The open training grounds behind Hongyu’s residence.
BANG!
Shuo’s fist collided with Hongyu’s, sending a powerful tremor through the surrounding air.
Hongyu used the weight of his body to force their locked fists downward.
Shuo immediately sensed that something was wrong.
However, just as he attempted to withdraw his arm, Hongyu reversed his grip, seized Shuo’s forearm, and pulled him forward.
At the same time, Hongyu clenched his left fist and drove it toward Shuo’s chin.
Shuo reacted instantly.
His left hand shot upward, opening into a palm that intercepted Hongyu’s punch mere millimeters from his chin.
Before Hongyu could respond, Shuo closed his eyes and slammed his forehead into Hongyu’s.
The unexpected headbutt forced Hongyu to release his grip and stagger several steps backward.
Shuo wiped the reddened mark on his forehead.
Without giving Hongyu time to recover, he pressed his advantage.
Pushing lightly off the ground with his left foot, he unleashed a sweeping kick toward Hongyu’s waist.
Hongyu had no time to dodge.
He could only raise both arms to protect his side.
The impact sent a painful numbness through his forearms.
Taking advantage of the opening, Shuo immediately launched another kick, this time aiming directly at Hongyu’s chest.
However, Hongyu was ready.
Before the kick could connect, he twisted sideways, avoiding the strike.
In the same movement, he caught Shuo’s extended leg under his arm.
Balancing on one foot, Hongyu drove his knee toward Shuo’s abdomen.
But his counterattack failed.
At the critical moment, Shuo forced his captured leg downward, disrupting Hongyu’s balance.
Both of them tumbled to the ground.
Shuo recovered faster.
Before Hongyu could properly regain his footing, Shuo surged forward with his fist clenched.
A powerful gust swept across Hongyu’s face, stirring his loose strands of hair.
“Sir, I win.”
Shuo’s fist came to a stop directly in front of Hongyu’s nose.
And with that, the outcome of their match was decided.
One year had passed since Shuo first declared his intention to leave.
Now, in a contest restricted entirely to martial arts, he had finally defeated Hongyu.
And Hongyu was prepared to honor his promise.
“Mm.
You win.”
“When are you planning to leave?”
Hongyu propped himself up with both hands and sat on the ground, apparently unconcerned about getting his clothes dirty.
Shuo wiped the sweat from his forehead before extending a hand to help him up.
“In a few days, I think.
I’d like to spend the next couple of days properly enjoying our youngest brother’s cooking.”
Hongyu accepted his hand and stood.
After brushing the dust from his long robe, he spoke with unusual seriousness.
“Shuo, I want you to think carefully about this.”
“Once you leave, you’ll be traveling with the trust and approval of the Grand Warden of the Sui Regulator.”
“From that moment onward, everything you do will carry a different meaning.”
“You won’t simply be an ordinary traveler.
You’ll be a giant beast known as Shuo.”
“Mm.
I understand, Sir.”
Shuo nodded.
“Haah.
Out of all twelve of you, you’re the one I worry about the least…”
Hongyu smiled.
“Go and see the world for yourself.”
“Perhaps you’ll discover something unexpected along the way.”
“Perhaps those experiences will help you become an entirely new person.”
…
In what felt like the blink of an eye, the day of Shuo’s departure arrived. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
All the Sui siblings had gathered at the entrance to see him off.
“Big Brother, come back and visit whenever you have the time.”
Wang handed Shuo a thick volume of maps.
“These are maps Sir drew himself.
He’s marked the things he’s seen and experienced during his recent travels throughout Great Yan.”
“I thought they might be helpful to you.”
“Mm.
They will.
Please thank Sir for me…”
Shuo accepted the maps before looking around.
“Speaking of which, where is Sir?”
“He’s still asleep.”
Wang explained on Hongyu’s behalf.
“As for those maps, Sir started working on them about a month ago.
Perhaps he stayed up too late making the final adjustments last night.”
Shuo fell silent for a moment.
Throughout their many years together, he had never once sensed even the slightest emotional fluctuation from Hongyu.
Yet the things Hongyu did for them had always carried a warmth that none of the siblings could ignore.
“Second Brother, let Sir get some rest.”
More than twenty years had passed since their first meeting.
The twelve little dragon bubbles from back then had gradually grown into mature individuals.
Yet Hongyu’s appearance had not changed in the slightest.
It was rather strange.
“Mm.”
Wang nodded and reached out to shake Shuo’s hand.
“I will.
And while you’re out there, try not to give Sir anything to worry about.”
“Big Brother!
Make sure you write ahead before coming home!”
Nian grinned at Shuo.
