"You come right now, take me out."

Old Yang wouldn't let Yu Ziqing refuse; he wanted to leave immediately.

Yu Ziqing had no choice, so he quietly went to Dadui to bring Old Yang out.

He hadn't even left home yet, and a big pile of stuff was delivered.

The goods were claimed to be payment for trading with the Deceitful Ghost.

There was even a letter attached with just two words: betrothal gifts.

Oh, Old Song is serious about this, and he's quick to act; he's already sent the betrothal gifts for his son.

Several days later.

"Old man, don't get so worked up, I can handle this by myself."

"What the hell do you know?"

Old Yang's temper flared up, his tone was abrasive.

Yu Ziqing rarely saw Old Yang get so furious. He'd dropped everything just to deal with that bastard.

They returned to Jinlan Mountain, and Old Yang was fuming the whole way.

After entering the secret chamber, he drank some liquor sourced from Zhang Quli, which finally calmed him down a bit.

"Do you know why the Dean of Langya Institute, even after entering Dao, doesn't have a complete True Name, only after establishing Dao would one have a full True Name?"

"For safety?"

"Not a single rule is without meaning.

Most rules that seem useless are, in fact, forged by the blood of our predecessors.

My mentor, a prodigy, wasn't like me, a dabbler, he specialized in three paths only.

Runes, talismans, and astrology.

The Dayan Preface you gave me, if my mentor were alive, he could have started at the fifth realm at least.

Back in the day, after he entered Dao, he had a complete True Name.

He began his cultivation, advancing from the First-tier Refining God to the Seventh Tier in just seven months.

And that was him cultivating on the side while conducting research as well.

Everyone believed he would become a powerhouse at the Peak of the Primordial Spirit Realm and definitely establish Dao.

Yet in the seventh month, he was forcefully cursed by the Blood Sacrifice Method, sacrificing many living beings, destroying his path.

Even if he didn't die, a thousand years of Dao cultivation was ruined in an instant.

All his essence was completely tainted.

Even taking pills was of no use, and he eventually died of old age right before my eyes.

I was young back then, watching helplessly as he died.

Even though later, I found the one who cast the curse and refined him alive, destroying him completely, what difference did it make?

Now another bastard is trying to capture the True Name Seal, I don't care what others think, for me, this is forbidden.

Stay out of this matter, I'm going to repay him with his own methods."

Old Yang said, brimming with killing intent, unable to suppress it.

Throwing out those words, Old Yang took his treasures and returned to the west side of Jinlan Mountain to conduct his research.

Yu Ziqing opened his mouth but dared not say a word.

He really didn't know Old Yang had a mentor.

And such a poignant, irretrievable past.

Now Old Yang wants to protect him, what is there left to say?

If he dared to push even a little, Old Yang would probably beat him first.

If things went wrong, the village chief might be called in, and they would hammer him together.

Yu Ziqing honestly didn't dare say anything, returned to the village, and saw Gu Shitou, with a bruised face, still smiling cheekily.

Looking at him made Yu Ziqing angry, wanting to hammer him.

Suddenly, Yu Ziqing realized something.

In Old Yang and the village chief's eyes, he was probably just like Gu Shitou was to him.

After all, they were his own kids.

And now, someone wanted to hold an extremely malicious blade to his throat.

With the previous tragic experience as background, Old Yang exploded.

Yu Ziqing waved at Gu Shitou.

"Come here."

"Uncle, you're back, are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat."

Gu Shitou's smile froze slightly, then immediately morphed into a shy grin, as he prepared to run back to the village.

"You can run, I'll let you run a hundred miles first."

Gu Shitou stopped in his tracks with a bitter face.

"Can we not fight today? I've been beaten three times already today."

Gu Shitou rolled up his sleeves, revealing his arms and legs covered in densely packed knife scars, not fully healed, some still oozing blood.

"Did you provoke the butcher? How did you turn such a mild-mannered person into this?"

Gu Shitou chuckled dryly, the butcher was mild-mannered?

He didn't reply, but Qingqing approached from afar, fists cracking loudly, and he sneered.

"Instead of learning good things, you pick up filthy language from somewhere."

Yu Ziqing looked at Shitou, curiously asked a question.

"Did you dare talk back to your own family?"

