"Uncle York, what are you doing?" Sun Fei hurriedly reached out and lifted the tall, muscular man from the ground with a tremendous, invisible force. He then asked with a smile, "Uncle York, you know I am... um, how did you know?"
"Your Majesty, I..." The tall, burly man, his face full of shame, recounted what had happened afterward.
The elegantly dressed young man Kulun, who appeared amidst the wine, was one of the most notorious playboys and bullies in Hot Springs Pass. His background was extraordinary; his father, Ptolemy, was the commander of the Gale Legion, the garrison of Hot Springs Pass, and his brother, Diles, was the youngest centurion in the Gale Legion and the top young fighter in Hot Springs Pass. With these two extremely protective backers, Kulun was spoiled rotten. He had always acted arrogantly in Hot Springs Pass, committing murder, arson, and all sorts of evil deeds. Countless people had died at his hands, and no one in Hot Springs Pass dared to avoid such a demon king.
Today, amidst the drinking, everyone could see that this great demon had taken a liking to that Goddess -like, noble girl. Although they lamented that such a noble and gentle Goddess -like girl was about to fall into his clutches, no one dared to intervene due to Kulun's tyrannical power. Even York and Philip, the two mercenaries who had earned Angela's respect and toasts, trembled with gratitude at the time, but did not stay to help...
Afterwards, the two were filled with shame and unease. They left the tavern and walked for a while, but worried about the safety of Sun Fei and his companions, they couldn't help but secretly return to check on them. To their surprise, they received astonishing news from the tavern: the arrogant young master Kulun Heng had kicked a hornet's nest. He had been beaten half to death, and his two bodyguards, who had always acted as his henchmen and abused their power, had been driven into the tavern floor like radishes. It took them quite a while to dig out their bodies. And this incredibly hard 'iron plate' was none other than the handsome young man who had been sitting to the side, smiling and seemingly amiable. What surprised the two even more was that, according to the mercenaries in the tavern, this young man was none other than King of Chambord Alexander, whom York had previously praised so vividly for defeating the Sun Golden Knight, one of the ten Judgment Knight of the Imperial Knights' Hall.
Upon learning that Sun Fei and the other two were unharmed, York and Philip were relieved. Filled with shame and regret for missing out on the legendary master, the King of Chambord, they returned to the slums and, as usual, taught the children boxing and martial arts.
"Your Majesty, please forgive us, we..."
In the end, the tall, burly man York's face turned as red as a monkey's bottom, and he didn't know what to say. He felt that he hadn't said a word of help during the drinking session, and had turned away like a coward, which was a disgrace to the Glory of a warrior and a true mercenary.
"Hehe, Uncle York, don't blame yourself. I never meant to blame either of you in the first place..." Sun Fei helped Angela and Jima down from the magic carriage, turned around and smiled, "Because I knew all along that the reason you two left wasn't because you were afraid of death."
"Ah? Your Majesty, how... how did you know?" York was even more surprised, his eyes widening.
At this moment, the black boy Philip also led the group of children over. He still looked slightly shy, like a young girl, with an ashamed smile on his face. When he grinned, you could see his snow-white teeth. He stood quietly next to York. Although he didn't say anything, you could feel the apology he was carrying.
"Because I have eyes that can see through people's hearts..." Sun Fei made a small joke, and seeing the two gaping in disbelief, he smiled and explained, "From the first moment I saw you two, I knew that you were definitely not cowards. And before you left, although there was a hint of hesitation and struggle in your eyes, it was definitely not out of fear. And this young man..." At this point, Sun Fei turned his gaze to the dark-skinned boy and continued, "How could you be cowardly deserters, daring to come over and drink the glass of wine Angela offered you under those circumstances? Sometimes, choosing to leave takes more courage than staying. Besides, given the situation at the time, even if you had stayed, it wouldn't have mattered."
The tall, muscular man and the dark-skinned boy were so excited they almost cried.
Their greatest fear was being misunderstood by Sun Fei as cowardly and despicable. Unexpectedly, he had already seen through everything. Their guilt lessened somewhat, and they bowed repeatedly to Sun Fei and Angela, thanking them profusely. Mercenaries like them, living at the very bottom of society, lacking both martial arts skills and social standing, struggled to survive in this chaotic world. To receive the respect of Goddess -like woman like Angela was incredibly moving. If it weren't for their lingering attachments, they would have fought and died for Angela, even if it meant charging into the great demon Kulun. Their status might be lowly, but the blood in their veins still burned fiercely.
