A Condition Owed by Father

Di Tian left, leaving Yun Jingheng alone in the chaotic Soul Fighting Arena under the setting sun.

The words Di Tian said before leaving were still echoing in his mind.

"My Lord is going to reclaim the Golden Dragon King Bloodline. I will use the last condition your father owed me to trap you, so as not to put your father in a difficult position."

He was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses, as a warm current suddenly surged from his back, interrupting his thoughts.

A warm current surged into his back, spreading along his meridians to his limbs and bones. The hidden injuries in his meridians, which had been repeatedly torn and repaired while absorbing the primordial essence, were soothed inch by inch by this warmth.

Yun Jingheng turned his head away.

He saw Yun Ming first.

Yun Ming appeared less than three steps behind him at some point, wearing the formal attire of the Sea God Pavilion Master, the golden sea patterns embroidered on his clothes shimmering in the moonlight.

His expression was no different from usual: serious, composed, and unsmiling.

Yun Ming reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

The force with which that hand fell was very light, so light that it didn't seem like it belonged to a level 99 Limit Douluo.

The warmth emanating from his palm through the fabric was intense, carrying an emotion that had been suppressed for a long time and was only now daring to be released in small amounts.

He didn't speak.

Yun Jingheng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Then he saw Ya Li.

Ya Li stood half a step behind Yun Ming, her hands raised in front of her chest, palms facing each other, a soft emerald green light flowing between her palms.

That was her sixth Soul Skill, an extremely pure healing skill that could repair hidden injuries to meridians, bones, and internal organs, and even alleviate mental fatigue.

Emerald green light surged from her palm, transforming into two thin streams that Entanglement around Yun Jingheng's arms, one on the left and one on the right, before spreading along his meridians throughout his body.

Ya Li's steps were much faster than Yun Ming's.

She walked directly to Yun Jingheng's side, grabbed his right wrist, turned it over to look at his palm, then turned it over to look at the back of his hand; the lines had already disappeared beneath his skin.

He glanced at him again, his brows furrowing even more.

Emerald green light poured directly from her palm into Yun Jingheng's right arm, gently smoothing out the fine cracks in his meridians.

"Does it hurt?"

Yun Jingheng shook his head.

"To be honest."

"... a little."

Ya Li took a deep breath, raised her hand, and gently patted the back of his head.

The pressure was as light as patting a newborn kitten.

"How dare you be so bold."

Her tone was reproachful, but her voice trembled.

Yun Ming stood aside, watching the mother and son, without saying a word.

Ya Li's treatment lasted for about two minutes, during which a bright green light enveloped Yun Jingheng's entire body.

She controlled her Soul Power with extreme precision, using every bit of power where it was most needed for repair, without wasting a single ounce of it.

After the treatment was over, she didn't let go of his hand. Instead, she turned Yun Jingheng's right hand over, palm up, and stared at the spot on the back of his hand where the lines had disappeared for a long time.

Then she spoke, her voice now calm, but still carrying a lingering sense of fear.

Are you asking why there's no one on Sea God Island?

Yun Jingheng was taken aback.

He did have this question.

Apart from Di Tian, there wasn't a single superfluous person on the entire Sea God Island.

There were no teachers, no students staying at school, and even the guards who usually patrolled the island were nowhere to be seen.

"We emptied it."

Ya Li lowered his hand, looked up at him, and her eyes held a complex emotion that only a mother would have—a mixture of worry and pride.

"As you know, the sacrifice of Zi JI — the Hell Demon Dragon King— was a deal between your father Di Tian. Di Tian personally brought her to you, and we couldn't stop him."

"But whether or not you accept her power is a decision only you can make."

"We've discussed it. We won't stop them or try to persuade them. We'll evacuate everyone and leave the entire Sea God Island to you."

"That way, no matter what choice you make, no outsiders will be present."

"No one will see your hesitation, no one will see her compromise, and no one will point fingers at you afterward saying that you accepted the power of the Ferocious Beast."

"This is your own decision, only you know it, only we know it."

She paused for a moment.

"Di Tian still knows."

Yun Ming spoke up at this moment.

He only said one sentence.

You did a great job.

Yun Jingheng opened his mouth, but kept Di Tian's words to himself.

The fact that Di Tian dared to tell him this openly and honestly shows that he wasn't afraid of Yun Jingheng saying it; he was fearless and had nothing to fear.

