Chapter 4: Four: Long-Range Strikes Are What a True Practitioner of the Path of Caution Should Do

Four: Long-Range Strikes Are What a True Practitioner of the Path of Caution Should Do

Half a year later.

In the spring-filled Shen Garden.

Shen Shen Yaoqiao sat comfortably on a chair made of spiritual bamboo from another realm, drinking old yogurt while fixing Qin Yuan not far away with an alluring, unblinking gaze.

Besides curiosity, there was also resentment.

This stinky little brother had spent most of the past half year clearing small monsters inside spatial rifts.

Clearing small monsters—was that more important than his big sister?

Qin Yuan didn't notice Shen Shen Yaoqiao's little look; he was busy studying how to strike enemies from a distance.

"Flying Sword."

Qin Yuan let out a low, full-throated shout.

A small sword formed of Qi surged fiercely into the sky, blasting an innocent passing bird into a blob of something unidentifiable.

Then it swiftly disintegrated in the air.

"Why not use a real flying sword?"

Shen Shen Yaoqiao lifted her pointed, fair chin, her face full of puzzlement.

"A real flying sword has to be recalled, and it's easy for enemies to track it back. A Qi sword is different—as long as the enemy isn't too powerful, they can't trace the sword's origin at all."

Qin Yuan explained with a gentle smile.

There was another reason he didn't mention.

He was broke.

If he had a sea of resources, he'd be happy to use a real flying sword (the non-recovering kind).

"Why are you so obsessed with long-range strikes?"

Shen Shen Yaoqiao blinked, looking puzzled.

You have to understand that Earth's cultivators, blessed with their innate Dao bodies, had always held the upper hand when fighting the creatures of another realm.

"To avoid casualties," Qin Yuan couldn't help reviewing history. "Take the Beautiful Barbarian's Gulf War—won with the greatest of ease. But why were their losses so heavy in the A War? One reason was getting close-quarters. In my view, whether it's a fight between nations or between people, close combat where you kill a thousand and lose eight hundred of your own is the stupidest approach. Non-contact combat is the best choice."

"Makes sense."

Shen Shen Yaoqiao rested her pointed chin on her small hand, thought for a moment, then bobbed her little head.

"Nonsense."

Returning from the spatial rift, his qi and blood surging as if on fire, Shen Shen Zhilu—carrying a large bird on his shoulder—frowned.

He was exactly the kind of person Qin Yuan had called the stupidest.

In his view, Qin Yuan's words were crooked, heretical nonsense.

What is a cultivator? One whose might returns to the self. Without going through cruel close-combat again and again, how can one progress?

Shen Shen Zhilu said solemnly, "Spells, external objects—attacks are ultimately the lesser path. Strength in oneself is true strength."

"Dad."

Qin Yuan called out respectfully.

"Call me Teacher."

Back to being Teacher again—looks like he's really angry.

"Teacher, that's not quite right of you to say."

Qin Yuan instinctively wanted to lecture his Shen-dad a little.

Before he could finish, Shen Shen Zhilu cut him off: "Are you the teacher, or am I the teacher?"

You're the teacher, you're the teacher… Qin Yuan obediently shut his mouth.

"Dad's right."

Shen Shen Yaoqiao defected without the slightest hesitation.

A post-2000s kid—not a shred of loyalty.

"I haven't even gotten to you yet. Weren't you supposed to be cultivating in the other realm? Why'd you come back so fast?"

Shen Shen Zhilu said coldly.

With his daughter, his standards were very strict.

"I just got back too, okay?"

Shen Shen Yaoqiao told a barefaced lie with wide, innocent eyes.

Her acting was so bad it was on par with a second-tier pretty boy who goes through the motions without any heart.

Shen Shen Zhilu snorted and flung the large bird off his shoulder onto the ground.

"What kind of demon is this? It's my first time seeing one."

Shen Shen Yaoqiao bounced over, took out her phone, and opened the Record-Demon APP.

The Record-Demon APP was an app for logging demons.

She tapped it open.

The very first line on the home page: 2,200+ demons gathered here.

Snap—

She took a photo and uploaded it.

The entry for the large bird immediately appeared on the screen: Frost-Bearing Bird, blue beneath the belly, white on the back, hunts by freezing its prey solid; an adult Frost-Bearing Bird can freeze a thousand miles in an instant.

Boom!

Shen Shen Zhilu channeled his Dao fire and started a barbecue right there on the spot.