"Hehe, I was wondering what it was that you two couldn't let go of—your wife and daughter? Your parents? Or other relatives? Now I finally understand. What you're worried about is these children." Sun Fei looked at the group of slender children, dressed in thin clothes, who were shyly fluttering their crystal-clear eyes around the two of them as if they were surrounding their parents. He reached out and touched the head of a cute six-year-old girl with pigtails, and he already understood seven or eight parts of the story.
"Your Majesty, you are truly a miracle worker!" Tall and strong York gaped, completely stunned by Sun Fei. After a long pause, she slowly explained, "You're right. These little ones are all orphans without parents. They're only able to survive in this slum thanks to Philip and me. I can't imagine how these poor little ones would survive the coming harsh winter if something had happened to us and we hadn't made it back..."
Sun Fei parked the magic carriage next to the small open space, and then, flattered and overwhelmed, the two led him into the small open space enclosed by a wooden fence, where they found a place to sit down.
"Brother, brother, did Uncle York go out drinking again and owe you money for drinks? Please don't send bad guys to beat up Uncle York, okay? Tina doesn't want new clothes anymore, and Tina won't ask for cheese anymore. Let's give the money we save to Uncle York so he can pay back his drinking debt, okay? He can pay it back soon... Really, Tina isn't lying to you, please, big brother!" The little Loli, who had just been affectionately patted on the head by Sun Fei, timidly walked over and tugged at Sun Fei's sleeve, mustering her courage to speak.
"What adorable little ones..." Angela's maternal instincts kicked in, and she reached out to hug the little Loli. She then had Jima bring out fruit and snacks from the carriage and distributed them to the children, instantly filling the small clearing with joy.
"Uncle York sometimes gets a sore throat and can't resist going out for a drink. Several times he's run into debt, and the tavern owner has sent people to chase him down for the money..." The young black man, Philip, explained with a shy smile, "That's why little Tina thought Your Majesty was here to collect a debt."
York was utterly embarrassed by what he said.
"Hmm? Uncle York, you're injured? Not fully healed yet?" After chatting for a while, Sun Fei suddenly noticed that although York was incredibly strong, like a mountain, he seemed to have a hidden injury on his knee. As a mercenary who was constantly facing life and death, such an injury would make him unable to move and greatly reduce his strength, and could be fatal in a critical moment.
"Ah, yes, the story behind this injury is a long one..."
York saw that Sun Fei, the legendary expert who had defeated the Golden Knight, was very amiable and did not have the arrogance and disdain that typical imperial nobles showed towards the poor. He gradually relaxed and slowly explained in detail the origin of his left knee injury.
That's quite a interesting story.
A year ago, Old York was a hot-tempered and reckless wandering mercenary. He was definitely not a good person and was considered one of the local tyrants in the slums of Hot Springs Pass. However, he later offended someone he couldn't afford to offend and had his limbs broken and thrown into a garbage dump to fend for himself. Such things often happened in the dark slums of Hot Springs Pass, a place where even sunlight refused to shine. Unable to move his limbs and buried in the garbage, he was only saved when a group of children rummaging through the garbage for food and warm clothes found him alive and kindly fed and watered him, allowing him to survive. Old York would have died long ago.
During those days when he was unable to move, Old York experienced a range of emotions that most people might never go through in their lifetime, including despair, self-abandonment, decadence, reflection, awakening, and recovery. After this disaster, Old York unexpectedly turned over a new leaf. He simply settled down in the garbage dump with the little ones who had saved him. Relying on his One-Star Class martial arts skills, he seized a relatively clean clearing in the slums, fenced it off with a wooden fence, and registered himself as a mercenary. Although he could only take on cheap, arduous, and dangerous missions, he managed to protect the dozen or so orphans who were barely surviving in the slums. However, because his injury was not treated in time, he was left with sequelae after healing. His left kneecap was dislocated and could not be cured.
"Hehe, I do have a way to cure you, but it might be a bit painful," Sun Fei said with a smile.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Old York was overjoyed. "Pain is nothing! If I can cure this damned old ailment, I'll have a chance to advance my mercenary rank! Haha, I can take on some higher-level missions, earn more money, and then I can feed these guys whose appetites are getting bigger and bigger..."
"Okay, you're very good."
