Smack!
The little River Otter tossed out a pontoon bridge made of floating logs connected by ropes. It landed flush against the shore. When people stepped onto it, a little water squeezed out through the gaps. It was half wet and half dry, not enough to soak the soles of their shoes.
"All right, Father, Mother, this is far enough. Go back!"
The handrail ropes swayed.
It was the first time the youths had traveled far from home. Knowing they would be in an unfamiliar place, they could not help feeling nervous and homesick. Yet they did not want their peers to see them as children who could not leave their parents' side and look down on them for it. So they gritted their teeth, waved without looking back, and stepped onto the floating bridge toward the ship, putting on an impatient air of complete indifference.
Such "heartless" behavior drew endless plaintive complaints from the three mothers.
"This child..."
While the mothers complained, the fathers stepped forward to exchange pleasantries with Liang Qu, "belittling" their own sons to draw closer to him.
If Huaiyin Martial Academy had not been located within Pingyang Prefecture, their bratty sons might never have had the chance in their entire lives to form connections with grandmasters like Liang Qu and Yang Dongxiong.
The boys did not understand, but their fathers should.
"The hearts of parents everywhere are the same. Rest assured, everyone." Liang Qu chuckled and returned their greetings from the bow. "This trip is to receive rewards. I'll be going with my fellow disciples, and several of my Senior Brothers are instructors at the academy already. They know each other well, so they won't be neglected. We can even spare time to tutor them in their studies. We'll certainly keep a close watch on