A handful of cumin.

A handful of black pepper.

A handful of fine salt.

A handful of chili powder.

A spoonful of honey.

A spoonful of light soy sauce.

A spoonful of dark soy sauce.

A spoonful of cooking wine.

No oyster sauce, thumbs down.

"Does anyone have oyster sauce?"

Clatter clatter clatter—Qin Yuan pulled out fifteen kinds of oyster sauce in one go.

Shen Shen Zhilu was stunned for a moment. For the first time in half a year, he criticized Qin Yuan: "Don't waste your mind on food."

Qin Yuan glanced at the Frost-Bearing Bird. There was one line he really wanted to say but wasn't sure if he should.

Soon, the Frost-Bearing Bird gave off a rich, fragrant aroma.

The two children beside them were crying from craving it.

Shen Shen Zhilu, however, paid no attention to the two of them.

Soon, the barbecue was done. Shen Shen Zhilu simply hugged it and started gnawing away.

A Frost-Bearing Bird no smaller than an adult horse was reduced to a bare skeleton in the blink of an eye.

Shen Shen Zhilu circulated his qi to shatter the skeleton, gave it a casual toss, and it became fertilizer for the flowers and grass of Shen Garden.

No wonder the flowers and grass grow so well!

Qin Yuan thought to himself.

Letting out a satisfied burp, Shen Shen Zhilu looked at the two of them and said solemnly: "Starting today, I'll teach you the Dragon-Slaying Art."

The Dragon-Slaying Art sounds very grand, but it's actually a not-very-advanced combat technique.

"First form."

In the eyes of the two of them, Shen Shen Zhilu's figure began to shift and blur.

After quite a while, Shen Shen Zhilu stopped.

Then he started explaining at length.

Qin Yuan felt like laughing. Godfather Shen was good at everything except teaching disciples. Something perfectly simple became, through his explanation, needlessly complicated.

"Qiaoqiao, give it a try and show me."

Shen Shen Yaoqiao, upon hearing this, stepped forward brimming with confidence.

She began to perform.

It couldn't be said to be exactly the same, but it was at least seven or eight tenths there.

"Did you secretly learn it?"

Shen Shen Zhilu said in surprise.

One had to remember that when he first learned this Dragon-Slaying Art, it had taken him nearly a month.

"Something you understand at a glance—who'd need to secretly learn it?"

Shen Shen Yaoqiao lifted her snow-white chin, like a proud white swan.

Shen Shen Zhilu was deeply wounded. His wife's talent was high, and his daughter's talent was even higher than his wife's.

"Teacher—could you perform it one more time?"

Qin Yuan's meek voice rang out.

With the middling talent he was putting on, he would have to be a ghost to learn it in one go.

On the other hand, this could help draw them closer.

Sure enough, the look in Shen Shen Zhilu's eyes as he gazed at Qin Yuan softened considerably at once.

There was still one more person whose talent was no better than his own.

"Alright."

Shen Shen Zhilu said with a smile.

Shen Shen Yaoqiao quietly pouted. The Qin Yuan from half a year ago could have easily pinned her in place—how could he possibly fail to learn something this simple?

My silly daddy, you've fallen for your godson's trick.

After finishing the lesson, Shen Shen Zhilu—his desire to play the teacher thoroughly satisfied—gave Qin Yuan a few words of encouragement and left contentedly.

The next time they met, there was no telling when it would be.

Godfather Shen was the soul of Luzhou's cultivators. Most of the time, he was either leading Luzhou's cultivators in battle against otherworldly creatures, or on the way to leading Luzhou's cultivators in battle against otherworldly creatures.

After Godfather Shen's figure vanished completely, Qin Yuan gave a small cough and walked toward Shen Shen Yaoqiao.

He decided to use this time to give his god-sister a little safety education.

Shen Shen Yaoqiao's long, pretty phoenix eyes lit up, then she pressed the look down, putting on an air of nonchalance.

She had her pride to keep up too.

"Qiaoqiao."

"Call me Big Sister."

Shen Shen Yaoqiao's face changed at once.

"Big Sister."

"Good girl."

Shen Shen Yaoqiao's flower-like beautiful face bloomed into a smile.

"Today, we will have a safety education lesson."

Qin Yuan said with a serious expression.

Shen Yao rolled her eyes in a flirtatious manner.

This stinky younger brother is starting his long-winded lecture again.

He doesn't even find it boring.