“He, he was…”
Hu Zhou’s mother paused, then nodded, “He was your father.”
“For months, he accompanied me into the mountains to gather herbs, occasionally hunting a few pheasants for the house. I got so used to having him around.”
“After about three months, he suddenly said he had to leave and asked if I’d go with him.”
“I was willing, but my mother wasn’t, so…”
Hu Zhou frowned, “He just left?”
“No, he promised to come back for me. He said he had one matter to settle, and once it was done, he’d cut ties with Nanjiang and live with me.”
“I said I’d wait for him.”
“But a month after he left, I found out I was pregnant with you.”
“Unmarried and pregnant, I endured the village’s gossip and gave birth to you. A few years later, my mother fell ill from overwork and passed away.”
“I ignored their whispers, wanting only to raise you and wait for him. But the next year, a flood hit the village. I couldn’t survive there with you, so we left for the county.”
Liu Qingyan held Hu Zhou’s hand, tears falling.
Hu Zhou said gravely, “I remember when I was little, you often took me to a deserted village miles away, just to wait for my father?”
His mother nodded, “I didn’t know when he’d return, so every few months, I’d take you back to check. But I never saw him again.”
Hu Zhou fell silent, processing that his father was a tiger demon.
At this, his mother looked up, worried, at Lu Zheng, “Master Lu, you’re a lay practitioner of Baiyun Temple. Now that Zhou’er has awakened his demonic aura, will some expert come to slay him?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Lu Zheng reassured, “Unless Zhou uses his blade, the demonic aura won’t surface. Once he masters this power, he can control it and keep it hidden. Besides, Zhou isn’t a demon, nor has he committed any crimes, so he’s perfectly safe. Don’t worry.”
“Good… good…”
Though she nodded, Hu Zhou’s mother still looked anxious.
Having never known Hu Zhou could awaken demonic aura, and knowing little of the cultivation world, she felt her son was now different, like he carried a ticking bomb.
Liu Qingyan sat beside her, holding her hand, “Big Sister, don’t worry. Zhou is Lu Lang’s disciple, and Lu Lang is from Baiyun Temple. If anyone objects to Zhou, Lu Lang and Baiyun Temple will handle it.”
“Is… is that so?” Hu Zhou’s mother looked hopefully at Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng nodded, patting his chest, “Rest assured.”
Hu Zhou’s lips twitched, wanting to say he was already strong enough to protect himself, but he held back.
Lu Zheng said to Hu Zhou, “You have the blood of a tiger demon, which aligns with the essence of the ‘Tiger Roar Blade.’ When your blade practice reached a certain level, it triggered your bloodline’s demonic aura. Now, you need to learn to control this innate power, summoning it when you want and suppressing it when you don’t.”
Hu Zhou nodded firmly, “Yes, Master!”
A moment later, he scratched his head, “But when I practice now, it causes a big stir. If I go outside the city, I have to work at the hall every morning, and the city gates open too late…”
“Hmm,” Lu Zheng blinked, “To quickly master this demonic aura and adapt to its power, practicing alone will take too long. The fastest way is to spar with others.”
Hu Zhou’s eyes lit up, “Master, will you spar with me?”
Lu Zheng rolled his eyes and flicked his forehead, “Dream on. Your Master is busy every day.”
Hu Zhou, no weakling, winced from the flick, rubbing his forehead with teary eyes, looking aggrieved.
Seeing Lu Zheng treat Hu Zhou as usual, his mother relaxed.
“Hehe!” Liu Qingyan giggled, covering her mouth, then asked, “Lu Lang, are you sending Zhou to General Xin?”
Lu Zheng nodded, “Of course. Not necessarily to the underworld, but sparring with the city patrol envoys or lieutenants every evening will help him adapt faster than practicing alone.”
Hu Zhou blinked, “General Xin?”
His mother, quicker than him, was both shocked and delighted, “The City God of Tonglin County?”
Lu Zheng was surprised, “How did you know?”
She explained, “I once offered incense at the City God Temple and read the stele about General Xin Zhanting, so I guessed it when you mentioned General Xin.”
Lu Zheng nodded, “Yes, exactly.”
“But Zhou’er, he…”
“Don’t worry, the world isn’t as dangerous as you think,” Liu Qingyan reassured.
“Alright, no time to waste. I’ll take you to the City God Temple tonight to get acquainted. You can go there to practice your blade in the evenings without disturbing anyone.”
…
Amid Hu Zhou’s mother’s thanks and his eager gaze, Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan took him away.
Since they were imposing, Lu Zheng stopped home to grab two bottles of wine before heading to the City God Temple.
“Brother Xin around?”
“Master Lu!” Duan Zhong appeared, “It’s been a while!”
“I was in Yizhou Prefecture a few days ago and just got back,” Lu Zheng said, cupping his hands, “Is Brother Xin here?”
“General Xin’s training troops in the underworld, not at the temple,” Duan Zhong replied, “Want to meet him there, or should I summon him?”
“No big deal. If he’s free, I’ll go to him,” Lu Zheng said, “Can we enter the underworld anytime?”
“Of course,” Duan Zhong nodded, “Come in, I’ll open the gate.”
Lu Zheng, pulling Liu Qingyan, followed Hu Zhou into the City God Temple.
“Wow!!!”
Sure enough, the two novices gasped in awe.
Catching Lu Zheng’s teasing glance, Liu Qingyan stealthily pinched his side.
“Master Lu!”
“Master Lu!”
Lu Zheng often drank with Xin Zhanting and fought alongside them at Yelan Mountain, so he was familiar with the temple’s soldiers.
Though most troops were now stationed at Yelan Mountain, a lieutenant with two hundred yin soldiers guarded the temple.
“Master Lu, here to see General Xin?” Lieutenant Liu asked, seeing Lu Zheng with two others.
“I’d like General Xin to help my disciple get used to his inner power,” Lu Zheng said, gesturing to Hu Zhou.
Lieutenant Liu didn’t quite understand but didn’t need to. He had Duan Zhong activate the artifact, opening the yin-yang path to the underworld.
“Thanks!” Lu Zheng cupped his hands to Lieutenant Liu and Duan Zhong, then led the two onto the path.