I don't know why they are so fearless.

Yun Ming glanced at him.

That glance was very brief, so brief that it seemed like a casual, unintentional glance.

But Yun Jingheng knew what his father was looking at; he was looking at his expression, at the fleeting hesitation in his eyes.

Yun Ming didn't ask.

He turned around, removed his hand from Yun Jingheng's shoulder, and gently pushed him on the back.

"Let's go back to the Sea God Pavilion."

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about something completely ordinary.

Ya Li released Yun Jingheng's wrist, carefully examined his face, and nodded after confirming that all the hidden injuries had been cleaned up.

She reached out and straightened Yun Jingheng's collar, which had been somewhat disheveled by the energy impact.

The family of three walked out of the Soul Fighting Arena.

The ruins spread out silently behind them, the moonlight gilding the rubble and tiles with a cold white edge.

Sea God Island was so quiet it seemed unreal; even the sound of the waves crashing against the shore sounded like it was coming from a very, very far place.

Yun Jingheng walked between his parents.

Yun Ming was on his left, his pace neither hurried nor slow, each step steady.

Ya Li was to his right, glancing at him every now and then with a look that only a mother would have—a look that made her want to examine her son from head to toe.

No one spoke.

But the silence wasn't awkward.

It was a strange silence, as if all three people had something to say, yet each felt that some things didn't need to be said at this moment.

Yun Jingheng walked with his head down, his mind still replaying Di Tian's words.

"Our Lord is going to retrieve the Golden Dragon King Bloodline."

The Golden Dragon King Bloodline resides in Tang Wulin. Judging from the original plot of his previous life, removing it would be tantamount to taking his life.

"I will use the last thing your father owes me to trap you."

Trapped him... How to trap him? When to trap him? What method to use?

"Don't put your father in a difficult position."

That was the sentence that made him most uncomfortable.

When Di Tian said this, his tone was very calm, so calm that it was as if he were stating a fact that had already happened and could not be changed.

He was neither threatening nor warning.

He was simply telling Yun Jingheng one thing—your father has a condition he has to repay, and I will use it on you at some point.

Your father knows about this, and you know about it too, but no one can change that.

As Yun Jingheng thought of this, he paused, stepped on a pebble, and slipped half a step.

Yun Ming's hand reached out almost simultaneously and firmly supported his shoulder.

Watch your step.

Yun Jingheng responded and resumed his pace.

When Yun Ming let go of his hand, his gaze swept across his face.

It lingered for a second longer than the previous glance.

As a father, he could certainly see that his son was distracted.

Yun Jingheng doesn't usually walk like this.

His steps were always steady, and compared to his peers, he lacked some of the youthful exuberance and possessed a maturity beyond his years.

This was a habit he developed from a young age, and it also reflected his precocious nature, which set him apart from other children.

But now he walks with his head down, his pace sometimes fast and sometimes slow, and he almost tripped over the pebbles on the ground several times.

This is not caused by physical fatigue.

Ya Li's treatment had just cleaned up all the hidden injuries in his body, and the fatigue from absorbing Zi JI's essence had also subsided considerably under the self-circulation of his own Soul Power.

His health is better now than ever.

That leaves only one possibility.

What did Di Tian say to him before he left?

Yun Ming didn't ask.

He was somewhat familiar with the black dragon's style of doing things; Di Tian never left in silence, he always left something behind.

Sometimes it's a promise, sometimes a warning, and sometimes a riddle that you only realize its meaning much later.

This time, he left it to Yun Jingheng.

This in itself says a lot.

Yun Ming withdrew his gaze, making sure his son didn't realize he had been looking at him.

He quickened his pace, taking the lead and guiding the mother and son up the stone steps of Sea God Island.

The outline of the Sea God Pavilion gradually became clearer in front of us.

The Sea God Pavilion appears even quieter at night than during the day.

A few dim lights shone from the attic windows; the elders on duty were waiting for them to return.

The enormous ancient tree atop the Sea God Pavilion cast a huge shadow under the moonlight, enveloping the entire pavilion.

When Yun Ming reached the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion, he stopped.

He turned around, looked at Ya Li, and then at Yun Jingheng.

"Have a good rest."

His gaze lingered on Yun Jingheng's face for an extra second.

"Say what you have to say later."

Yun Jingheng raised his head and met his father's eyes.

There was no questioning or urging in those eyes, only a deep and steady patience that belonged to a father.