Who taught him to practice swordsmanship like this?

Chapter 156 Dog Egg and Er Ya

Su Baichen led the braised meat and pancakes to his doorstep and knocked on the door.

A panicked sound came from inside.

Then it was the little boy who opened the door again.

The house is still the same house, and the furnishings are no different from when he lived there.

Su Baichen walked in, turned around and looked around, then said, "Thank you for inviting me to your home. Here, consider these gifts as my way of showing my hospitality."

He then placed the braised pork and pancakes on the table.

"Brother, this—how could I possibly accept this?"

Su Baichen said, "Guests should bring a gift when they visit for the first time; it's basic etiquette."

The little boy then agreed.

He turned around and saw his sister looking pale and sickly; his eyes welled up with tears, but he held them back.

"I'll prepare food for the guests right away."

He then took the braised pork and pancakes downstairs.

Actually, when we talk about preparation, it's just about dividing the braised pork into portions and arranging them on plates.

"Brother, there's really not much food in this house, so we can only offer you the things you gave us."

Su Baichen waved his hand and said, "Let that girl come and eat too."

The little boy quickly carried the little girl over and whispered, "Big brother, can Er Ya eat a piece of meat? She's never eaten meat before."

Su Baichen was stunned, but a scene suddenly flashed into his mind—

His mother humbly begged the neighbor next door for a small piece of meat.

"Second brother, can we have this piece of meat? Bai Chen has never eaten a piece of meat in his life—"

The hazy memories suddenly struck Su Baichen's soul, and at that moment, his spiritual sense suddenly realized the subtle connection between himself and the little boy.

No wonder he felt the boy looked familiar; his mother had the same expression when she gritted her teeth and persevered in raising him!

This sudden surge of emotion made him realize something.

He felt that people in this world were lucky because there was a next life after death, but he didn't know what form his loved ones would take in their next life.

"Big brother? If it doesn't work out—"

Su Baichen snapped out of his daze and said, "Of course, but we can't eat it right away."

"Have some pancakes to tide you over first. Do you have any rice at home?"

The little boy said in surprise, "There's also a little bit of brown rice."

Su Baichen shook his head: "Then go and fetch me some water."

As he spoke, he walked into the kitchen with practiced ease, then reached out and touched the area under the stove—even though there was no firewood, the stove spontaneously combusted!

The fire was just like any other stove fire. When the little boy came in with the bucket, he didn’t even notice that there was no firewood in the stove!

Su Baichen boiled some water, then tore the pancake apart and put it in the water, followed by some minced braised pork.

He still remembered the lesson from his Uncle Qingmozi; his stomach, accustomed to bland food, couldn't handle a large amount of meat all at once.

Soaking the oil in water to soften it, and then eating it with the soaked pancake, makes it easier for the stomach and intestines to digest.

This is essentially a bankrupt version of paomo (a type of flatbread soup), but it's the most suitable food Su Baichen can think of for the siblings right now.

"Eat."

He served a bowl to each of the brother and sister.

The little boy quickly asked, "Big brother, aren't you going to eat?"

Su Baichen said, "I am a cultivator, I don't need to eat."

The little boy's eyes lit up.

But now he was really hungry, so he swallowed hard and, encouraged by Su Baichen, finally started eating with his sister.

Su Baichen watched calmly, his gaze filled with gentleness.

After a moment, he asked, "What are your names?"

The little boy put down his bowl and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I—my name is Gouwa, and my sister's name is Erya—we don't have surnames."

Su Baichen immediately understood that the siblings' parents must have belonged to the lowest class of people.

He said, "Now that you're all in Sujia Village, you'll all be surnamed Su from now on. As for your given names, you can think about them carefully and choose one for yourselves."

The little boy immediately looked at Su Baichen hopefully and said, "Big brother, can you give us names?"

Su Baichen chuckled: "Don't rush, your name will follow you for life, so think about it carefully."

Before "Su Gouwa" could say anything more, he stood up and said, "Alright, I'm going back to the mountain to cultivate."

He got up, about to push the door open and leave.

Su Gouwa quickly called out to him, "Big Brother!"

Su Baichen had no intention of leaving at all. He turned around and looked at him with a smile, asking, "What's wrong?"

