Later, the Old General came up with a compromise. Uncle Fu pointed to the manual. He split it in two, keeping the upper half for you and giving the lower half to his granddaughter. Then he set an agreement...
What agreement? Ye Yun suddenly had a bad feeling.
A rare smile appeared on Uncle Fu's face. "When you're both grown, if you both have talent for martial arts, you'll marry and study the manual together. If either of you has no affinity for martial arts, the engagement will be called off."
What?! Ye Yun nearly jumped out of his chair. A childhood engagement? His voice rose sharply. "Th-this can't be! What sort of family is the Lin family? How could they..."
Uncle Fu waved a hand, signaling him to calm down. "The Old General's granddaughter is a concubine-born daughter. Her mother died young, and she was raised by Old Madam Lin, who dotes on her." The old man explained, "Besides, the little girl is exceptionally gifted. At three, she could draw Essence Qi from heaven and earth; at five, she had already entered the ranks of martial artists."
Ye Yun's expression grew even more colorful. Draw Essence Qi at three? Enter the ranks at five? What kind of monster was she? By comparison, he'd only managed to break through with the help of a Vermilion Essence Fruit. He was hardly worth mentioning.
"That's precisely why the Old General was even more cautious." Uncle Fu's voice lowered. "The tallest tree catches the wind. A concubine-born daughter with extraordinary talent might not be fortunate in a great clan like the Lin family."
Ye Yun nodded thoughtfully. He hadn't experienced the infighting within powerful families himself, but he'd heard plenty about it.
"That's why the Old General came up with this plan." Uncle Fu pointed to the manual on the table. "He split it in two, and decided to leave the matter until you were both grown."
Ye Yun's expression turned complicated. He lowered his eyes to the half of the manual in his hands and suddenly understood his father's painstaking intentions. His father hadn't returned all these years not only to protect him, but also to avoid implicating the Lin family.
"Then... what's become of the Lin family's young lady?" Ye Yun hesitated, but asked in the end.
Uncle Fu shook his head. "This old servant doesn't know either. Ever since the Ye Family fell, we haven't been in contact with Lin Manor." The old man sighed. "But I've heard the little girl is extraordinarily gifted. By now, she must be... quite something."
Ye Yun gave a bitter laugh. "Quite something is an understatement. If she entered the ranks at five, she must be at least 7th Rank, perhaps even 6th Rank by now. And I've only just broken through to 8th Rank... The gap is just too great."
"Uncle Fu, this manual..." Ye Yun changed the subject, lightly tapping the pages with his finger. "Why did it cause such a huge stir?"
Uncle Fu's expression grew utterly solemn. "They say the True Martial Secret Manual records the secrets of reaching the True Martial Realm." The old man's voice was nearly inaudible. "And the True Martial Realm is a state beyond that of 1st Rank martial artists..."
Ye Yun's heartbeat skipped. Beyond 1st Rank? What did that even mean? He lowered his eyes to the manual and suddenly noticed a detail: The writing was obscure in places, but—wait, it didn't seem all that difficult to understand.
A flash of surprise crossed Uncle Fu's eyes. "Really? When the young master gave it to me back then, he said the manual was obscure and difficult to understand. He said it was fine if you couldn't comprehend it. Even a genius like the young master could barely make sense of it, let alone cultivate it. They say only those with a bond to the manual can truly understand its contents."
Ye Yun studied the pages closely. The archaic writing seemed to grow clearer and clearer before his eyes. It wasn't that he was recognizing the characters; it was a deeper understanding, almost intuitive.
"This part says..." Ye Yun's finger stopped on a passage. "Guide the qi through the circuits of heaven, keep the mind in the dantian, draw it forth with the spirit, direct it with intention..." His voice grew softer and softer as the Essence Qi within him began to circulate of its own accord, following the words.
Suddenly, the True Martial seal on the manual glowed with a faint red light. The Essence Qi within Ye Yun surged, coursing endlessly through his meridians. Faint golden patterns appeared on the surface of his skin, then vanished in an instant.
"Brother Ye!" Uncle Fu cried out.
Ye Yun snapped the manual shut, and the strange fluctuation vanished at once. He gasped for breath, fine beads of sweat covering his forehead.
"Th-this is..." Ye Yun stared at his palm in shock. In that instant, he'd distinctly felt his Essence Qi grow far purer.
Uncle Fu's face grew exceptionally grave. "Brother Ye, this manual... it seems to have acknowledged you as its master."
Acknowledged me as its master? Ye Yun was stunned.
"Legend has it that true divine manuals possess a spirit," Uncle Fu said quietly. "They choose their own masters."
Ye Yun regarded the manual in his hands thoughtfully. No wonder his father had waited until he'd become a martial artist before giving it to him. Someone without a foundation in martial arts probably couldn't withstand the manual's power at all.
"Uncle Fu, you said the other half of the manual is with the Lin family's young lady..." Ye Yun suddenly thought of something. "Does that mean she can also..."
Uncle Fu shook his head. "This old servant doesn't know. But they say the two halves each have their own focus. The manual covers a great deal: the upper half focuses on foundational cultivation methods and some martial techniques, while the lower half contains profound cultivation methods, even spells. Only when the two halves are reunited can one truly grasp its mysteries."
Ye Yun nodded. That explained why parts of the half-manual always seemed obscure to him, as if some crucial piece were missing.
"Brother Ye, what do you plan to do now?" Uncle Fu asked with concern.
Ye Yun's gaze grew resolute. "Become stronger," he answered curtly. "Only by becoming strong enough can I uncover the truth of what happened back then and seek justice for the Ye Family. And find my father..." he added silently.
Uncle Fu nodded in satisfaction, then hesitated. "Then... what about the Lin family?"
Ye Yun looked a little awkward. "That... can wait." His mind was full of cultivation and revenge; he had no energy to think about a childhood engagement. Besides, the other party was such a heaven-blessed prodigy, while he...
"I heard people from Lin Manor came to Chun'an County and investigated the Ye Family massacre. The court was in turmoil at the time, and General Lin was too busy to pursue it, so the investigation was put aside. Later, they came looking for Brother Ye, too. Back then, I didn't dare trust anyone, so I never took the initiative to contact the Lin family. I heard people from Lin Manor came again last year, looking for you, Brother Ye. They said they wanted you to return to Lin Manor and marry."
"There was such a thing?" Ye Yun asked in puzzlement.
"I heard someone went to Lin Manor to ask for the young lady's hand. General Lin is an upright man who keeps his word. He said the Lin family's young lady was already betrothed, so he turned that person down. After that, several groups of people pretended to be you, Brother Ye, and went to Lin Manor hoping to marry the Lin family's young lady, but they were found out. Then Lin Manor came to Chun'an County again to look for you, Brother Ye," Uncle Fu explained.
Ye Yun understood. This unexpected childhood engagement left him at a loss.
Just then, the manual suddenly trembled faintly and let out a barely audible hum.
Ye Yun felt it and hurriedly wrapped the manual in cloth. The strange fluctuation vanished at once. But just as he closed it, he clearly saw the two characters on the cover flash with a glimmer of golden light before vanishing in an instant.
Before you continue