Chapter 26: The Elder Guarding the Scripture Pavilion

The room was simple, with little decoration—just a few wooden tables and chairs, a wheelchair, and two or three floor cushions. An elderly man with white hair and beard sat quietly on a cushion.

The moment Yun Yufeng appeared, the old man opened his eyes. They were cloudy, seeming lifeless, as if he were a man at death’s door, devoid of all vitality.

His voice was hoarse and without a trace of emotion. “Which family are you from, coming in at this hour? What business do you have?”

Hearing the old man speak, Yun Yufeng immediately knelt and said respectfully, “Your unfilial grandson, Yun Yufeng, comes to pay his respects to grandfather.”

A flicker of light appeared in the old man’s eyes, and his tone grew slightly warmer. “So you’re the Yun Yufeng they call a wastrel? Stand up.”

Yun Yufeng rose, bowing his head in solemn humility. “Yes, Grandfather. Your grandson’s immaturity has brought shame upon the family.”

The old man studied Yun Yufeng, and in the depths of his eyes, a burst of violet needles seemed to pierce straight through Yun Yufeng’s attempts at concealment.

With a cough, the old man said, “Raise your head and let me have a look at you. Rarely does anyone visit this decrepit old man.”

Yun Yufeng lifted his head, gazing steadily at the elder. In that fleeting instant, he felt a chill envelop his body, as if he stood naked and exposed, unable to hide a single secret.

“Very good. You look promising—my own flesh and blood.” The old man stroked his beard, leaving Yun Yufeng petrified.

“There are many rumors about you. Though I’ve been stationed here for years, a little news still reaches me. Don’t you wish to defend yourself against the label of wastrel?” The old man’s eyes, though cloudy, fixed on Yun Yufeng with a hint of amusement.

“Let others talk as they will. I have no need to prove my worth to anyone.” Yun Yufeng shook his head, neither servile nor arrogant before his grandfather.

The old man coughed again. “Proud, aren’t you? You take after me. That’s good. Only such a bearing can stand upright. Qinghe is lucky to have a son like you.”

“Grandfather, will you always remain here on duty? Then I’ll rarely get to see you.”

“What’s to look at in this old man? Focus on your martial training—that’s the best gift you can give me.”

“In truth, I wished to be able to seek your advice when faced with difficulties. To be honest, none of the elders in the clan can compare to you.”

At these words, the old man gave Yun Yufeng a surprised glance and saw he was sincere, not merely flattering him. “Very well. I’ll give you a token. Whenever you have questions or are about to break through, you may come to me and I’ll watch over you. But remember, the chamber below is not to be entered at will.”

“I understand, Grandfather. May I ask, what are the requirements to learn the combat techniques in the scripture repository?”

“Combat techniques? You lack those? Qinghe has been remiss. How could he neglect such a promising child—devoting all his energy to women instead…!” The old man’s brows shot up and his beard bristled as he launched into a tirade.

Yun Yufeng broke out in a cold sweat. This grandfather was indeed formidable—a far cry from the emotionless elder he’d first encountered. Had he not been present the entire time, Yun Yufeng might have suspected the old man had been swapped for another.

When the old man finally calmed down, Yun Yufeng ventured, “Grandfather, you can’t blame Father entirely. I have indeed acted the wastrel.”

“Don’t make excuses for that rascal. Next time he comes, I’ll be having words with him.”

Yun Yufeng wiped the sweat from his brow and stood obediently, listening to his grandfather’s muttering.

“Child, come here and let me examine your innate attributes.”

Yun Yufeng moved a cushion next to the old man and allowed his wrist to be taken.

A faint energy flowed from the elder’s hand into Yun Yufeng’s body, coursing through his meridians, circulating throughout, wandering in his dantian, then returning along the same path.

The old man’s expression shifted from indifference to astonishment, and then his eyes widened as if he’d seen something extraordinary.

He withdrew his hand and pondered for a moment. “It seems you’ve had a fortuitous encounter, causing an anomaly in your dantian. For now, this change appears beneficial, though its future implications are uncertain. As for your talents, you possess both fire and life attributes—an excellent combination. However, I detect a faint, hidden energy within you: sinister and dark, suppressed by your life force. I’ve never encountered this type before. You must be cautious.”

Thinking it unnecessary to hide the death attribute from his grandfather, Yun Yufeng said, “Grandfather, I may know what it is. It seems to be a death talent, but for some reason it’s suppressed. I don’t know how to release it, nor whether doing so would be dangerous. I’m completely ignorant in this regard.”

