Chapter 209: Paternal Power! Three Stages!

The river of stars dimmed, the Milky Way shrouded in haze.

Dao Baifeng felt the transition from life to death, and from death back to life; she suddenly came to her senses, her whole body slick with a thin sheen of sweat, her skin glowing rose-red, her silken hair falling strand by strand. Her gaze, heavy with tender allure, fell upon Gu Qing, and a smile blossomed from her heart.

In the fierce years of youth, I met you—the fiercest of them all.

"Who's good?"

Gu Qing reclined halfway, idly pinching his fingertips, asking casually.

If you're going to seek thrills, see them through to the end.

Dao Baifeng smiled, exhaling a sweet breath, and in a tone she herself never expected, flattered Gu Qing: "His shrimp-and-eel waist strength can't compare to yours."

Gu Qing couldn't hold back a laugh.

Dao Baifeng leaned in and kissed him lightly.

This mature older sister is clingy.

…

"Yu'er, don't cultivate Foundation Establishment here."

Gu Qing looked at Duan Yu, who had come early for morning lessons, and said: "Your father was caught in the act of adultery. Now you must grow strong. Today, I'll teach you to steal the secrets of heaven."

Duan Yu's head spun; the information he'd received so early in the morning was overwhelming.

"Where was my father arrested?"

Duan Yu asked urgently.

"Wanjie Valley!"

Gu Qing replied.

In that instant, Duan Yu went numb.

Duan Zhengchun had publicly declared that though he was amorous, he was no disgrace—yet the slap came faster than he could blink.

Gu Qing was equally helpless. In the original novel, Old Duan claimed he'd cut ties with Gan Baobao, yet turned right around to sneak through tunnels to meet her. Now he'd run straight into Wanjie Valley and fallen right into the pit.

"Then Master, let's hurry and save him!"

Duan Yu said quickly; he knew his Master's martial arts were unfathomably deep, and rescuing his father should be a simple matter.

"No rush."

Gu Qing said calmly: "First, I'll teach you a peculiar skill."

Gu Qing had Duan Yu sit cross-legged and transmitted the first diagram of the Northern Darkness Divine Art to him.

After hearing Gu Qing's explanation, Duan Yu's face turned fearful: "This art drains others' internal energy—how is it different from stealing their wealth? I won't do it. I absolutely won't."

Gu Qing suddenly sneered: "Martial arts are meant to strike and kill. They are neither good nor evil by nature—used for good, they are good; used for evil, they are evil. Fist and foot techniques are the same. Is the martial art of the Duan family of Dali not used to kill?"

"It's different."

Duan Yu said.

"Of course it's different."

Gu Qing said: "The Duan family uses martial arts without harming the innocent. The art I'm teaching you now isn't meant to harm the innocent—it's meant to disarm the wicked. When someone commits evil, you take their weapons from them. That is virtue."

What Gu Qing now said came from Ren Woxing's words to Linghu Chong. Legend says it was a late-life epiphany of a Duan Emperor who had cultivated the Northern Darkness Divine Art, used it for good, and passed down its fragments.

In the revised edition, the Absorbing Star Technique is purely a fragment of the Northern Darkness Divine Art, unrelated to the Dissolving Power Technique.

Hearing this, Duan Yu felt as if clouds had parted and light flooded in.

"This set of martial arts has thirty-six scrolls. I can teach you at most two."

Gu Qing looked at Duan Yu and said: "I know you don't like this kind of martial art. That's fine. Once you've built a solid foundation in internal energy, I'll teach you a supreme technique."

Duan Yu was overjoyed. He widened his eyes and stared at Gu Qing. These past days, Gu Qing had never been so devoted as today. When their gazes met, both felt the other's kindness.

The first scroll of the Northern Darkness Divine Art cultivates the Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian. This initial stage is easy to begin, and requires no prior internal energy. Duan Yu, with his extraordinary martial talent, easily crossed the threshold.

As evening approached, Gu Qing and Duan Yu bade farewell to Dao Baifeng.

