The courtyard was silent for a while, with the only sound of the wind rustling the leaves of the locust trees.
After a long time, Li Chengyue finally spoke slowly, with a hint of exhaustion in his voice. "Derong."
"The disciple is here."
"You still have to carry the Escort Agency's stall." Li Chengyue looked at him, "After today, Su Family Escort Agency's sign is temporarily saved. Zhao Family dare not take action blatantly in the short term, and other companies will also wait and see. This is an opportunity."
Su Derong nodded heavily. "Disciple understands."
Li Chengyue said slowly, "But the threat of Green Dragon Gang is still there, and the bandits outside the city and other envious forces in the city will not stop. If the escort agency wants to truly stand, it cannot rely on charity from others, nor can it rely on my remaining power. You have to rely on yourselves to improve your strength and start business."
Su Derong nodded heavily again. "Disciple understands."
"You know shit." Li Chengyue scolded directly, referring to the wound, and frowned again, "You bastard, you are smart, but you are too preoccupied and unwilling to work hard. From now on, don't drill on those hooks and tiles, and practice boxing more! You are not bad in talent. If you are willing to calm down, you may not be able to knock on the Huajin Pass!"
Su Derong knelt down heavily. "Disciple----remember Master's teachings!"
Li Chengyue waved his hand and signaled him to get up. "Jiang He is Dark Strength now and can help you. But he cannot stay in the escort agency permanently. His path is not here."
Su Derong looked at Chen Jianghe with complicated eyes, and finally nodded. "Disciple knows."
Li Chengyue turned to Chen Jianghe: "Jianghe."
"The disciple is here."
"Jiang He," Li Chengyue looked at Chen Jianghe with complicated eyes, "You have a stable temperament and can endure hardships. This is your strength. But sometimes - you are too stable. Stability is a good thing, but Martial Dao Cultivation is like sailing against the current. Sometimes it also requires a little bit of vigor and a little bit of fighting spirit. Today, your last kick to Chen Wanglong was on the arm, not the Dantian - why?"
Chen Jianghe was silent for a moment, and said calmly, "At that time, Zhao Mingyuan had the knife behind him, and used his strength to press forward. If he stepped on his Dantian, I would be unlucky. Stepping on his arm would not only destroy his temporary combat power, but also use his strength to dodge, giving him a chance to survive."
Li Chengyue stared at him for a long time and suddenly smiled.
There was some helplessness in this smile, but also some relief.
"The calculation is very clear." He said slowly, "If you keep the green hills, you won't have to worry about running out of firewood. This is true. But you have to remember that there are some things and grudges in the world. Once they are forged, you cannot avoid them by calculating clearly. Today you have left Chen Wanglong cultivation, and if he gets the chance and comes back in the future - will you regret what you did today?"
Chen Jianghe met the master's gaze and said in a calm voice, "Disciple, I have no regrets. If you die today, everything will be over. Only if you live, you will have a future. As for Chen Wanglong----if he comes again, he will be abolished again."
Li Chengyue was startled, and then he laughed, coughing as he laughed, "Okay! It's just a waste of time for a good one! Cough cough - it seems that I have worried about it for nothing! You have as much ruthlessness hidden underneath as anyone else!"
After laughing, he seemed a little weaker. He leaned against the stone table and closed his eyes for a long time.
When I opened my eyes again, there was only deep fatigue left in them.
"I'm tired." His voice was so low that it was almost inaudible, "Derong, go to my room. There is a black iron box under the bed. There are fine Golden Sore Medicine and Bone-Mending Paste in it. Jiang He, help me in."
Su Derong responded and quickly ran towards Li Chengyue's house.
Chen Jianghe carefully picked up Master.
Li Chengyue Almost all the weight of the person was on him, as light as a dead leaf.
The navy blue cloth coat was soaked with blood and sweat and clung to his skinny body.
The two of them moved into the house step by step.
When passing the "Hidden Dragon Spear" that fell to the ground, Li Chengyue paused.
He lowered his head and looked at the spear that had been with him for most of his life, drank countless blood, and today was even more powerful than the five great powers. He looked at it for a long time.
Then, he raised his head and looked at the gray sky outside the courtyard wall.
"Jiang He." Li Chengyue suddenly spoke again.
"The disciple is here."
"Hurry up." Li Chengyue's voice was very soft, but every word hit Chen Jianghe's heart, "I can't hold on for long. Before I can still scare people with my old bones - you have to become stronger as soon as possible. Strong enough to stand alone, strong enough - even if I am gone, I can still protect this martial arts gym, protect your mother, and protect the things you care about."
Chen Jianghe's heart tightened, and she held his hand slightly harder. "Master, you will definitely get better."
"Get better?" Li Chengyue twitched the corner of his mouth and said nothing.
But in those cloudy eyes, there was a very faint and clear twilight.
The three of them entered the house and closed the door.
"Let's all go." Li Chengyue waved his hand, "Let me be quiet for a while. You two, go ahead and do whatever you need to do."
After saying this, he closed his eyes and stopped talking.
Su Derong and Chen Jianghe looked at each other, bowed and left the room.
Chen Jianghe and Su Derong stood under the locust tree, looking at the closed door, thinking about the master's pale face and the blood-stained robe.