"I just couldn't hold back..."

Before Shitou could finish his sentence, he turned into a blur, flying outwards.

Yu Ziqing's figure followed along, delivering slaps that cracked like thunder.

After finishing, looking at Shitou, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, he sighed.

"Tomorrow, I'll prepare some bridal gifts and see which family might want a girl like you, get you a wife, and you better have a child soon, you better be capable of it, otherwise, if I can't control my strength and beat you to death, there won't even be a successor."

"No... Uncle, I was wrong, truly wrong."

Shitou was frightened, he lunged and hugged Yu Ziqing's leg.

"I really didn't mean any harm."

"Then tell me, what have you been up to these past two years? More than one person has come to complain to me."

Shitou hesitated, then said.

"I wanted to become stronger quickly."

"And then?"

"Then I realized, getting beaten would speed up the process, and if the person beating me really wanted to, it would be even faster."

"???"

Yu Ziqing was a bundle of question marks.

Shitou stood up, conjured Qi-Blood, and Yu Ziqing was somewhat surprised.

"When did you open so many orifices? Opening so many death orifices, you're really not afraid of dying."

In just ten years, he went from having no foundation to opening nearly five hundred orifices, including some highly dangerous death orifices.

If he wasn't suppressing it, he might already be at the Fourth-tier.

The tradition of Jinlan Mountain was to open as many orifices as possible, and not to rush advancement.

The things Yu Ziqing left behind, all emphasized that the first three tiers were foundational, laying a strong foundation was essential for future strength.

"The more I got beaten, the more I opened; hitting with resentment worked best.

Last time, the village chief gave me a beating, and I opened three death orifices at once, and they haven't fully healed, some places are still oozing with blood.

You couldn't say it clearly?

Shitou immediately let out a wry smile, Tugging at his shirt sleeves, his arms and legs were covered with countless knife wounds, some places still seeping blood.

Of course not, normal sparring isn't effective enough. Resentful strikes are best.

Qingqing hit me the hardest, the village chief only does half as well."

The next thing he knew, he was flat on the ground.

"How does it feel?" Yu Ziqing looked down at him and asked.

Shitou looked dazed, "Can't feel clearly, a dozen bones are broken..."

Yu Ziqing picked him up and carried him back, feeling utterly defeated.

This kid is beyond saving.

He pondered for a bit, finally deciding to follow the ancients' wisdom, it's better to guide than to block.

He hadn't been paying attention for just a couple of years, and this kid went too far.

Yu Ziqing initially wanted to ask Old Yang, but after some thought, he decided against it, as he'd probably take a thrashing himself.

He turned towards the north, leaving the locust forest.

"Uncle, you're back, are you hungry? Let me get you something to eat."

Shitou's smile was frozen for a moment, but soon he perked back up, getting ready to run to the village with a face still cheerful.

"You go ahead and run, I'll give you a hundred miles' head start."

Gu Shitou stopped in his tracks with a wry smile.

"Can we not do this today? I've already been beaten three times today."

Gu Shitou rolled up the sleeve, revealed his arms and legs etched with innumerous knife marks, some not fully healed, some even bleeding.

"Did you provoke the butcher? How could you make such a good-tempered person react like that?"

Gu Shitou let out a dry chuckle, considering whether the butcher was really good-tempered.

He didn't answer, but Qingqing approached from a distance, cracking his knuckles, letting out a cold chuckle.

"You don't learn the good stuff, but somehow you pick up a foul mouth."

Yu Ziqing looked at Shitou, curiously asked.

"Do you dare to talk back to your own family?"

"Just couldn't hold it in..."

Before Shitou could finish his sentence, he turned into a blur and flew out from a slap.

Yu Ziqing vanished along with him, slapping him hard with his palm.

After finishing, watching his face swell like a pig's head.

Yu Ziqing finally gave up completely.

This kid is beyond saving.

After breaking more than a dozen bones, Yu Ziqing picked him up and carried him back.

He decided to follow the ancestors' wisdom: unblock rather than block.

"You've gotten hit so much, and you still open more, hitting with hatred works best.

"You really didn't tell me?"

"No, uncle, I swear, I'm really sorry."

Shitou was terrified, clinging to Yu Ziqing's leg.

"I really didn't mean to offend you."