"Father," the Young Master looked at the man who was standing on the sidelines in shock.
Duncan looked at the man in trepidation. He didn't even realize that there was someone else apart from the guard and the servant present in the backyard. He was sure that the man hadn't been there when he came in.
That left only one possibility.
The man had arrived silently sometime after they had begun the sparring. Even so, his instincts that have been honed with hunts in the wild should have picked up his presence. However, the reality was entirely different.
The man had appeared silently. Duncan hadn't been able to even detect his presence. Furthermore, he had been watching them spar for a while now and Duncan had been none the wiser for it.
It brought a shiver down Duncan's spine.
For the first time in his life, Duncan realized how scary cultivators could be.
As he eyed the man, Duncan noted the similarity between the child and the man clearly. They had the same nose and eyebrows. Although the man looked middle-aged, Duncan felt as if he was even younger and healthier than him. The strange dissonance made him even warier.
"Yun-er, while you may be a genius when it comes to cultivating, you are indeed a novice when it comes to battle. You have not honed your battle instincts. In this turbulent world, cultivation alone is not enough. What truly matters is your battle strength," the man said in a doting voice towards the Young Master.
"When you asked for a mercenary to spar with, I was really delighted. But, I knew that no sane mercenary would take up the mission. So, when I learned from the guards that a mercenary has come to meet you, I first worried if it was a cultivator with evil intentions," this time the man's gaze bored into Duncan, causing Duncan to squirm.
"But, it looks like there is indeed such a stupid mercenary. Being a mortal and willing to go against a cultivator is sure commendable, but also a very foolish notion. If Yun-er had been a grown-up, he would have killed you with a simple punch."
"But, it is also good. I can see that your body is just shy of being as strong as a Level 1 Qi Gathering cultivator. It is indeed a miracle to find a mortal with such a strong body," the man eyed Duncan with a gleam of interest in his eyes.
The gaze made Duncan feel cold. He was sure at this moment that he should never reveal the existence of the Coiling Dragon Sutra as long as he was here. He knew that a poor man possessing a treasure was a crime. So, no matter what, the technique must not be revealed.
"I have been working in the mines since I was 9, my lord. I have always been stronger than other kids my age," Duncan replied with his practiced lie.
"Hmm, that makes sense. It is good that you are stronger than the average mortal. It will help Yun-er grow strong," the man said nodding before turning towards the Young Master.
"Yun-er, listen well. It is not that he is stronger than you. At most, he is only a little bit stronger than you. However, with your martial arts, you should be able to bridge that gap."
"But, you have never learned to channel your power properly. By sparring with him, you will not only hone your battle instincts, but you will also be able to learn to channel your power properly. Use this opportunity to your advantage and rise above yourself," the man said causing the Young Master to smile and nod.
"You," the man turned towards Duncan with a predatory smile on his face, "I want you to stop holding back and start attacking Yun-er. Garden flowers will never survive the wild. While Yun-er may suffer a bit, he will grow strong because of it. Do you understand?"
Duncan nodded hesitantly. It is one thing to block and evade, it is entirely another thing to attack the child in front of him. He didn't know if some accident might happen. That would be disastrous for him.
"Don't worry, Yun-er's body isn't that weak. He will be able to handle it. Unless he faces serious pressure he wouldn't be able to improve himself," the man said as if he knew what Duncan was thinking about. "Moreover, I will be here supervising the spar. With me present, nothing will happen to Yun-er."
Nothing will happen to the child, but what about me?
Duncan grumbled inwardly and prepared himself. As he looked at the child standing in front of him, he began to think about the previous spar. The child had good power, but his speed was really mediocre. He should be able to use that to his advantage.
Opposite him, the child also readied himself. Duncan could see that the child looked more serious than he initially behaved. It looked like having his old man motivated the child a lot.
Without further ado, the child once more approached him as he began using his martial art to land a hit on him. As usual, Duncan sidestepped the attack. However, this time he retaliated with a leg trip causing the child to fall hard.
Duncan didn't pursue the child. He merely backed off and waited.
"That is what you will get when you are eager to attack Yun-er. Don't underestimate him just because he is a mortal. He had fought with wild beasts in the wild. No one walks out of there without a bit of skill," the man advised from the side.
The child looked gloomy as he once more took up a stance.
This time, the child began to channel some martial art right from the get-go. Duncan could feel the atmosphere around the child change. He became even more guarded as he watched the child seriously.
"Mountain Shattering Fist!!!"
The child yelled in his cute voice before jumping up and trying to punch Duncan.
This time the child was faster than before, but he was still very slow compared to Duncan. Duncan hastily evaded and prepared to counterattack once more, however, the moment the child's fist landed, the ground below their feet cracked.
Duncan's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the carnage caused by the child. His steps were unsteady, but he recovered quickly and jumped back to assess the situation once more.
The child smiled at him triumphantly. Duncan couldn't help but gulp. He wasn't sure if he would be able to survive if that fist landed on him. At the least, he would end up with heavy bruising and internal bleeding if that hit landed on him.
Wincing at the image of him being smacked by that fist, Duncan decided to be more careful in the future. As he watched the child warily, Duncan wondered what a proper cultivator could unleash if this was caused by a mere child.
"Heh, are you scared now?" the Young Master sneered. "This time, I will beat you up black and blue."
The child howled and rushed at Duncan once more. Duncan was in no mood to get beaten up passively. The man had given Duncan permission to counterattack, so Duncan did the same.
As the child rushed once more, Duncan stood his ground and watched his movements. Just as he saw the child prepare to unleash the same martial arts move, Duncan charged in causing the child's eyes to go wide in panic.
Before the child could fully prepare for the move, Duncan closed in and delivered a kick to the child's midsection. Luckily, his sanity prevailed and he still held back his strength at the last moment.
While the man might be fine with Duncan landing a hit, Duncan wasn't sure how he will react if he really beat up the child. So, to be on the safe side, Duncan restrained his strength at the last moment.
Still, the strong momentum was enough to send the child back flying. The child landed a few yards behind and somersaulted a few times before coming to a stop.
A hush filled the backyard as Duncan looked at the man with trepidation. The man was stone-faced, however, the reactions on the servant and guard's faces were enough to let Duncan know that he might have messed up this time.
There was a mixture of shock and surprise on both their faces. He could feel the outrage pouring out of the servant's body from here. The guard's face was ugly and he stared fiercely at Duncan.
However, the man was looking at the downed child in an impassive manner. When the servant and guard looked at the man, they realized that the man didn't seem to be angry much.
Confused, they could only look on, digesting their anger.
The child took a few moments to get up. He was disshelved. His perfectly combed hair was in disarray. His clothes were messy and there was a pained grimace on his face. It was clear that he had not expected to be hit and had never experienced such pain.
The child looked as if he was going to cry. But, at the last moment, the child managed to calm down and looked at Duncan venomously. His anger was palpable at this moment.
Just as Duncan felt that the child was going to demand someone to beat him up, the man spoke from the side.
"Did you know that your opponent held back at the last moment? If he had not, you will be vomiting blood at this moment," the man stated in a hard tone causing the child to rear back as if he was stuck.
"Did you think you were performing a martial art? You were sparring. Do you think an opponent will give you time to prepare yourself? Did you think he will wait for you to attack him? If you have this kind of mentality, you will die in your first battle outside," the man said harshly causing the child to look down in shame.
"But father…"
"What do you want to say? That he shouldn't attack you when you prepare your martial arts. That he should simply stand there and let you attack. No one will do that. No one is fool enough to let you attack without attacking back," the man said in a critical tone causing the child to look down ashamed.
