Childhood Engagement

The old general later came up with a compromise. Uncle Fu pointed to the secret manual, splitting it into two halves. He would keep the upper half, and his granddaughter would receive the lower half. An agreement was then made...

"What agreement?" Ye Yun suddenly had a bad feeling.

Uncle Fu's face showed a rare smile. "When you both come of age, if you both possess martial talent, you will marry and study the manual together. If one of you has no aptitude for the martial path, the engagement will be void."

"What?!" Ye Yun almost jumped out of his chair. "A child engagement? His voice suddenly rose. "How... how is this possible? What kind of family is the Lin family, and how could they..."

Uncle Fu waved his hand, signaling him to calm down. "The old general's granddaughter is born of a concubine. Her mother died early, and she was raised by Old Madam Lin, who dotes on her very much." The old man explained, "Moreover, that young girl has extremely high talent. She could already draw upon the world's vital energy at three years old and had already reached a martial rank at five."

Ye Yun's expression became even more colorful. Drawing upon vital energy at three? Reaching a rank at five? What kind of monstrous talent was this? Compared to him, who had only barely broken through with the help of the Vermilion Essence Fruit, he was simply not worth mentioning.

"Precisely because of this, the old general became even more cautious," Uncle Fu's voice lowered. "A talent that stands out from the rest will be destroyed by the wind. A concubine with outstanding talent might not be a blessing in a prominent family like the Lin family."

Ye Yun nodded thoughtfully. Although he hadn't personally experienced the internal struggles of powerful families, he had heard plenty about them.

"So the old general came up with this method," Uncle Fu pointed to the secret manual on the table. "We'll separate the manual, and a decision will be made when you both come of age."

Ye Yun's expression turned complex. He looked down at the half of the secret manual in his hand and suddenly understood his father's good intentions. Not returning for so many years wasn't just to protect him, but also to avoid implicating the Lin family.

"Then... how is the young lady from the Lin family now?" Ye Yun hesitated before asking.

Uncle Fu shook his head. "This old servant doesn't know. Since the Ye Family had an incident, we haven't contacted the Lin manor. The old man sighed. "But I heard that young girl's talent was astonishing. She should be... quite remarkable now."

Ye Yun gave a wry smile. More than remarkable. Having reached a rank at five, she's probably at least seventh rank or even sixth rank now? And he had only just broken through to the 8th Rank... the gap was too vast.

"Uncle Fu, this secret manual..." Ye Yun changed the subject, his finger lightly tapping the pages. "Why did it cause such a huge commotion?"

Uncle Fu's expression became extremely serious. "It is said that this True Martial Secret Manual contains the secrets to reaching the True Martial realm." The old man's voice was almost inaudible. "And the True Martial realm is a state beyond that of a Rank One martial artist..."

Ye Yun's heart skipped a beat. Beyond Rank One? What kind of concept was that? He looked down at the secret manual and suddenly noticed a detail. "Why are these characters a bit obscure? Wait, they don't seem that difficult to understand."

A hint of surprise flashed in Uncle Fu's eyes. "Really? When young master gave it to me back then, he said this manual was obscure and difficult to understand. If you couldn't comprehend it, it would be fine. Young master himself, despite his peerless talent, could only barely understand it and had difficulty cultivating it. It is said that only those fated with the manual can truly read its contents."

Ye Yun carefully examined the pages. The ancient characters in his eyes gradually became clearer. It wasn't about recognizing the shapes of the characters, but a deeper, almost intuitive understanding.

"It says here..." Ye Yun's finger stopped on a passage. "Circulate qi through the heavens, focus the mind on the Dantian, guide it with spirit, lead it with intent..." His voice grew lower, and the true qi within his body began to circulate according to the method described in the text.

Suddenly, the True Martial imprint on the secret manual emitted a faint red light. Ye Yun's true qi boiled, surging through his meridians. Faint golden patterns appeared on the surface of his skin, vanishing in an instant.

"Yun'er!" Uncle Fu exclaimed.

Ye Yun abruptly closed the secret manual, and the strange fluctuation immediately disappeared. He gasped for breath, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

"This... this is..." Ye Yun looked at his own palm in shock. In that brief moment, he clearly felt that his true qi had become much purer.

Uncle Fu's face turned extremely solemn. "Yun'er, this secret manual... seems to have recognized you as its master."

"Recognized me as master?" Ye Yun was stunned.

"Legend has it that true divine martial arts manuals possess sentience," Uncle Fu whispered. "They choose their own masters."

Ye Yun looked thoughtfully at the secret manual in his hand. No wonder his father only handed it to him after he broke through to become a martial artist. Someone without a martial foundation probably couldn't withstand the manual's power.

"Uncle Fu, you said the other half of the manual is with the young lady from the Lin family..." Ye Yun suddenly thought of a question. "Does that mean she can also..."

Uncle Fu shook his head. "This old servant doesn't know. However, it is said that each part has its own focus. The manual is vast. The upper half focuses on basic cultivation methods and some martial skills, while the lower half contains profound cultivation methods, and even sorcery. Only by combining them can one truly comprehend its mysteries."

Ye Yun nodded. This explained why he always felt some parts of this half of the manual were obscure, as if a crucial link was missing.

"Yun'er, what are your plans now?" Uncle Fu asked with concern.

Ye Yun's gaze became firm. "To become stronger," he replied concisely. "Only by becoming strong enough can I uncover the truth of what happened back then and seek justice for the Ye Family." And find Father... he added in his heart.

Uncle Fu nodded with satisfaction, then hesitated. "Then... what about the Lin family..."

Ye Yun's expression was slightly awkward. "That... we'll talk about it later." His mind was currently filled with cultivation and revenge, leaving him no energy to consider a child engagement. Moreover, the other party was such a heavenly prodigy, while he himself...

"It is said that the Lin family sent people to Chun'an County to investigate the massacre of the Ye Family back then. The court was shaken, and Old General Lin was too busy to handle it, so it was put aside. Later, they also came looking for you, Brother Ye. At that time, I didn't dare to trust anyone, so I didn't actively seek out the Lin family. It is said that last year, people from the Lin family came again, looking for Yun'er, and were heard to be looking for Yun'er to return to the Lin family to get married."

"There was such a thing?" Ye Yun asked doubtfully.

"It is said that someone went to the Lin family to propose marriage. Old General Lin, being upright and a man of his word, stated that the Lin family's young lady already had an engagement and thus refused the suitor. Afterward, several people impersonated Brother Ye and went to the Lin family, wanting to marry the young lady, but were seen through. The Lin family then came to Chun'an County again to look for you, Brother Yun," Uncle Fu explained.

Ye Yun understood, feeling a bit unsure how to handle this sudden child engagement.

Just then, the secret manual suddenly vibrated slightly, emitting an almost inaudible hum.

Ye Yun felt it and quickly wrapped the manual in cloth. The strange fluctuation immediately disappeared. But the moment he closed it, he clearly saw a golden light flash across the two characters on the cover, vanishing in an instant.