Grandfather and Grandson, Father and Son

"Little Chen, what was that...?"

Chu Chen was silently weighing his options when Old Jack, who had no idea what Chu Chen had just done, spoke up.

The way he looked at Chu Chen was strange, as though he wanted to say something but could not find the words.

Clearly, Tang Hao's repeated bursts of killing intent today, combined with Chu Chen's inexplicable methods, had badly frightened the old man.

"Uh... Grandpa, don't worry. Let me make up—I mean, let me explain..."

Before Chu Chen could explain, Old Jack waved a hand.

"Forget it, Little Chen. You don't have to explain. I'm old, and I'm just a country man who hasn't seen much of the world. I probably wouldn't understand half of it even if you told me. Grandpa only wants to ask you one thing: is what you're trying to do dangerous for you?"

Old Jack's voice held a tangle of emotions, most of all worry. Chu Chen was stunned.

After that brief moment of surprise, he felt a rush of emotion.

The old man kept saying he had not seen much of the world, but at his age, there were things that experience alone could teach.

Old Jack surely did not understand what Chu Chen wanted to do, but he could certainly guess at some of the danger behind it!

He had also plainly realized that Chu Chen was hiding more than a few secrets.

After all, could a child he had raised with his own hands really hide his changes from those eyes, which had seen so much of life?

But the old man did not ask. He was not even particularly curious. All he cared about was whether Chu Chen might be in danger...

Warmth surged through Chu Chen's chest. Meeting Old Jack's serious gaze, he shook his head firmly.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll be fine!"

"That's good. That's good..."

Only then did Old Jack smile, though there was a bitter edge to it.

"Ah, Grandpa's old and no use anymore. It's bad enough that I can't help you. I'm just afraid I'll hold you ba—"

"Grandpa!"

Chu Chen hurriedly cut off his muttering and gripped the old man's withered hand.

"You've done more than enough. I was the one who held you back before. Now I'm growing up, and it's my turn to take care of you!"

"But you only just turned six..."

Old Jack sighed deeply and shook his head. Before Chu Chen could say anything else, he went on.

"All right. Old people do talk too much. Enough of that. You're hungry, aren't you? Grandpa will go make you something to eat!"

"And Chen'er, those... tricks of yours—try not to use them in front of outsiders. An innocent man can invite disaster just by carrying treasure!"

"No matter what, your safety comes first!"

With that, Old Jack waved a hand and headed for the kitchen.

Chu Chen stood where he was for a long time. Watching Old Jack's lonely figure retreat, he silently clenched his fists.

He knew the old man had truly been frightened.

Unlike Chu Chen, who had a grasp of Tang Hao's state of mind, Old Jack had undoubtedly felt the least secure during that confrontation.

Of the four people involved, Tang San drew his sense of security from his father, Tang Hao from his own formidable strength, and Chu Chen from the three Fire Thunder Seeds inside the Flame Ji Ring.

If it came to a fight, the worst outcome would be that they died together. Besides, Chu Chen had a massive wooden shield in his Storage Ring, built with all his effort from timber he had secretly cut on the mountain over the past few days. That raised his chances of survival considerably.

More importantly, Chu Chen knew Tang Hao probably would not attack.

Or at least, before Tang San grew up, Tang Hao would find it hard to make a desperate, all-or-nothing choice.

This sect lackey's greatest obsession was returning to the Clear Sky Sect in glory. Tang San was his hope of doing so, and that supposed hope was also the shackle binding Tang Hao!

As long as Tang San could grow up safely, this sect lackey would gladly give up plenty. To secure Tang San's return to the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao could sever two of his own limbs and sacrifice most of his cultivation. Naturally, he could also swallow his pride for a while to give Tang San time to grow!

Not that he had much pride to swallow. Otherwise, he would not be hiding in this impoverished backwater, drinking his days away.

But Chu Chen knew all that. Old Jack did not.

All Old Jack knew was that Tang Hao was no ordinary man. The aura he let slip now and then was not something an ordinary blacksmith would have. He was probably a Soul Master, perhaps even a powerful one!

And now that powerful Soul Master had become an enemy of their family, with his hostility aimed at the grandson Old Jack had raised himself...

How could Old Jack not be frightened?

As for the extraordinary abilities Chu Chen had displayed—transmitting his voice across a distance, extracting blood, storing objects in empty space—Old Jack did not understand them, but he did not dwell on them. He was even happy for Chu Chen.

His first thought was not curiosity or a desire to investigate. He was afraid that some villain might notice what was unusual about Chu Chen...

Grandpa, how much good did I do in my last life to have someone like you as family in this one?

Chu Chen sighed inwardly, a faint smile appearing on his face. Then he rolled up his sleeves and walked toward Old Jack.

"Grandpa, take a break. I can handle the cooking. Honestly, my porridge is better than yours!"

Old Jack promptly rolled his eyes.

"Funny, you never ate a bowl less because it tasted bad. You little brat, are you already calling this old man useless?"

"Heh, of course not. I just don't want you wearing yourself out..."

Grandfather and grandson laughed and bickered together. Over at Tang San's house, however, the atmosphere was nowhere near as warm.

Badly injured, Tang San lay on a wooden bed while Tang Hao pressed a palm to his chest and used Soul Power to examine his injuries.

"Four broken bones... slight internal bleeding... at least his heart wasn't damaged. That little bastard hid his strength well!"

Tang Hao cursed under his breath, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger, though deep down he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Whatever else had happened, Tang San was alive. As long as Tang Hao's hope of returning to the sect remained intact, he could accept it!

"Da... Dad..."

As Tang Hao tried to reassure himself, a weak murmur suddenly sounded.

He quickly looked down and saw Tang San slowly opening his eyes.

"Dad... I... I lost..."

"Winning or losing comes second. What matters is that you're alive!"

Tang Hao softened, a rare thing for him, and comforted Tang San in the gentlest voice he had ever used.

"Besides, you're my son—a genius destined to become strong. One defeat means nothing. Your opponent is just a fool with a bit of brute strength. Once you become a Soul Master, you'll beat him without breaking a sweat... You could even kill him with ease!"

"I have faith in you, and you should have faith in yourself. Otherwise, you don't deserve to be Tang Hao's son. Do you understand?"

"I... understand... Dad..."

Tang San gritted his teeth and forced out the words. Then his head lolled to one side, and he passed out again.

Even unconscious, he kept murmuring.

"Chu... Chu Chen... you... have already chosen the path to your death..."