The West Island Lord had spoken with Yun Huizhou in the room for a long time before coming to ask him for blood; Yun Huizhou likely knew exactly what his situation was.
Pulling his sleeve down to cover the wound, Lian Li climbed out of bed and approached the table.
Yun Huizhou had already served the rice. Lian Li only had to sit down, pick up his chopsticks, and begin eating.
Lian Li had things on his mind and did not take the initiative to speak. Yun Huizhou didn’t have much energy for conversation either. This meal was eaten in even greater silence than usual.
While they were clearing the dishes, the room door was pushed open. The two turned their heads to look and saw the East Island Matriarch walking in.
“Senior Aunt,” Yun Huizhou and Lian Li greeted in unison.
“You’re awake,” the East Island Matriarch said, glancing at the two of them. “Since you’re awake, rest well for two days, then return to Drunken Dream Island.”
The two nodded, offering no objections.
Originally, Lian Li had only reached a level where he could barely leave the island. The South Island Lord had not yet prepared to let him go out and roam the Jianghu.
The Master had originally intended for Yun Huizhou to go to the Su Family alone. He hadn’t expected Lian Li to follow along. However, he felt that the Su Family’s affairs weren’t particularly difficult or significant, so he hadn’t stopped Lian Li, thinking it wouldn’t matter if he went.
He never expected that a slight accident would occur with the Su Family’s business. Furthermore, after that accident was successfully resolved, his eldest disciple didn’t bring the younger disciple back, but instead continued to wander around outside.
In the end, they had even wandered all the way to the Southern Border.
Lian Li wasn’t aware, but Yun Huizhou knew that once they returned this time, the other three Island Lords—excluding the North Island Lord—would likely be watching him, forcing him to supervise Lian Li’s martial arts practice.
If he didn’t supervise him properly, then the three of them would take the field personally.
Thinking of the torture he had endured as a child, Yun Huizhou couldn’t help but shudder. It was better if he supervised Lian Li himself.
With this kid’s fragile little frame, he didn’t want them to accidentally play him to death.
“By the way, I plan to stay back for a while.” Seeing them nod, the East Island Matriarch pointed at Yun Huizhou. “You—once your injuries are a bit better, you will practice with me. If you can’t break through to the Super First-class rank before I leave next time, you’re dead meat.”
Yun Huizhou’s hand froze as he cleared the dishes. He could only reply with a forced smile, “Yes, Senior Aunt.”
Hearing this, Lian Li glanced at Yun Huizhou in surprise. In the past, he certainly would have covered his mouth and snickered, but now his first reaction was actually a sense of worry and heartache.
Damn it! I’m beyond saving! Pitying a man is the beginning of a downward spiral! I’m truly finished.
While he was still busy pitying Yun Huizhou and cursing his own lack of backbone, the East Island Matriarch had already set her sights on him.
“And you.” The East Island Matriarch pointed at Lian Li. “If you can’t reach the Second-class rank before I leave, both of you are dead meat.”
Fine, it was time to pity himself.
Lian Li didn’t understand why Yun Huizhou would be “dead meat” along with him if he failed to reach the goal, but given the current situation, he knew better than to talk back.
After all, they had only been fished back from the brink of death by the East Island Matriarch a few days ago because their martial prowess was insufficient.
The East Island Matriarch left immediately after speaking, without waiting for Lian Li’s answer.
To her, it didn’t matter whether Yun Huizhou and Lian Li answered or agreed. Since she had been forced to come and save them this time, these two boys had to be prepared to be disciplined.
As soon as the East Island Matriarch left, Lian Li looked at Yun Huizhou and asked softly, “Yun Huizhou, after we go back, is Senior Aunt going to teach us?”
Since he joined the sect, his martial arts had been taught by Yun Huizhou; the South Island Lord didn’t manage him much.
Now that the East Island Matriarch was back and taking charge of their training, Lian Li felt a bit of anticipation.
Yun Huizhou glanced at him, and seeing the expectation in his eyes, he said with profound earnestness, “Only if you’re really looking forward to it.”
“Why do you say that?” Lian Li sensed the hidden meaning in his words.
“Senior Aunt is very strict,” Yun Huizhou said. “It’s completely different from how I taught you before.”
Compared to the way his Senior Aunt, Master, and Junior Uncle had taught him, the way he taught Lian Li was like child’s play.
Hearing this, Lian Li also felt a bit of fear. Yun Huizhou had already been very strict when teaching him, catching him for sparring every day for half a day at a time. It was normal for Lian Li to be beaten until he ran for his life with his head in his hands.
Often, after the beatings during the day, he would have to huddle on Yun Huizhou’s bed at night while the elder applied medicine for his bruises and injuries to ensure he would be lively and kicking the next day.
Especially when they reached the later stages of Lightness Skill training, Yun Huizhou would often carry him into mid-air and then tell him he was letting go, forcing Lian Li to find his own way to land.
If he couldn’t figure out a way to land, he would fall straight into the lake.
Yun Huizhou patted Lian Li’s shoulder and continued, “Don’t worry. I was at roughly this same level when she left the island two years ago. Even though I’ve made progress over these two years, I haven’t reached the next tier yet. She will definitely keep her eyes on me first.”
“Use this time to work hard. As long as you reach the goal Senior Aunt set, she won’t come looking for you.”
Lian Li’s smile stiffened slightly. He remembered that when Yun Huizhou first performed a bone-reading on him to check his aptitude, he had said Lian Li’s talent was very average. Why were the requirements suddenly so high?
After watching the Martial Arts Assembly, his own requirement for himself was simply to reach a solid Second-class rank.
That level was basically enough to roam the Jianghu alone; as long as one didn’t go looking for trouble, one wouldn’t die.
Once he reached that level, he wouldn’t have to be Yun Huizhou’s “accessory” anymore.
In his plan, he should have reached that level within ten years.
He had researched this from various sources: for someone with average martial arts aptitude joining a proper major sect, going from no foundation to Second-class rank took about ten years at the fastest, and twenty to thirty years at the slowest.
And even then, whether one could reach the First-class rank afterward was uncertain.
He wasn’t naive enough to think the East Island Matriarch would stay on Drunken Dream Island for over ten years just to watch them practice.
It would be impressive if she stayed on the island for three years.
Reaching the Second-class rank within three years…
To be honest, Lian Li felt like he was being treated as someone with top-tier aptitude.
“Yun Huizhou…” Lian Li said weakly. “If… I’m just saying if, okay? If you reach Senior Aunt’s requirements but I don’t, and I end up making you ‘dead meat’ along with me, will you be angry?”
Yun Huizhou stacked the bowls together, then sat by the table in a contemplative pose.
Seeing him like this, Lian Li felt even more uneasy. Yun Huizhou was surely capable of meeting the requirements himself, but he would likely be dragged down by Lian Li—that was why he was acting this way.
Lian Li suddenly didn’t dare to speak. He lowered his head, picked up the dishes, and prepared to take them to the kitchen.
At that moment, Yun Huizhou finally spoke: “You have to believe in yourself. You can definitely do it.”