After Sun Fei finished speaking, he suddenly reached out and lightly tapped York's left knee with lightning speed. With a crack, York's kneecap shattered into small pieces. Before he could even cry out in pain, Sun Fei instantly switched to [ Paladin Mode ], and a beam of golden light was injected into the shattered part of the kneecap.
A tingling sensation came over him, and York felt as if the broken bones and muscles inside his body were constantly wriggling, rearranging and growing. The feeling was indescribable. After forty or fifty seconds, he was surprised to find that the pain had disappeared, and his left knee, which had been difficult to move since the injury, was now incredibly flexible, as if it had been reborn.
"This is absolutely amazing..." York and the black boy Philip both gaped in astonishment.
They had never seen such miraculous skill before, comparable to the healing arts of the high-ranking priests of the Holy Church. However, those priests who were even more arrogant than the nobles could not perform healing arts as easily as King of Chambord had just done. He truly was the legendary man who had defeated the Golden Knight.
"Uncle York, after listening to you talk so much, why didn't you mention Philip? Was he also one of the orphans in the slums?" His King finally turned the topic to the main point after speaking for so long.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Philip is also an orphan." The burly man York, beamed with surprise, stretching his left leg slightly as he watched the black boy fetch water from the hut. He answered respectfully and in detail, "However, he is not a native of Hot Springs Pass. No one knows when he appeared in the slums, nor where he came from. Generally, a kind and frail child like him, who doesn't know Dou Qi arts or qi cultivation, would find it difficult to survive here alone. But surprisingly, he has been alive and well all this time, and even has the energy to take care of these orphans. Before me, these little ones survived only because of Philip's care and protection... He is a strong and kind little fellow. I have never asked him about his past or origins. Oh, by the way, I only heard Philip mention that his full name is Philip Inzaghi."
" Philip Inzaghi... By the way, you just said he doesn't know martial arts?" Sun Fei asked, a little curious.
How could a child who knew nothing of martial arts possess that familiar, sinister aura? It was like a dagger stained with the blood of countless people, silently waiting in the void, ready to devour its prey at any moment. This aura was very familiar to Sun Fei, because in [ Assassin Mode ], he also exuded the same aura. In other words, Sun Fei believed that this handsome young man named Philip Inzaghi possessed the potential to become a top assassin. This was one of the reasons why Sun Fei was willing to spend so much time here. He didn't lack fierce warriors sweeping across the battlefield, but he lacked a top assassin who could stand behind the scenes and carry out missions in secret.
"Yes, Your Majesty, Philip does not know martial arts, but he possesses a very strange talent that allows him to escape even from a Six-Star Class expert..."
"A special talent?" Sun Fei glanced at him sideways.
York burly man, chuckled smugly, beckoning Inzaghi over from a distance. He whispered something in the boy's ear, and the dark-skinned youth hesitated, biting his lip. Finally, as if making a decision, he walked up to Sun Fei away, disappearing into the air like a transparent being. In the end, even Sun Fei couldn't help but marvel. York's earlier statement that Inzaghi could escape from Six-Star Class expert was indeed not an exaggeration, because with Sun Fei's current strength, he couldn't even sense a trace of his aura or presence.
Sun Fei refused to believe it and carefully sensed the surroundings again, but still found no clues.
Only then did he switch to [ Assassin Mode ]. A unique True Qi of an assassin silently rippled out like water waves. Through the returning ripples, he finally sensed the location of the black-clad boy, Inzaghi. In a flash, Inzaghi disappeared from the spot, as if he had merged into the air.
York, the burly man, gaped wide, his stubble stretching all the way to his ears.
"Haha, got you..." A loud laugh echoed through the air, and a transparent ripple flashed. Sun Fei, holding Inzaghi by the shoulder, reappeared where he had just disappeared. The black-haired girl was filled with shock; this was the first time she had been discovered while using her innate special ability.
Sun Fei left Inzaghi in place and laughed heartily. Then, as if showing off, he demonstrated several of the Assassin's skills, especially the amazing skills [ Tiger Strike ], [ Dragon Talon ], and [ Fists of Fire ]. The dark-skinned boy's eyes lit up. It was a subtle feeling, as if a voice in his heart was telling him: This is the martial art you should learn.
" Philip, I intend to take you as my disciple. Are you willing to become my disciple?" Sun Fei stopped and looked at the dark-skinned youth who had been almost completely seduced by him, and asked with a smile.
Inzaghi and York were both stunned, frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
Things I never dared to hope for or even imagine have actually happened.
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