I'm Your Dad, and You're Still Slashing at Me?

Long Xingyu remained remarkably calm, holding a Wooden Sword with an imposing presence. A faint white glow enveloped the Bamboo Sword.

With a faint smile on his lips, he watched Long Haoyu swing his heavy sword at him without taking it seriously.

He was just a little brat. There was no way he could pose any threat to him.

His sharp gaze tracked Long Haoyu's every move as Long Xingyu said calmly, "Little fellow, your attack is full of openings. You..."

Before Long Xingyu could finish, Long Haoyu, who had been bringing his heavy sword down in a powerful chop, suddenly swayed.

The next second, Long Haoyu appeared at Long Xingyu's side. The heavy sword that had been chopping down instead swept upward from below.

He had trained in the Shadow Space for so long, facing the most perfect version of himself, one with abundant combat experience.

Long Haoyu was not foolish enough to know that a heavy chop had huge openings and still show off in front of Long Xingyu.

Long Xingyu was startled. He immediately noticed Long Haoyu shifting to his side and hurriedly raised the Bamboo Sword to block.

Duang!

The heavy sword and Bamboo Sword collided with a sound like clashing metal.

The faint white light protected the Bamboo Sword, and the heavy sword did not truly strike Long Xingyu.

Naturally, Long Haoyu had not expected his current strength to injure a Divine Seal Knight like Long Xingyu.

His feet slid, carving a trail across the ground. He raised the heavy sword again and delivered a second slash.

This little fellow has such strong combat instinct?

After blocking Long Haoyu's first strike, Long Xingyu saw him immediately adjust and was utterly stunned.

From his perspective, he could tell that every one of Long Haoyu's attacks targeted the gaps in his current stance.

Such combat instinct, making rapid adjustments during a fight—he was a born Retribution Knight!

The Bamboo Sword continued to dance. Long Xingyu perfectly blocked every slash from Long Haoyu and said calmly, "Little fellow, the gap between our actual strength is far too great. It is time to stop."

The instant he finished speaking, the white light on Long Xingyu's Bamboo Sword flared. A gentle rebounding force pushed Long Haoyu back several steps.

Feeling the rebound in his wrist, Long Xingyu looked at the still-unyielding Long Haoyu, and a trace of approval flashed through his eyes.

"If he continues growing like this, he might really succeed!"

"That day should not be far off!"

Long Xingyu pondered silently, considering the decision buried deep in his mind.

"Haoyu, what are you doing?"

At this moment, Bai Yue, awakened by the loud noise, arrived with Long Haochen.

Bai Yue's gaze immediately focused entirely on Long Haoyu, and she hurried toward him in distress.

Long Haoyu explained, "This person was acting sneaky. I was slashing at him!"

Long Xingyu's mouth twitched violently. Hearing Long Haoyu call him sneaky, he had a bellyful of frustration with nowhere to vent it.

A dignified Divine Seal Knight had been branded as sneaky. If word got out, would he have any face left?

On Long Haochen's side, once he heard Long Xingyu's explanation clearly, he immediately overtook Bai Yue and rushed to Long Haoyu's side.

"Big Brother, I'll help you!"

Without a heavy sword like Long Haoyu's, Long Haochen merely drew his Wooden Sword, his eyes filled with determination.

The two brothers advanced and retreated together, joining forces to launch a second round of attacks against Long Xingyu.

Seeing this, Bai Yue could not spare another thought for what had happened a few days ago. She cried anxiously, "Haoyu, Haochen, he is your father! Don't attack!"

While fending them off, Long Xingyu complained, "Yue, why did you reveal my identity?"

Bai Yue said painfully, "If I did not, was I supposed to stand by and watch you father and sons harm one another?"

Father and sons harming one another?

Long Xingyu sighed bitterly in his heart. His fist clenched involuntarily, then loosened again. He did not continue arguing with Bai Yue over the matter.

Since Bai Yue had exposed his identity herself, he no longer bothered concealing it.

After blocking another wave of attacks, he stood straight and said in a low voice, "Little fellows, do you know who I am now?"

"I am your father. I was merely watching over you here. There is nothing sneaky about it!"

Long Haochen froze, and his movements slowed.

Having heard this news so abruptly, he looked at Long Xingyu in disbelief before turning to Bai Yue.

Long Haoyu, however, did not pause in the slightest. Downward slash, upward sweep, horizontal slash, straight thrust—a smooth series of small combos continued to rain down.

Long Xingyu had already intended to put away his Bamboo Sword, but seeing how fluid Long Haoyu's attacks were, he continued using it to block.

"Little fellow, I'm your dad, and you're still slashing at me?" Long Xingyu asked gloomily.

"My mother has suffered greatly these past years!" Long Haoyu gave a stiff reply.

Long Xingyu was left speechless. His Bamboo Sword hung motionless in the air, and he could no longer conceal the complicated look on his face.

Long Haoyu's heavy sword had also chopped down before Long Xingyu, but it stopped about a fist's distance from his face.

Venting was one thing. He could not bring himself to commit such an unfilial act.

"Are you really our father?" Long Haochen asked blankly, his expression stunned.

Long Xingyu pulled both Long Haoyu and Long Haochen into his embrace and sighed deeply. "I truly am your father. Something happened back then, and your mother and I became separated."

"Father knows that I have wronged the three of you all these years, but from now on, I will definitely make it up to you."

"Haoyu, Haochen, are you willing to forgive this irresponsible father?"

His voice was hoarse as Long Xingyu spoke with a sincere expression. Eight parts were true, two parts false, truth and lies intertwined.

Long Haochen was simple-hearted. His eyes immediately reddened. He deeply longed for a father's love, and from the love Bai Yue held for Long Xingyu in her eyes, he was certain that this man was his father.

"Dad!"

Long Haochen cried out through tears and buried his head fiercely in Long Xingyu's embrace.

Hearing himself called "Dad," Long Xingyu's body stiffened slightly.

Long Haoyu, who was likewise held in his arms, clearly felt it all.

Unlike Long Haochen, he did not cry. He merely rested quietly in Long Xingyu's embrace.

He was certain that Long Xingyu had not yet fully accepted either him or Long Haochen.

He was a very stubborn person. If others could not offer him sincerity, he could not offer them sincerity either.

Even though Long Xingyu was his biological father, he was still unwilling to acknowledge him.

Breaking free from Long Xingyu's embrace, Long Haoyu strapped the heavy sword back onto his back.

Seeing that his elder brother had not called him Dad, Long Haochen looked at Long Haoyu with reddened eyes.

Long Xingyu and Bai Yue also focused their gazes on Long Haoyu at that moment.

"Haoyu."

Bai Yue called to him affectionately.

The coldness on Long Haoyu's face faded as he looked gently at his mother. "Mom, I'm a little tired. I'm going back to rest first. I still have the Attendant Knight assessment tomorrow."

After saying that, Long Haoyu headed back toward the thatched hut without looking back.

Long Xingyu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Was this child really that full of personality?

Still, when he met Long Haochen's deeply puzzled gaze, wondering why his brother had not called him Dad, he spoke with full fatherly authority.

"Haochen, perhaps your brother has not yet recovered from the surprise."

"Let's go back and rest first! Everything will be fine tomorrow."

"Trust Dad!!"