Fox Spirit: One Sword Sweeps the World

Page 8

Look at yourself!

Upon hearing this, the woman quickly turned and glared at Afu, a hint of panic in her eyes.

"How can we let the young master get soaked in the rain? It's so cold today!"

As she spoke, she quickly stepped forward, intending to pull Mu Qinghan to the stove to warm herself by the fire, but her outstretched hand suddenly stopped in mid-air.

She looked down at her hands, which were covered in calluses and slightly dusty, and then at Mu Qinghan's clean and tidy robes. Her cheeks flushed red instantly, afraid that her dirty hands might touch the young master and displease him.

Mu Qinghan spoke calmly, his gaze sweeping over the woman's slightly pale face, then landing on her thick cotton coat, and finally looking at Afu, his tone completely unwavering.

"If I don't want it, the rain won't fall on me."

Seeing that his wife was still somewhat nervous and at a loss, Afu quickly took out the bag wrapped in oil paper from his pocket, walked quickly to her side, and carefully untied the knot to reveal the food inside.

The glistening oil of the braised pork ribs and the vibrant green of the stir-fried vegetables stood out vividly under the dim light.

"My lady, look, this is a special treat from the young master, he asked me to bring it back for you to nourish your body."

As he spoke, he nudged his wife's arm, "Quickly thank the young master."

"Ah, thank you, thank you so much, young master."

When the woman saw Mu Qinghan about to leave, she panicked and instinctively tried to kneel down to thank him. However, her knees were only halfway bent when a gentle force held her up, preventing her from kneeling down any further.

Mu Qinghan had already reached the door, placed his hand on the cold wooden door, turned his head slightly, and glanced at the two people inside the room, his tone slightly strange.

"There's no need to kneel before me; I've never cared about such formalities."

He paused, his gaze returning to Afu. "Afu, one last question for you: why are you alive?"

"Like the rain outside the window, it can only go wherever the wind tells it to go. It seems to do many things, but it is all guided by the wind. So what is the meaning of its own existence?"

Mu Qinghan's voice, mixed with the sound of rain outside the door, carried a hint of confusion.

Afu paused for a moment, staring at Mu Qinghan's retreating figure, and without the slightest hesitation, blurted out, "Isn't the point of living to live well?"

He scratched his head, his eyes becoming exceptionally determined.

"I live so that my wife can have hot meals and warm clothes, and no longer suffer from cold and hunger; I want my unborn child to have the opportunity to learn a few words in the future, so that he won't have to do manual labor like I do."

"I also want to serve you, Master and Young Master, well and repay the patriarch for saving my life back then. There are still so many things I need to do. Once I've done all these things, I can die in peace one day."

"You can die now?" Mu Qinghan repeated the question, his tone devoid of emotion. "Then tell me, did you do all this for them, or for yourself?"

"for……"

Afu was taken aback by the question, frowned and pondered for a moment, then revealed a simple smile.

"If I can really do all these things, my wife will be able to smile, my child will be able to grow up safely, and my master and young master will be able to live happily. Then I will be extremely happy."

"In my opinion, this is for them and for myself—if the people I care about are doing well, then my life has not been in vain, and that is the meaning of my life."

"Hahaha! Well, you're quite amusing!"

Mu Qinghan suddenly burst into loud laughter, his laughter clear and bright, carrying a sense of enlightenment and clarity.

He suddenly stepped out of the wooden door, and his magical power burst forth, forming an invisible barrier. The rain within half a meter seemed to be frozen in mid-air, unable to fall on him at all.

"I remember."

He turned around, his gaze falling on Afu and his wife. "You've given me a satisfactory answer. So... I'll give you everything you've ever longed for."

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved and disappeared into the rain, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Fu standing there, staring blankly at the empty doorway.

Chapter 11 Son, You've Changed

Old Man Mu sat on a bamboo chair in the main room, holding a cup of tea that had cooled down a bit. Just as he was about to drink it, he caught a glimpse of Old Woman Mu standing by the window.

He raised an eyebrow, put down his teacup, and said, "What? Still thinking about Xiao Qinghan?"

"The person who went with him said he has returned and should be at the door by now."

"But……"

She was about to say something when she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Father, I'm back."

"Hey, you're back?"

Old Man Mu's eyes lit up, and he got up and walked towards the door.

Mu Qinghan stood in front of the wooden door as soon as it was opened.

Her hair, which had been tied up, was now loose and long, almost completely obscuring her eyebrows and eyes.

He, who was usually expressionless, was different today.

His eyes were bright, and the corners of his mouth were turned up, revealing a rare excitement.

Old Man Mu was stunned for a moment—his son had always been calm and composed, and had never shown such an expression before.

Before he could speak, Mu Qinghan took a step forward: "Father, would you like to have a spar with me? Right now."

"Now?" Old Man Mu was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, his hearty laughter echoing into the courtyard. "Sure, as long as you want, I'll accompany you."

Grandma Mu came over from behind and cupped Mu Qinghan's face in her hands.

