At night, Jun Mo Li came to little Jun Bai's room.
"Ah Bai?"
"Mm, Mo Li-ge, I'm awake."
This afternoon, Jun Mo Li had specifically told little Jun Bai not to fall asleep too early because he had something to discuss with him.
So the usually early-sleeping little Jun Bai was still awake now, yawning while waiting for Jun Mo Li.
"Such a good boy." Jun Mo Li smiled and patted little Jun Bai's head, then asked: "Ah Bai, if you teach big brother swordsmanship, big brother wants to trade something with you for it."
"No need, Mo Li-ge. You've always been very good to me, so I won't refuse your request."
"No one is kind to me for no reason, so whoever is kind to me, I have to be twice as kind to them."
Little Jun Bai smiled in a way that didn't resemble someone who had been attacked by god remnant at all; the words he spoke were touching.
Jun Mo Li smiled along, but the moment he remembered the god remnant inside little Jun Bai's body, an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
"Then it's not a trade—it's a gift big brother prepared for you. Does Ah Bai want it?" Jun Mo Li squatted down so his line of sight was level with little Jun Bai's.
"I want it." Little Jun Bai nodded.
"Here, remember to study it well." Jun Mo Li took out an ancient, yellowed book and handed it to little Jun Bai.
"Okay, thank you, Mo Li-ge." Little Jun Bai thanked him, then hugged the book Jun Mo Li had given him and fell soundly asleep.
"You absolutely have to study it well."
Jun Mo Li muttered to himself as he walked out of the room.
"If Grandpa finds out, you'll get scolded really badly." A teasing voice rang out.
Jun Mo Li's movements stiffened. He turned around to see his mother looking at him with a face full of amusement.
"The Jun family's sword-forging technique is passed down in a single line and must not be transmitted outside. Violators will be held accountable."
"Little Mo Li, are you saying you don't want to stay in the Jun family genealogy anymore?" Bai Zhirou smiled as she patted Jun Mo Li.
"Mom, please don't tell Grandpa about this." Jun Mo Li said embarrassedly.
"Don't worry, Mom agrees with you doing this. Even if your dad were still here, he would agree too." Bai Zhirou comforted him softly. "You haven't done anything wrong. You're just saving someone."
"You're teaching little Bai the sword-forging technique because of the god remnant in his body, right?"
The Jun family's sword-forging technique was both a forging art and a body-tempering art.
Legend had it that those who cultivated this method to the peak could not only forge swords capable of wounding gods, but could also maintain vigorous and undiminishing qi and blood forever, and even resist the erosion of defilement.
Whether the forged swords could actually wound gods was unclear, but the vigorous qi and blood that never declined and the resistance to defilement were real.
Even when Jun Xiao was terminally ill, his martial arts never regressed in the slightest. Despite being eroded by god remnant, he still fought against it for four years.
Jun Mo Li knew this, which was why he had secretly taken the sword-forging technique and given it to little Jun Bai.
Seeing his son nod, Bai Zhirou sighed: "Looks like we can't keep treating little Bai as a daughter anymore."
"Tomorrow before you go practice swordsmanship, go to the storage room and bring out the forging table your dad used when he was alive. Little Bai will need it for practice from now on—Mom will clean it up."
"When your grandfather comes back, remember to say it's for your own sword-forging."
"Mm." Jun Mo Li nodded. "Thank you, Mom."
"We're family—no need for thanks." Bai Zhirou waved her hand, then turned to head back to her room. "Keep the noise down tomorrow. Mom's going to sleep for her beauty rest."
Jun Mo Li watched his mother's departing figure, and a smile couldn't help but appear on his face.
...
Spring passed and autumn came; in the blink of an eye, another six years had gone by.
Qingce Village was located northeast of the Guili Assembly. When the Archon War began, it belonged to the territory of the god [Chi].
However, a hundred years ago, Rex Lapis led the adepti of Jueyun Karst to this place and fought a fierce battle against Chi.
After the great battle, Chi fell, and Qingce Village came under Rex Lapis's rule.
Protected by Rex Lapis and the Dust God, Qingce Village had enjoyed favorable weather and peaceful lives for a hundred years, with rarely any monster attacks.
Such peaceful days, however, were quietly shattered one day...
A figure dressed in crimson clothes darted through the forest and finally arrived beside a waterfall.
"Mo Li-ge, Tonghui-ge, pause for a moment!"
"Mom received news—there's a large number of monsters approaching Qingce Village!"
The two figures locked in combat abruptly stopped.
One put down his sword: "Really? Ah Bai."
The other withdrew his fists: "There's such a thing?"
The twelve-year-old-looking little Jun Bai nodded: "It's real. Mom is organizing everyone to evacuate to a safe place."
"So Mom sent you to tell us to evacuate?"
The sixteen-year-old Jun Mo Li skillfully flourished a sword flower before sheathing his sword.
Little Jun Bai nodded.
However, Li Tonghui was deep in thought.
"Aren't you leaving yet?"
The two turned to look at Li Tonghui.
"Mo Li, it seems like we've only ever sparred with each other, right?" Li Tonghui asked.
"Yeah. People our age don't want to fight us, and those older than us don't want us fighting, so we've only ever sparred with each other." Jun Mo Li replied.
"So..."
"So?"
Li Tonghui cracked his knuckles, a grin on his face, his tone brash: "How about we don't consider testing our skills on monsters?"
"This suggestion..."
Jun Mo Li drew his long sword, the corners of his mouth rising: "Just what I wanted!"
"Eh? You guys are planning to go fight the monsters directly?" Little Jun Bai asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah. If Ah Bai is scared, you can go evacuate first."
"I'm not scared at all."
Little Jun Bai wiped his small hand at his waist, and the crimson short sword appeared in his grasp: "I just wanted to say—count me in too!"
The three looked at each other and smiled, reaching an agreement.
Even newborn calves aren't afraid of tigers—how could three high-spirited youths fear monsters?
The three charged toward the monsters outside Qingce Village like fearless porcupines.
Qingce Village.
Bai Zhirou, having packed everything, was leading everyone out of Qingce Village to evacuate.
"Zhirou, where are your two little ones?"
Bai Jianshu asked as he followed behind Bai Zhirou.
"Mo Li is out practicing swordsmanship. I sent little Bai to call him." Bai Zhirou walked ahead without turning back.
"Then who are those three down there..."
Hearing Bai Jianshu's words, Bai Zhirou turned to look and nearly fainted on the spot.
At the foot of the mountain.
"Mo Li-ge, have you thought of how you're going to explain this to Mom? If she sees us, she won't let us off." Little Jun Bai asked while watching the approaching monsters.
"It's already too late to start thinking about that now. It's fine—when the time comes, I'll just push you out.
Mom might be willing to scold me, but she might not be willing to scold you~
"This isn't the time for chatting—the monsters are coming!" Li Tonghui shouted, forcing the two to focus on the enemies.
"Tonghui-ge, how about this time we decide the winner between you and Mo Li-ge based on the number of monsters defeated?"
"Couldn't ask for better!" ×2
—Note
This second phase is pure original content, so like the first phase, it will be written in more detail. At least ten chapters, capped at twenty.
(Twenty chapters is unlikely, but just a reminder.)
Readers who don't want to read the background completion can put the book on hold for a while. Anyway, there will be a massive update later after my exam, and both the background completion and the event can be finished.