Dao Baifeng watched Gu Qing's distant demeanor and called him a tormentor. Last night, she'd wanted to reenact her past surrender to a beggar—and Gu Qing had teased her repeatedly about Duan Zhengchun's affairs. So she'd given him a taste. But now that she'd tasted his flesh, she felt drawn to him, seeing him in a new light.

"You must absolutely save him."

Dao Baifeng gave Duan Yu extra instructions.

"Don't worry, Mother."

Duan Yu patted his chest: "My Master's martial arts are peerless—he'll surely rescue Father."

Dao Baifeng snorted heavily: "I'm only preserving Dali's dignity. When your father returns, I'm going back to Yuxu Shrine!" She cast a sidelong glance at Gu Qing, making it clear: don't you dare touch me.

Gu Qing struggled to hold himself together. Last night, with Dao Baifeng, he'd discovered for the first time that when a woman says "I want," it actually grants good karma!

He'd given Dao Baifeng one reward based on his good karma tally—now she was trying to cling to him.

This damn electric current that drives the Soul-Switching Hand.

This damn Thirteen Dragons, Thirteen Elephants power.

This damn inverted number-one bed technique.

!

The distance from Dali City to Wanjie Valley wasn't far. Originally, Old Duan had ridden his horse through the valley at midnight. Now, Gu Qing and Duan Yu traveled light, galloping to the valley's edge.

Inside Wanjie Valley, lanterns glowed everywhere, the defenses tightly guarded.

Gu Qing and Duan Yu moved like shadows, gliding toward the brightest light. In that moment, Duan Yu felt as if he'd merged with the wind—moving at incredible speed without a sound, arriving atop the roof.

Inside the room, Old Duan hung suspended from the beam, while Zhong Wanchou whipped him mercilessly.

"Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Under the lashes, Old Duan made no sound.

"This is the fate of a man who steals another's wife!"

Zhong Wanchou, exhausted from whipping, pointed at Old Duan and roared: "You beast deserves to rot in the eighteen hells!"

Gu Qing stood on the roof, feeling as if his spine were being stabbed.

Zhong Wanchou's voice grew shrill.

"Stop!"

Duan Yu couldn't hold back—he shouted, leapt down from the roof using his shallow internal energy, stumbled two steps, and cried to Zhong Wanchou: "Master Zhong, we owe you an apology. Please stop beating him!"

"The son of the Dali Prince of Zhen Nan?"

A deep voice came from outside. A man in a green robe, leaning on a cane, drifted forward. Seeing Duan Yu, he extended his cane to pin him down.

"Brother Duan, let me handle him!"

Another man leapt out behind him—a huge head, small eyes, upturned nose—who lunged ahead to grab Duan Yu.

Duan Yu saw the man and thought his appearance utterly grotesque. The monstrous figure charged at him, making him panic—but as he drew near, he suddenly fell to his knees with a thud, one hand gripping Duan Yu's arm.

In an instant, Duan Yu felt a torrent of internal energy surge from the man, rushing along his meridians into his body.

"Big Brother, this is bad—terribly bad…"

This man was Yue Lao San, the South Sea Crocodile God. As soon as he grabbed Duan Yu, he felt his hand stuck to Duan Yu's. Normally, his internal energy could easily shake Duan Yu off—but now his limbs went limp, powerless, as his internal energy drained away.

The green-robed man saw this and struck Yue Lao San with his cane—but the moment it touched him, his own internal energy surged out uncontrollably.

"What's going on with all of you?"

Zhong Wancheng, utterly baffled, reached out to pull the green-robed man—his hand touched him, and instantly his limbs went weak. He felt his internal energy slipping beyond his control and cried out: "Dissolving Power Technique!"

At that moment, Gu Qing darted back, reached out, and the ropes binding Duan Zhengchun shattered into fragments. Duan Zhengchun was covered in wounds, but seeing Duan Yu surrounded, he noticed his expression was strange and immediately reached out to donate internal energy to him.

Gu Qing watched Duan Yu in the center, his body surging with internal energy—here stood his biological father, his adoptive father, and his wild, teaching father—damn it, his Master.

The combined power of these three fathers will make Duan Yu grow strong!

Paternal Power! Three Stages!

A rising genius!

This man has truly restored the Duan family's honor!

(End of Chapter)