapter 4 The Difficult Father
Chapter 4 The Difficult Father
In the evening, Yan Hu returned carrying an 80-year-old Ironback Bear, his face beaming with joy. He and two other soul masters from the village had hunted this spirit beast together, and the materials they received were enough to cover their family's expenses for half a year.
"Qing'er! Grandfather! Look what your father hunted today!" He laughed as he displayed bear gallbladders, bear paws, and other items in the courtyard.
Yan Zu noticed a deep claw mark on his father's arm, so deep that the bone was visible. Although it had been simply bandaged, blood was still seeping out.
"Dad, are you hurt?" He ran up to him, his little face full of worry.
Yan Hu waved his hand dismissively: "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious. That Ironback Bear was just making a last-ditch attack, it only scratched me."
That's how it is with the work of a Soul Hunter; there's always the risk of injury or even death.
Yan Zu is still too weak to provide much help to the family. He only hopes that future check-ins will be more useful in the present moment.
Time passed day by day, and before you knew it, another month had gone by.
That morning, Yan Zu woke up as usual and immediately muttered to himself, "Sign in."
[Ding! Monthly check-in successful!]
[Reward: Nine Yin Manual - Vajra Chapter]
[Reward Description: A cultivation technique specifically improved for offensive martial soul types, optimizing soul power circulation efficiency and enhancing physical strength and defense.]
A hint of joy flashed in Yan Zu's eyes. This cultivation technique had come at just the right time. He remembered that last month, when Yan Hu was hunting an iron-backed bear, his arm was slashed with a deep wound that exposed the bone. Although it was bandaged in time, the scar still ached faintly. If he could improve his father's physical strength, the possibility of injury would be greatly reduced.
Yan Zu firmly memorized the contents of the "Nine Yin Manual: Vajra Chapter" and began to plan how to teach this skill to his father in the same way he had taught his mother.
Unlike Su Qing's meticulousness and caution, Yan Hu is straightforward and bold, and may not fully accept the mysterious "dream encounter." To convince him to believe and cultivate, something more tangible and concrete must be presented.
"I need to let Father see the results with his own eyes," Yan Zu thought to himself.
The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon.
Yan Hu carried two plump wild rabbits into the yard, his burly figure resembling a moving small mountain. He threw the prey on the ground, wiped the sweat from his brow, and was about to call Su Qing for an extra meal that evening when he looked down and saw his son squatting on the ground, gesturing at a blue stone.
"Ah Zu, what are you doing?" Yan Hu leaned over and curiously peeked out.
Yan Zu raised his head, his little face serious: "Dad, I'm practicing the boxing style that Grandpa Whitebeard taught me, called 'Indestructible Vajra Kung Fu'."
"King Kong...indestructible?" Yan Hu scratched his head, thinking that the name sounded like something a street performer would say.
He looked down at his son—a tiny little bean sprout with a body that was barely three heads long, his arms and legs not even as thick as his own, squatting there like a round dumpling. This little guy, supposedly "indestructible"?
Yan Hu tried hard to suppress his laughter, putting on a serious expression with his stubble-covered face: "Oh? So what if you master it?"
"It can make you incredibly strong, and you won't be afraid of getting hit." Yan Zu stood up and assumed a starting stance. His two short legs were slightly apart, and his little fists were clenched and held in front of his chest, trying his best to make a "fierce and wrathful" pose—but his chubby baby face really didn't have much of an intimidating look, and he looked like a cat with its fur standing on end.
Yan Hu couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Father!" Yan Zu cried out anxiously, "Don't laugh, it's true!"
"Okay, okay, really, really." Yan Hu waved his hand hurriedly, but he couldn't suppress the wide grin on his face. He squatted down to be at eye level with his son and patted his son's head with his large, fan-like hand. "Good boy, A-Zu, practicing martial arts is a good thing, but we have to be down-to-earth and start with the horse stance..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yan Zu suddenly stretched out his short hand and gently pushed him on the shoulder.
"Ta-da!"
Yan Hu felt a sudden, unexpected force, lost his footing, and landed hard on his backside, kicking up a cloud of dust.
He was stunned.
Yan Zu was also stunned, and quickly ran over: "Father! Are you alright? I didn't mean to!"
Yan Hu sat on the ground, staring blankly at his son, then at the spot where he was sitting, and then at his son's small, short hands.
"Grandpa, where...where do you get this energy from?"
Yan Zu scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "It's... it's the boxing technique that Grandpa Whitebeard taught me. I just saw you were off-center, so I just..."
"You just pushed me down?" Yan Hu's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He, a level 26 Battle Soul Master, was pushed down by his three-year-old son?
Hearing the commotion, Su Qing came out of the house and saw Yan Hu sitting on the ground. She paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Oh dear, husband, are you sparring with our son?"
Yan Hu blushed, quickly got up, dusted off his pants, and coughed twice: "Um... I lost my balance just now."
Yan Zu timidly added from the side, "Father, when you were squatting just now, your center of gravity was indeed a little too far back..."