“I’ll have our youngest brother prepare a whole table full of delicious food for you!”
“Big Brother, remember to be careful out there!
And make sure you…”
On the other side stood Shu, who looked as though she could continue giving him advice for hours if nobody stopped her.
Dusk stood nearby, clutching a paintbrush in one hand and a painting in the other.
She didn’t know what sort of farewell gift she should give her eldest brother.
In the end, she’d decided to bring one of her paintings.
But now that the moment had arrived, she couldn’t seem to make up her mind.
‘What if…
Big Brother doesn’t like it?’
Seeing the conflicted expression on Dusk’s little face, Shuo took the initiative and approached her.
He gently accepted the painting from her hands.
“Thank you, little Dusk.
It’s beautiful.
I really like it…”
“Big Brother…
you can actually use it to store things too…”
Dusk spoke quietly.
She had infused the painting with her divine authority.
Inside it existed an entire world of its own, capable of holding a seemingly limitless number of objects.
“Mm.
Thank you.”
Shuo carefully put the painting away.
Just then, Ling approached, carrying a jug of wine.
“Big Brother, have a safe journey.”
She didn’t say much else.
She simply handed over a bottle of wine she had been carefully saving for…
Half a month.
Well, it wasn’t really Ling’s fault that the oldest wine she could offer Shuo had only been stored for half a month.
Any wine she’d kept longer than that had already been drunk.
The remaining Sui siblings also came forward to say their farewells, each expressing the hope that their eldest brother would come home whenever he had the chance. New chapters come out on novelping(.)com first.
“Mm.
Everyone, I’ll be going now.”
“Please give Sir my regards.
I won’t disturb his rest.”
Shuo waved toward the house, almost as though he were saying goodbye to Hongyu inside.
Then he placed all the gifts and tokens of affection he’d received from his younger siblings into Dusk’s painting.
With nothing weighing him down, he set off on his journey.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Hongyu was looking out through the window.
He saw Shuo wave in his direction.
A faint chuckle escaped his lips.
“Heh.
That little brat…”
The room around him was littered with maps and hand-drawn illustrations.
A closer inspection would reveal that every single sheet was covered with carefully placed markings.
Over the past year, Hongyu had continued handling the numerous miscellaneous responsibilities of the Sui Regulator.
At the same time, he had spent considerable time personally surveying different regions of Great Yan.
All for the sake of preparing an accurate and comprehensive map for Shuo.
Wang hadn’t been wrong.
Hongyu really had spent the entire previous night organizing the maps.
But there was one detail Wang had misunderstood.
Hongyu hadn’t begun making them a month ago.
He had started the project the very day Shuo first expressed his desire to travel across the land.
The past month had merely been spent making the final refinements.
“Shuo, have a safe journey.”
“When Sir passed away, none of us knew.”
Grandmaster Chongyue took a sip of tea.
Sitting across from him was the Emperor of Great Yan, who had come to Yumen Pass on an incognito visit.
The Grandmaster was sharing his memories of Hongyu.
“Your Majesty, not one of us was by his side at the time.”
“We didn’t even know he had died.”
Shuo’s tone remained composed, but a faint trace of sorrow could be seen in his eyes.
“Haaah…”
He let out a long sigh before continuing.
“Perhaps it was because his appearance never changed.”
“Or perhaps, in the eyes of us siblings, he had always seemed capable of accomplishing absolutely anything.”
“Whatever the reason, we all unconsciously overlooked the fact that he had already become an old man several hundred years of age.”
“He accomplished so much.”
“He brought Wang into the Sui Regulator and entrusted him with the position of Grand Warden.”
“He single-handedly defeated the demons that invaded from the northern frontier.”
“He saved Great Yan from famine…”
“And even when he was approaching the end of his life, he still managed to completely seal Sui away.”
“Because of him, we no longer had to live with the constant fear of Sui’s existence…”
“And yet…”
“We didn’t even learn about many of these things until several years after his death, when we discovered them through Ling’s divine authority.”
Chongyue fell silent.
It was only after he finished the tea in his cup that he realized how much he had said.
He turned toward the Emperor and offered an apology.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty.
I’ve spoken too much.”
“Not at all.
I understand.”
The Emperor waved his hand dismissively.
“I shall instruct the Imperial Secretariat to formally record the accomplishments of the first Grand Warden.”
“You need not concern yourself.”
“Great Yan has never forgotten those who have rendered great service to the nation.”
“Even though the Grand Warden has already passed away, his achievements deserve to be remembered for generations to come.”
“Then I thank Your Majesty once again.”
Chongyue cupped his hands respectfully.