She frowned as her fingertips touched the coolness of the boy's cheek: "Aren't you cold? Look at your clothes, they're half wet."

"I'm fine," Mu Qinghan gently pulled away from his mother's hand, his gaze returning to his father, his tone urgent, "I didn't get wet on the way back. Father, let's get started quickly."

"Alright, let's go to the backyard." Old Man Mu patted his son on the shoulder and led the way to the backyard.

Mu Qinghan immediately followed, her steps light and quick.

Watching the father and son walk away, one after the other, Grandma Mu stood there and shook her head helplessly, muttering to herself.

"These two are such a handful, really, they're both so willful."

She turned and went back into the house, thinking that she should quickly ask the servants to boil some water so that the father and son could have a drink to warm themselves up after their match.

The sound of rain outside the courtyard wall gradually subsided, and a cool evening breeze swept by.

On the bluestone-paved training ground, the evening breeze rustled down pine needles.

Mu Qinghan held a wooden sword, the tip of which pointed diagonally at the ground, the bluish-gray tassel trembling slightly with his breath.

When he looked up, the sword's edge reflected the moonlight, illuminating his eyes, which were usually covered in frost, and revealing a surging fighting spirit within them that burned away the youth's usual composure.

“Good son,” Old Man Mu said, standing with his hands behind his back, his black outfit fluttering in the wind and rain.

He looked into his son's eyes with an unprecedented intensity, his tone revealing understanding, "It seems you've seen through many things on this trip. You've found your own path, and you want to prove yourself to your father?"

“The Way is not about right or wrong,” Mu Qinghan tapped the back of the sword lightly with two fingers. His eyes suddenly sharpened, and the cold light on the sword suddenly intensified.

"The fog had obscured my vision before, but now it's clear. Father, take my sword!"

Before he finished speaking, the boy's figure vanished from the spot like melting snow.

Old Man Mu's pupils contracted sharply, and a storm raged in his heart.

Although his son's speed during the day far surpassed that of his peers, he could only barely reach the threshold of an ordinary demon king.

But at this moment, his movement technique was so fast that he was only a blur, approaching the speed of the Great Demon King!

In just half a day, it is absolutely impossible for one's physical cultivation to have such a dramatic breakthrough.

There is only one answer: his heart.

Has your heart... calmed down?

That's a good thing, he's become more like a child, just like he should be.

In the blink of an eye, the fierce sword wind had already reached his waist.

Old Man Mu, relying on his decades of combat instincts, ducked and dodged quickly, his clothes being slashed by the sword.

He used the momentum to spin around, his palm lightly flicking out, seemingly a casual strike, yet carrying profound magical power, hitting Xiao Qinghan's sword spine squarely.

With a muffled thud, Mu Qinghan was thrown into the air, but just as he was about to land, he suddenly turned and spun around, throwing the sword in his hand straight at Old Man Mu!

Never letting go of the sword is the first rule for a swordsman, and the very foundation of a swordsman's livelihood.

Is this child crazy?!

Old Man Mu subconsciously raised his palm to block, but just as his gaze locked onto the flying sword, he suddenly felt a very light touch on the back of his neck.

Mu Qinghan put two fingers together and gently tapped his neck.

“Father,” Mu Qinghan’s voice sounded from behind, “You must not be distracted during battle. This is a principle you taught me since I was a child.”

He withdrew his finger, took two steps back, and the longsword he had thrown earlier slammed into the ground with a clang, its tassel still trembling.

"I won this round."

Old Man Mu stood frozen in place. After a moment, he suddenly turned around. Instead of showing any anger, his face was filled with undisguised ecstasy, and even his voice trembled.

"Ha... This is hardly the end! The battle has only just begun!"

"Dad, you're cheating!"

Mu Qinghan frowned, but saw that her father's eyes were shining brightly, with relief and intense excitement in them.

Old Man Mu raised his hand to wipe away the smile from the corner of his lips, and his aura suddenly became sharp, like a mountain pressing down.

"My dear son, stop hiding it. I don't believe this is all you have. Come, in front of your father, show me everything you've truly understood!"

His eyes shone with an alarming light. "If my son grows up, it's really uncertain who will become the next leader of the Dao Alliance."

Looking at his excited father, Mu Qinghan gently shook his head.

“Father, excessive ambition can easily become an obsession.”

Old Man Mu burst into loud laughter, which shook the pine branches in the corner of the courtyard, causing them to fall and petals to fly everywhere.

"That's the excuse of the weak! If one is weak, ambition is the root of disaster; but if one is strong enough to protect those one wants to protect and to uphold the principles one should uphold, then 'ambition' becomes the foundation."

"At that time, I will have both the position of leader of the alliance and justice for the world. What's wrong with that?"

"Dad, it seems your honest and dutiful demeanor all this time was just an act."

"Hahaha, don't you know what's going on? If I were really an honest person, wouldn't you be bullying an honest person?"

"If you're really an honest person, then you deserve to be bullied."