Night Talk at Sea God Pavilion

Three months later.

Yun Jingheng pushed open the door of the Sea God Pavilion.

Yun Ming, buried in a pile of files, hurriedly looked up and asked, "Jing Heng? What's wrong?"

Yun Jingheng took a deep breath, picked up the bowl, walked to his side, and slammed it down. "Mom wants you to eat quickly!"

Yun Ming's movements, buried in the pile of files, visibly paused for a moment.

He glanced at Yun Jingheng's expressionless face as he held the bowl, then at the steaming bowl of rice on the table. A layer of braised pork was placed on top of the white rice, the glistening sauce seeping into the grains. There were also two green vegetables and a fried egg on the side, the aroma wafting into his nose with the steam.

Yun Jingheng spoke as if reciting an imperial edict, "She said you didn't eat when you left this morning, and you didn't touch the lunch that was delivered to you at noon. If you don't eat tonight, then—"

"Just what?"

"I'll personally come to the Sea God Pavilion to feed you," Yun Jingheng relayed expressionlessly, but a slight smile was already forming at the corners of his mouth.

Yun Ming was silent for two seconds, then put the pen back on the pen holder and reached out to bring the bowl of rice to himself.

He looked down at the bowl of rice. The braised pork was made in the way that Yun Jingheng's mother was best at. The sugar was caramelized until it was translucent, and the fatty parts were stewed until they almost melted into the soup. The lean meat was in thin strands, trembling slightly when picked up.

He picked up a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and his expression relaxed a little.

"When did your mother do it?" Yun Ming asked.

"This afternoon, she said you've been spending all your time at the Sea God Pavilion lately. She cooked some food and had her disciple bring it over, but you wouldn't eat it, so she had me bring it over and watch you eat it all."

Yun Jingheng pulled up a chair opposite him and sat down, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "She said if you dare leave even a single grain of rice, she'll add thirty times the amount of chili to the braised pork tomorrow."

Yun Ming paused for a moment as he picked up some food, glanced down at the few glistening pieces of braised pork in his bowl, and silently sped up his rice eating.

Yun Jingheng leaned against the wall, watching his father eat, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.

Yun Ming sat in the Sea God Pavilion office, with a whole wall of bookshelves behind him. The files on the desk were stacked three or four times, each stack weighed down by a paperweight, and the edges were curled up from being turned over.

He was used to seeing his father instructing him in the training ground and chatting with Zhuo Shi over tea in the courtyard, but he rarely saw him buried in these documents.

His brows were slightly furrowed, there were fine lines at the corners of his eyes, a few white strands were mixed in with his black hair, and there was a little ink stain on his fingers when he picked up food.

"I'm done eating." Yun Ming put the empty bowl back on the tray, glanced up at him, and said, "Alright, go back and explain to your mother."

Yun Jingheng didn't move.

He sat in the chair, tilting his head to examine his father, making Yun Ming feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"... Is there anything else?"

"Dad," Yun Jingheng began, his tone more serious than before, "My mom asked me to ask you why you've been so much busier lately."

Yun Ming leaned back in his chair and gently rubbed his temples.

It was already dark outside the window, and the lights from the corridor of the Sea God Pavilion shone through the paper windows, casting a warm yellow glow on his profile.

He didn't answer immediately, and after a few moments of silence, he said, "There's been a bit of a problem with the leadership transition at the Soul Tool Institute, and the Tang Sect has also submitted several new proposals. Both sides are urging me on, and I'm just acting as a middleman, so naturally I'm quite busy with both."

"The Soul Guidance Department? Isn't that Aunt Cai's business? Go find her."

"She was busy teaching her students and asked me to help her."

"Then remember to eat breakfast tomorrow morning."

Yun Jingheng stood up, put the empty bowl back on the tray, and picked it up. "My mom said if you don't eat, she'll come herself. You decide what to do."

He took two steps toward the door carrying the tray, when Yun Ming's amused voice came from behind him. "When did you become your mother's mouthpiece?"

Yun Jingheng didn't even turn his head. "She said that from now on, the task of watching you eat will be assigned to me. If I complete it once, I can go play for an hour."

Yun Ming paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "... She's really good at calculating."

Yun Jingheng paused at the door and glanced at his father.

Moonlight filtered through the crack in the door, casting a thin, silvery line on the bluestone floor. It passed right through the corner of Yun Ming's desk, illuminating the title of the top page of the stack of files beside him.

"Dad," he called again.

"Um?"

"That packet of tea on the left side of the third shelf in your cabinet, I remember it's the one Grandpa Zhuo brought back from the south the year before last, right?"

Yun Jingheng said, "You've been drinking this for so many years and you still haven't finished?"

Yun Ming glanced at the cabinet following his words, then looked away and focused on his son's face. His eyes held a mixture of surprise and relief.

"... You even remember this?"

"Nonsense."

"I'll come soaking every day."

Yun Jingheng switched the tray to his other hand and said, "I know better than you how many years that packet of tea you've had. I'll bring you some fresh tea tomorrow; Teacher Wu brought it back from her trip back to Heaven Dou City last month. Try it."

Are you sure you're not after my tea?

Yun Jingheng raised an eyebrow and smiled, "So what? I've taken a liking to you, haven't I? Believe me or not, I'll dig out that jar of wine you've been hiding and give it to my mother."

Yun Ming's face darkened, and he almost dropped the pen he had just picked up. "... How long have you known about that pot of wine?"

"Not much," Yun Jingheng leaned against the doorframe, grinning to reveal a row of white teeth. "It's the Peach Blossom Brew I accidentally saw when you asked me to move some things last time. The jar was sealed with mud, and it smelled quite nice."

Yun Ming paused for a moment, put down his pen, and placed his hands on the table, crossed over each other.

"Jing Heng, that pot of wine was brewed when we adopted you. It's been sealed for fourteen years. Are you really willing to dig it up?"

"I dug it up, but I'm not going to drink it. I'll take it to Mom so she'll know you've been hiding this good stuff."

Yun Jingheng shrugged. "Guess what she'll do?"

Yun Ming opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He clearly Simulation the scene in his mind, then let out a long sigh and waved his hand, "Alright, alright, take the tea leaves, and pretend you didn't see the pot of wine."

"Deal." Yun Jingheng nodded decisively, smiling like a fox who had just stolen a chicken.

But he didn't leave. He leaned against the door frame, his gaze shifting from Yun Ming's face to the stack of files on the table, and then back again.

"... Is there anything else?" Yun Ming asked.

"You don't seem to care about my Third Trial?" Yun Jingheng said.

Yun Ming leaned back in his chair, resting his hands on the armrests, his gaze lingering on his son's face for a moment.

Three months ago, he noticed that Yun Jingheng's progress was far beyond his expectations. Wu Zhangkong and Zhuo Shi would report to him every few days, and Feng Wuyu would exclaim every time they met, "Your kid is almost a genius!"

His progress was terrifyingly rapid; in about three weeks he was able to dominate Wu Zhangkong, and in another two weeks, even Zhuo Shi, who used the Soul Power of Titled Douluo, would have a hard time getting the better of him.

He always felt that this kid was getting too cocky.

Now that his son had spoken up, he went along with it, asking, "How did the Third Trial go?"

Yun Jingheng put one hand in his pocket, tilted his head and thought for a moment, his tone as casual as if he were talking about what to have for dinner. "It should be in the next few days."

Yun Ming's brow twitched slightly. "... What did you say?"

"We can finish the Third Trial in just a few days."

"Okay, okay, just let me know if you need anything."