In Battle Through the Heavens, lying down makes you stronger.

Chapter 33 Xiao Yan: My father told me since I was little...

The old doctor gazed at the clouds and birds in the sky with a sigh in his eyes.

He sighed softly, then turned to look at Xiao Yan and asked,

"Little Yanzi, do you know?"

"On this continent of Dou Qi, the strong are respected."

"But the process of becoming strong is filled with immense pain and hardship."

"This is not just physical, but also emotional."

Xiao Yan stood quietly behind Yao Lao, listening attentively.

The old doctor continued,

"Some people are willing to harm their closest relatives and friends in order to become stronger."

"Some people would even betray their parents, wives, and husbands for a martial arts manual or fighting technique."

"Although you and Xiao Ran sometimes get bullied by him when you're together."

Xiao Yan quickly interjected to correct him.

"Teacher, you're wrong!"

"Not occasionally, but frequently!"

Yao Lao rolled his eyes at Xiao Yan, clearly annoyed.

"What's the difference? You're both being bullied, so stop nitpicking!"

Xiao Yan shrank his neck and gave an awkward smile.

The old doctor then sighed and said,

Seeing the two of you reminds me of an old friend.

"Back then, our relationship was just as close as yours with Xiao Ran. We were truly loyal and devoted to each other."

Xiao Yan stared blankly at Yao Lao and asked,

"Did he betray his teacher?"

"Cough cough cough."

Yao Lao coughed violently, choked by Xiao Yan's words.

It took me a long time to recover.

"Bullshit! Stop talking nonsense! You'll know some things later."

Xiao Yan tilted his head in confusion.

"Oh, I understand, teacher."

The old doctor smiled and looked at Xiao Yan, saying,

"Weren't you just wondering why I let you accept that 500,000 gold coins, and why you felt something was off about him?"

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Xiao Yan asked, puzzled.

The old apothecary said irritably, "This 500,000 gold coins for Xiao Ranzi is for your father."

"Then why doesn't he just give it to my father?" Xiao Yan felt that talking to intelligent people was too taxing on his brain cells.

The old doctor sighed, "It's rare to find such filial piety in Xiao Ranzi, and such a sincere heart for your Xiao family!"

Xiao Yan leaned forward and asked, "Teacher, what do you mean?"

The old apothecary pointed to the purple-gold card in Xiao Yan's hand and said, "This money is for buying medicinal herbs for your father!"

"My father? Medicinal herbs?"

The old doctor nodded, then said seriously, "Your father is now at the level of a five-star Grand Dou Master."

"Without other opportunities, I would only reach the Great Dou Master Perfection Realm at most in this lifetime."

Then, the old doctor's gaze fell on the road leading down the mountain.

"But Xiao Ranzi is clearly not satisfied with this. He wants to use this money to have you buy medicinal herbs to refine some pills to enhance your father's strength."

Xiao Yan suddenly realized what was going on, clapped his hands, and looked at Yao Lao with delight.

"Teacher! I understand! Ran-ge wants you to help me refine pills to enhance my father's strength, right?"

Seeing Xiao Yan's ecstatic joy, Yao Lao smiled and nodded.

Then he scolded Xiao Yan, saying, "You're still your father's own son, so why doesn't anyone appreciate Xiao Ran's feelings for your father?"

Xiao Yan lowered his head awkwardly, his face flushed, unable to utter a single word.

Yes, although filial piety is the most important of all virtues, we should judge by the heart, not by the deeds. If we judge by deeds, there are no filial sons in poor families.

But the Xiao family was not from a poor family.

Moreover, since regaining his talent for cultivation, to be honest, he had never thought of sharing this good news with his father, who had always been worried about him.

Even after learning that his teacher's strength was unfathomable, he never considered asking his teacher to help his father improve his strength.

Most importantly, he had unexpectedly stumbled upon a bargain with a million gold coins in his pocket.

On the contrary, Ran Ge not only did not take the opportunity to extort interest from him, but also made him take out all his savings so that he could buy medicinal herbs to refine pills for his father to improve his strength.

How could Xiao Yan, the father's biological son, bear this?

Considering Xiao Ran's previous actions, Xiao Yan felt extremely ashamed.

Seeing Xiao Yan deeply mired in self-reproach, Yao Lao couldn't bear to scold him too harshly.

"Alright, just be more careful about this in the future!"

Xiao Yan nodded silently, then said with a slight sob in his voice,

"Teacher, I was born into the Xiao family of Wutan City. I am my father's son. My father told me this since I was a child."

"I should have been a true man, but I was too caught up in my own world. I was wrong!"

"It's good that you admit your mistakes and correct them!" The old doctor nodded with satisfaction.

Xiao Yan nodded emphatically, his gaze fixed intently on Yao Lao.

"Teacher! I've made up my mind!"

Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yan with satisfaction, and seeing his high spirits, he nodded in approval.

He truly deserves to be the disciple I have chosen; his character is indeed rare!

Xiao Yan spoke with righteous indignation and unwavering conviction,

"Teacher! I've decided that the 500,000 gold coins I need to buy medicine for my father will be a loan from Ran-ge! We'll accept his offer of 50% return and 20% return!"

With a thud, Yao Lao lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Having finally managed to stand up, and looking at Xiao Yan, who was filled with determination, she was momentarily at a loss for words.

After thinking for a long time, I finally came up with a topic to divert the kid's attention.

The old doctor looked at Xiao Yan with a slightly solemn expression and asked,

"Xiao Yanzi, didn't you think Xiao Ranzi was acting a little strange earlier?"

"Don't you even think about what might happen?"

"He was clearly in the Xiao family. As long as he cultivated properly—ah, pshaw, as long as he lay down—his strength would steadily increase."

Why did he suddenly leave the Xiao family?

"With him around, the Xiao family will remain standing in Wutan City for at least the next hundred years."

Don't you think he's a bit too hasty?

Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then slowly nodded.

"Teacher is absolutely right! Although Brother Ran is always lying down, he constantly urges me to cultivate diligently, and the same goes for the other members of the Xiao family. That's why the younger generation in the clan respects him so much!"

The old apothecary smiled slightly, nodded, and asked, "So, what do you think is the reason for this?"

Xiao Yan frowned and pondered for a long time, then looked innocently at Yao Lao and shook his head.

The old doctor wished he could slap this blockhead away.

However, upon realizing this, I quickly forced myself to suppress it and kept reminding myself of it.

This is my own apprentice! My personally taught disciple! I must restrain myself!

It took a while for him to calm down.

He began to patiently guide Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Yanzi, do you think that if someone encounters something they're not even sure about, they'll disclose certain things?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in horror.

"What? What did you say, teacher?"

"Is Ran-ge's life in danger on this trip?"

"Then could you stay by his side and save him?"

"Although he often tricks me, he truly considers me a brother, and he's only doing it for my own good!"

(End of this chapter)