"Cough cough cough cough!" Yan Hu coughed even more violently.
Su Qing laughed so hard she almost fell over, then walked over and ruffled her son's hair: "Grandpa is amazing, he even managed to push your dad down."
Yan Hu protested, "That doesn't count! I wasn't on guard! Grandfather, come on, let's have a proper match!"
"Stop fooling around, the child is still so young." Su Qing glared at him reproachfully.
"Let's try it, let's try it!" Yan Hu became interested, squatted down, and this time he properly assumed a horse stance, pushing his palms out. "Grandpa, try hitting Dad with that Vajra Indestructible Skill."
Yan Zu glanced at his mother, and Su Qing shook her head helplessly, indicating that he should do as he pleased.
Yan Zu took a deep breath, then assumed the same starting stance, his short legs pushing off the ground, and his small fists softly pounded Yan Hu's chest.
"..."
Yan Hu remained motionless, only feeling as if he had been hit in the chest with a cotton candy.
He looked down at his son's expectant eyes and suddenly felt that his fall just now was really embarrassing.
"Well... Ancestor," Yan Hu carefully chose his words, "your boxing technique might need to be accompanied by a chant to unleash its full power. Why don't you try reciting the chant?"
"Slogan?" Yan Zu was taken aback. He did remember a few lines of mental cultivation techniques in the Vajra Chapter, but those were all for guiding the circulation of soul power, not slogans.
"Yeah, you see, when Soul Masters fight, don't they all shout slogans?" Yan Hu said with a straight face, spouting nonsense. "Things like 'Mother's Entanglement' and 'A fart like thunder, a deafening roar like Luo Sanpao'—they only sound impressive when shouted out loud!" (Tang San: You've already found your way to death!)
Yan Zu: "..."
He suddenly realized that his father might be a bit... simple-minded than he had imagined.
"Then...did I shout?" Yan Zu asked tentatively.
"call!"
Yan Zu took a deep breath, his face turning red, and tried his best to shout, "King Kong...indestructible!"
The voice was immature and lacked strength; the last word, "bad," was even pronounced incorrectly.
Yan Hu burst out laughing this time, clutching his stomach and squatting on the ground, shaking with laughter: "Hahahaha! Ancestor, your slogan is so powerful, hahahaha!"
Yan Zu stamped his foot in anger: "Father!"
Su Qing laughed so hard she cried, and she had to hold onto the door frame to avoid slipping down.
After laughing enough, Yan Hu finally calmed down, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said, "Alright, alright, Dad won't laugh anymore. Grandfather, your boxing technique is quite interesting, can you teach Dad?"
Yan Zu blinked: "Father, you want to learn?"
"I'll learn!" Yan Hu patted his chest. "Your father is the best fighter in our village, isn't it only right that I learn some new skills?"
Su Qing casually added from the side, "The 'first' among the short ones."
Yan Hu: "...Wife, give me some face."
Yan Zu smiled, then said seriously, "Father, please sit down, and I will teach you."
Yan Hu sat down cross-legged as instructed, his burly body squatting in the courtyard like a small mountain.
Yan Zu walked up to him, cleared his throat, and began to teach the introductory mental techniques of the Vajra Sutra.
"Grandpa Whitebeard said that this kung fu is called 'Indestructible Vajra Kung Fu,' and it's a style that emphasizes extreme strength and yang energy. It requires short, powerful breaths, and it also involves specific muscle tremors..."
Yan Hu listened attentively and nodded: "I understand, it's inhaling—pushing—roaring!"
"..." Yan Zu's little face stiffened. "Father, it wasn't a shout..."
"That's...?"
"It's about breathing! Not shouting slogans!"
"Okay, okay, you can continue."
Yan Zu patiently finished explaining the mental cultivation method, and Yan Hu began to try it out as instructed.
The first time, I held my breath for so long that my face turned bright red, and I almost fainted.
The second time, his breathing became erratic, he got a side stitch, and he clutched his stomach, groaning.
Yan Zu rubbed his forehead, suddenly understanding what "the master leads you through the door, but the cultivation is up to you" meant—but the problem was, this "person" was too difficult to guide!
From that day on, Yan Hu practiced the Vajra Chapter every morning and late at night. In just half a month, he felt his physical strength had increased by more than one level. The muscle soreness he used to experience after using soul skills had now basically disappeared. Even his Iron Axe Martial Soul had become more solid.
Su Qing witnessed all of this, and her doubts deepened.
"Honey, don't you think Ah Zu has had a lot of 'adventures'?" she couldn't help but say to her husband one night.
"A lot?" Yan Hu waved his hand dismissively. "That just shows our son is very fortunate!"
"But..." Su Qing hesitated, "those breathing techniques, even the Spirit Hall doesn't have them..."
"So what?" Yan Hu interrupted her. "Our son is destined for greatness. As his parents, we just need to support him."
Su Qing was silent for a moment, then said softly, "You're right. As long as Azu is safe and sound, nothing else matters."