After a long time, Su Derong said in a low voice, "Jiang He. Thank you very much for today."
Chen Jianghe turned around and shook his head. "Senior brother, what you said is serious. This is how it should be between fellow sects."
"It should be like this?" Su Derong twitched the corner of his mouth, smiling a little bitterly, "But in this world, there are many things that should have happened but never happened."
He paused, looked at the fading sky, and lowered his voice. "If it weren't for you and Master today, the Su Family Escort Agency brand would probably have been taken off by now. I, Su Derong----, would probably have become the lost dog in Zhao Mingyuan's mouth."
Chen Jianghe was silent for a moment and said slowly, "Senior brother, I don't know how."
"Huh?" Su Derong raised his eyebrows.
"Even without me and Master," Chen Jianghe looked at him with calm eyes, "Senior brother will fight tooth and nail. You will lead Zhou Yong and Wang Gui in a fight to the death. Even if you can't beat them, you will bite off a piece of the Zhao Family's flesh. Su Family's bones are not that easy to chew."
Su Derong was startled for a moment, and then he laughed. He smiled, but the corners of his eyes felt a little astringent.
He raised his hand and rubbed his face vigorously to suppress the sudden sourness.
"You kid----" he shook his head, "You always talk like this--it goes straight to the heart."
Chen Jianghe did not answer the call.
It was quiet for a moment again.
Su Derong's voice was hoarse. "Master's injury----is more serious than what he said."
Chen Jianghe nodded slowly.
Su Derong clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
"It's all for us." He murmured, "Master could have ignored it - he can't go anywhere without a trace of strength? Why guard this broken martial arts hall, why fight Five Great Families for the sake of two incompetent apprentices -"
"Because he is the master." Chen Jianghe interrupted him with a low voice, "Just like you, senior brother, today you knew you were outmatched, but you did not abandon the escort and run away alone. Some things are not worth doing, but whether they should be done."
Su Derong turned his head and took a deep look at Chen Jianghe.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, the profile of this junior brother's face was still calm, but beneath that calmness, there was a rock-like determination.
He suddenly remembered the first time he saw Chen Jianghe in the backyard of the martial arts school.
At that time, this kid had just entered the martial arts gym. He was wearing a white washed coarse cloth and was as thin as a bamboo pole. He stood in a corner for two hours, and the ground was soaked with sweat.
At that time, he was waving his fan and joking. "Hey, the new junior brother? He's quite hardworking."
Chen Jianghe just raised his head, wiped his sweat, and said in a low voice, "Senior brother."
How long has it been?
Just over a year.
From the new martial arts disciple who was taciturn and only knew how to practice hard, to now Dark Strength, the suppression genius Chen Wanglong, a young master who does not change his composure in the face of the pressure of Huajin------
Su Derong suddenly felt that as a senior brother, he should be a little ashamed.
"Jiang He." He spoke again, with a much more solemn tone, "Master is right. I have been too distracted in the past few years. I always want to take shortcuts and rely on the Su Family brand - but no matter how bright the brand is, without the strength to support it, it is just a broken board."
Chen Jianghe nodded. "What do you want to do, senior brother?"
"The Escort Bureau needs to be reorganized." Su Derong's eyes gradually became sharper. "It's useless to just keep the name. You have to have real Escort Guard and strong force. Zhou Yong, Wang Gui, and Lao Zhao are loyal, but their cultivation is not enough. I have to find a way to recruit some good players, or - break through the energy as soon as possible myself."
He paused and looked at Chen Jianghe: "This time----I won't be lazy anymore."
Chen Jianghe A smile flashed in his eyes, "Senior brother, just figure it out."
Su Derong also smiled, and this time there was a bit more relief in the smile, "Yes, it should have been like this a long time ago. I always felt that with the support of the escort agency, the Su Family brand, and the master's backing--I can survive in my life. But now--"
He shook his head and said no more.
Some things don't need to be said clearly.
Troubled times are like furnaces, they are either refined into steel or turned into ashes.
Chen Jianghe nodded. "If you need anything, just ask."
Su Derong smiled, and this time the smile was much more real, "Don't worry, I won't be polite to you. But you----"
He paused and said seriously, "Zhao Family----and Chen Family, will not give up. Chen Wanglong was beaten like that by you, his cultivation is greatly damaged, and your grandfather may go crazy."
Chen Jianghe looked calmly. "I know."
"Any plans?"
"Practice martial arts." Chen Jianghe said concisely and concisely, "Break through the energy as soon as possible."
Su Derong was stunned for a moment, then laughed and patted Chen Jianghe on the shoulder, "Okay! You are ambitious!"
Chen Jianghe's heart moved slightly.
He looked at Su Derong. This senior brother's eyes were clear and firm, without the usual frivolity and laughter.
"Senior brother," he said slowly, "You have changed a lot."
Su Derong was stunned for a moment, then he laughed and looked at Master's house, "People always have to grow up. In the past, Master took care of everything and Su Family supported me. I always felt that when the sky fell, someone taller would hold it up. Now I understand that sometimes, the taller person will be tired and injured, and someone needs to carry it for him."