Su Gouwa hesitated for a moment. The people in this village were kind to the brother and sister, but how could that kind of aid possibly ensure that their two children could grow up healthily?

He had tried his best, but seeing his younger sister Er Ya so thin, his heart felt like it was being torn apart.

He said, "Brother, I can do chores for you, please take my siblings and me with you!"

On their first meeting, Su Baichen brought meat and pancakes for Gouwa and Erya, showing that he was the one who could protect his sister and help her grow up.

Su Baichen didn't try to manipulate things anymore, nor was there any need to.

He said, "Alright, I'll take you back to the mountain."

"Say goodbye to those you need to say goodbye to tomorrow. I'll come to the village entrance to pick you up early tomorrow morning."

After saying all this, he left again.

He returned to his mother's grave.

This night, he will spend his last night with his mother here.

Until midnight.

Su Yang's figure burst out from a dark shadow, carrying with it wisps of deathly aura.

Su Baichen looked over with a somewhat complicated expression.

There was curiosity and wonder in his eyes.

Curious, he really wanted to know what the underworld was like.

As for what's strange, it's that Su Yang walked around in such a dusty and weary manner that it would have been better if he had stayed where he was.

Seemingly seeing the hope in Su Baichen's eyes, Su Yang said solemnly, "It wasn't a wasted trip after all. I've roughly determined that after your mother's original destiny was taken away, she was born into a child in the capital who was supposed to die young."

"I will go to the capital of Liang Kingdom now to investigate further, and I will come back to you when I have news."

Before Su Baichen could say anything, he hurriedly left again.

Su Baichen watched his father disappear again, opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly laughed and shook his head.

He found this quite amusing; why did this seemingly immortal father in front of him have such a comical quality?

Wait till dawn.

Su Baichen arrived at the village entrance.

He saw that at the village entrance, not only the brother and sister were waiting, but also an acquaintance.

Su Baichen walked up leisurely, noticing the familiar man's wariness, and greeted him warmly, "Second Uncle, what brings you here?"

This man is the second uncle who sent Su Baichen to cultivate back then!

Second Uncle looked at Su Baichen in surprise, as the cause and effect slowly came together in his mind.

He suddenly chuckled and said, "Bai Chen, you're back, why didn't you come to see me?"

Although Su Baichen felt that "it's better to cherish the memory than to meet again," he still smiled and said, "Next time, definitely next time."

My second great-uncle asked expectantly, "Did you... succeed?"

Su Baichen nodded with a smile: "I would say I've achieved some success."

The second uncle looked relieved: "I knew it! The clan has been doing well all these years, it must be because someone is protecting us."

Then his expression changed, and he asked, "You know about the fifth son's daughter, right?"

Su Baichen was taken aback, then nodded and said softly, "Please help me keep this a secret from them, Second Uncle. Actually, it was me who did it."

""

The second uncle was shocked for a moment, then quickly asked, "What's wrong? Is there something amiss with the fifth son's daughter?"

Su Baichen said earnestly, "Yes, that child is also pitiful, his body was taken over by an evil spirit—Second Uncle, think carefully, doesn't that child usually do some things that are hard to understand?"

Upon hearing this, the second uncle broke out in a cold sweat. He said with lingering fear, "Now that you mention it, it's really true."

Su Baichen added, "It's best not to tell Fifth Uncle and the others about this, lest it upset them."

The second uncle asked, "Then...it can't be saved?"

Su Baichen sighed, "If she had just been possessed, that would be one thing. Even if I couldn't help it, I could ask my sect for help. But she was probably possessed by an evil spirit from birth. I can only remove the evil spirit to prevent other people in the village from being harmed."

Second Uncle nodded repeatedly, agreeing: "Yes, yes, we should make sure everyone is alright first."

"Bai Chen, Second Uncle really didn't expect it to be you who took Gouwa and Er Ya away—what, do they also have a destiny to become immortals?"

Upon hearing this, Su Baichen simply nodded and said no more.

The second uncle said a few more regretful words before reluctantly watching Su Baichen leave with the two children.

However, his expression quickly returned to one of smugness, because he felt that Su Baichen's current achievements were definitely due to his efforts. For him, sending Su Baichen into Changchun Palace was perhaps the proudest thing he had ever done.