Chapter 48: My Martial Skill Isn't Bad?

After the three had finished their meal, Niu Dingtian dared not linger any longer and set off at once.

They had originally planned to get a carriage to settle the senior sister, but realizing they had already wasted much time, they thought even at that speed they wouldn't need to rush, so they dropped the idea at once.

Passing through Hejian Prefecture and Zhending Prefecture, after two days of trekking the three finally arrived at the eastern foothills of Taihang Mountain.

Not being there, one cannot know the mountain's grandeur nor one's own insignificance.

"How's it, senior sister? Is this mountain still okay?"

Niu Dingtian, seeing the senior sister and his eldest nephew gazing up at the towering mountain with a clueless cuteness, couldn't help teasing them.

Bao Xiruo, after regaining her composure, lifted her neck, her beautiful eyes flashing with a hint of scorn.

Of course it was fine; she was born in Lin'an Prefecture, and as a child had only seen small hills, later drifting to Zhongdu, hardly ever leaving Wang Mansion, so she had never seen such majestic, awe‑inspiring mountains.

Looking around at the surrounding peaks, she exhaled the stale breath from her chest, and the mood she had suppressed for ten years felt much lighter. Is this what freedom feels like? Bao Xiruo thought.

Yang Kang, initially shocked and curious by the great mountain, after a while picked up a wooden stick by the trail and kept poking the ground as he walked; after less than three li he was too exhausted to continue poking.

"Mother, I'm tired! I can't go on!"

Seeing the two ahead stuck together, he felt as if he were about to lose his mother, and with a sullen face shouted at Bao Xiruo.

He then lowered his head and started kicking in place again, muttering inaudibly:

"Traitor, traitor, break the place, break the place, traitor."

"Good nephew, what are you saying?"

Niu Dingtian suddenly flashed to his side, bent down, leaned his head close to Yang Kang's face, and asked with a smiling tone.

Yang Kang startled, and upon hearing the address his hair bristled; he jumped aside, grabbed the stick, pointed at Niu Dingtian and shouted:

"You Niu! I'm not your good nephew! Don't even think of snatching my mother!"

After shouting, perhaps recalling his grievance, tears began to well up in his eyes, about to spill.

Niu Dingtian stared blankly, feeling a sudden stir in his heart.

In this world there are no born good or bad people; everyone has moments of innocent naivety, and regardless of whether they end up good or bad, they each have someone they care about.

"Do you like martial arts?"

Perhaps recalling something, Niu Dingtian folded away his smile, stared into Yang Kang's eyes and asked softly.

Yang Kang, of course he liked martial arts; since childhood his dream had been to become a top martial artist, and his happiest moments each day were when he apprenticed under a few formidable masters, learned a few powerful techniques, and often boasted about them before his father the king and his mother the queen.

Although Niu Dingtian's question struck a chord, he stubbornly remained silent, for he now regarded the guy opposite him as his enemy, someone who would snatch away what he cherished most.

Niu Dingtian, unfazed, slowly rose to his feet, focused his mind toward the mountain slope, silently cultivated Yin‑Yang internal force within, and at the moment Yin and Yang converged, he lifted his foot and struck the ground hard, causing a massive stone beside him to rise into the air.

The stone hovered before his chest without falling; then Niu Dingtian gathered his palms, fully channeling Arhat Subduing Demon Skill, and the stone, driven by his power, spun with a fierce momentum so fast that its shape became barely visible to the naked eye.

When his stored energy reached its peak, Niu Dingtian thrust the stone toward the mountain slope; the stone shot out from his palms, rushing forward with a booming thrust toward that section of the slope.

"Boom~"

At the moment it struck the mountain, a region of the slope exploded with a roar, sending shards of rock cascading down, giving a sense of earth shaking and resembling the ancient feat of cleaving a mountain to extract stone.

The Arhat Subduing Demon Skill's current ultimate strike—terrifying indeed!

Yang Kang, watching this shocking scene, was left wide‑eyed and dumbfounded, his gaze fixed on the movement on the slope, standing there motionless; even Bao Xiruo, far away, was left open‑mouthed, her face a picture of stunned cuteness.

"Is my martial skill not pretty good?"

Hearing Niu Dingtian's words, Yang Kang snapped back, turned his head and stared intently, his little mouth still unmoving.

Did he do that?

Not bad?

The little brain was still dazed.

"Do you want to learn?"

Niu Dingtian crouched again, gazing at the other's youthful face and asked softly.

"I want to learn! I want to learn!"

"Kang‑er wants to learn!"

Once Yang Kang recovered, his face lit with ecstatic joy, his mind buzzing nonstop, with no trace of the earlier resentment over snatching affection.

Niu Dingtian, seeing this, slowly turned his head, gazed faintly at the cloud‑capped peaks, and after a moment spoke softly:

"I can teach you martial arts; whatever you can learn I will teach, I don't care whether you later become a reputable sect or a demonic path; I only ask that you never do anything that would sadden your mother."

Speaking that, his tone paused, then his voice turned hushed as he continued:

"If that day ever comes, you'd better remember: I will personally strip you of your martial skill!"

Behind them, Bao Xiruo, after regaining her senses from the earlier commotion, had been silently watching; at first she felt happy for her Kang‑er, a child without a father finally having someone to care for and love.

But upon hearing the latter words, she didn't know why, and began to sob uncontrollably.

Yang Kang, after hearing Niu Dingtian's words, thought for a moment, then with a determined gaze nodded and replied crisply:

"Uncle! I remember!"

Niu Dingtian stared at Yang Kang for a few breaths, then rose and gestured:

"Alright, let's go; your mother is waiting anxiously."

"Mm!"

As the adult and child turned and walked over, Bao Xiruo quickly wiped her tears, and once the two approached, her pretty face turned serious as she warned Yang Kang:

"Kang‑er, you must never again disrespect your uncle! Otherwise your mother won't forgive you! Got it?"

"Mother, I remember! Hehe." After saying that, he happily grabbed his mother's hand.

"Senior sister, let's go."

Niu Dingtian saw the mist at the senior sister's eye corner, said nothing, and simply stepped close and called gently.

He couldn't explain why he decided to teach Yang Kang today; since the decision was made, it wouldn't be a teaching like Niu Ben or Niu Qing's.

He also didn't know whether this was right or wrong, he only hoped that in the future Yang Kang wouldn't make senior sister sad, nor would he have to take harsh action against himself.

The remaining distance was not far; the three of them walked and stopped intermittently, and after half an hour they reached the entrance of the valley.

The sky was already nearing dusk, but in the valley's wasteland a scattered group of one or two hundred people were still continuing to clear the fields.

When they saw from afar that Niu Dingtian had returned with a delicate beautiful lady, each of them was so startled that their eyes widened.

Just a few days earlier they had ordered the raids to stop, and now they had snatched back a village matriarch?

That child will be our junior chief later?

Everyone started to fill in the blanks in their heads.

"Chief, hello!"

"Chief, hello!"

"Madam, hello!"

"Junior chief, hello!"

Although they were puzzled inside, not a single one dared to show it.

When Niu Dingtian and the three walked past, everyone greeted them respectfully, and none of the three dared to be lax.

Chief Niu Wei will not tolerate any violation!

The three reached the village gate, and when Bao Xiruo saw the three big characters "Woniu Zhai" on the signboard above the door, recalling the greetings just now, perhaps she thought of something, and couldn't help but stare at Niu Dingtian beside her with a strange expression.

Please point out any typos or messed‑up sentences, thank you.

Dear readers, if you have free votes, go ahead and cast one!

(End of chapter)