The old man’s hand trembled in shock, even more than when he’d sensed the anomaly in the dantian. “Death talent? How can that be? Life and death are opposites—if one is weaker, it should be utterly consumed by the other, not merely suppressed. This defies reason.”

He was unaware of what had transpired within Yun Yufeng: the strand of black energy was the source of death itself, and the so-called chaotic current was in fact the source of life. When the source of death entered Yun Yufeng’s spirit, it became rooted there alongside the source of life, so it could only be suppressed, never eradicated. Any trace of death energy absorbed during cultivation would gather automatically, lurking in a corner of his dantian.

“I’m not entirely sure, Grandfather, but at least for now, I haven’t noticed any ill effects. Perhaps as my strength grows, I’ll find a way to eliminate any potential dangers.”

“Indeed. We can only wait and see. It’s a pity—those with the death attribute are exceedingly rare and often shunned for the power and darkness it brings. If one day you master this energy, do your utmost not to display it before others. Do you understand?”

“I do, Grandfather.” Yun Yufeng nodded repeatedly; he was always prudent and cautious by nature.

“I see your dantian is like a furnace, fire energy blazing within, refining itself and generating copious dantian flames. You must have had guidance and trained in fire techniques, forging this dantian furnace.”

“On my journey home, I traveled with a mercenary company and became close with their captain, who taught me the Flame Manipulation Art. I cultivated the dantian furnace and also picked up some basic forging skills from him.”

“Child, it’s good to be learned, but one’s energy is finite. The dantian furnace does refine your combat energy, but your future advancements will take longer. Still, the benefits are obvious—at the same level, your energy’s purity will far surpass others’, making you almost unbeatable. But to achieve greatness, you’ll need to work twice as hard.”

“I’m confident, Grandfather. When Uncle taught me the Flame Manipulation Art, he explained all this. I pursue it out of passion and will work all the harder. Rest assured, Grandfather, I won’t let you down. Besides, I have ample faith in myself.”

The old man stroked his beard, smiling broadly. “How long has it been since I’ve felt such joy? Whoever calls you a wastrel, I’ll throw them into the pigsty for a night! Hahaha!” With that, he laughed heartily, caring not a whit about decorum before his grandchild.

“Grandfather, you still haven’t said if there are any combat techniques you can pass on to me.”

“Well, your talents don’t quite match mine, so for now I have no suitable combat skills to give you. I can’t play favorites and hand out the clan’s secret techniques. I won’t give you anything mediocre, and anything outstanding you must earn through your own contributions. Of course, if you place well in the annual clan tournament, you’ll be allowed to choose a technique from here. That will depend on your own efforts.”

He drew a small booklet from his sleeve and tossed it to Yun Yufeng. “These are some of my own methods for cultivating combat energy. They’ll help you avoid some pitfalls. As for combat techniques, you’ll have to rely on yourself—and perhaps have your father exchange one for you later.”

“Yes, Grandfather. May I take my leave?” Yun Yufeng rose, scratching his head in confusion, uncertain how to take his leave.

“Go on. I’ll see you out.” With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the space before them shattered like glass and pulled Yun Yufeng through. When his feet touched solid ground, he found himself outside the small black room, the two guards at the door watching impassively, clearly used to such occurrences.

Yun Yufeng glanced back at the small black room, then made his way back to his own courtyard.

No sooner had he stepped in than two figures ran toward him—it was his younger brother Yun Yulan and his sister Xin.

“Brother, you’re finally home! Everyone said you’d never come back, but we didn’t believe them. They’re all big liars and bad people—how could anything happen to you?” Yun Yulan looked him up and down with bright, inquisitive eyes. “Hey, you look a little taller!”

Yun Yufeng was delighted at the sight of the two children. The only real attachment left from his former wastrel self lay with these two siblings.

“Ha, you both must work hard at the academy.”

“Of course! I want to learn all I can to help you, Brother. When we heard you’d returned, we took special leave to come home.”

“Good, you’re both wonderful. Come inside—I have gifts for you.”

Once indoors, Yun Yufeng took a beautifully adorned short sword from his storage pouch and tossed it to Yun Yulan. With its exquisite scabbard, it lent him an air of elegance.

He then produced a small silk bundle, inside which were two jade hairpins and two ornamental pins. Yun Yufeng took one set and carefully placed it in Xin’s hair himself.

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