Daily life of a teacher in the martial arts department

Ying Qin Guan felt somewhat weary. More than two years had passed, and he still hadn't truly moved on. All of that, all of it, still haunted him like a nightmare. He had never truly been free; for him, living was simply existing.

He often told himself that the past was irreversible, but it was too easy to talk about grand principles. With a few words, one could say anything. But could the principles of the world be explained with just a mouth?

“Sometimes I also reminisce about many things.” Feng Yunke’s eyes were deep as he lit a second cigarette. “What I could bear and what I couldn’t bear, all went with the wind, and I forgot everything in each rebirth.”

"Is this a forced escape?"

"Forget it."

"There's no other choice."

"Yes."

Feng Yunke didn't try to persuade Ying Qin Guan... he was also someone who couldn't let go. But all this reluctance could only be hidden beneath a calm and collected demeanor.

Because compared to Fengyunke and Ying Qinguan, this world needs the God of War and the nameless swordsman of Nanqin more.

Ying Qin Guan suddenly asked:

Do you think this kind of life will ever end?

"You might, but I definitely won't."

Ying Qin closed his eyes... Feng Yunke's future was even more hopeless than his own. Ying Qin felt he had little left to lose. As for Feng Yunke, he was constantly gaining and losing, loneliness forever chasing his shadow, dragging him into an abyss.

The memories of the God of War are glory, legacy, dreams, direction... and curse.

-

July 12th, morning.

Ying Qin Guan was still the last to wake up. He washed up briefly and went to the balcony to stretch. As soon as he got up, he noticed the strong festive atmosphere outside.

The streets were filled with various decorations, and the procession was a grand one. It was a group of shrine maidens dressed in white kimonos with red hakama. The leaders also wore flower hairpins and gold crowns. They marched through the streets, followed by a few priests who sang songs in ancient Manchu that Ying Qin Guan could not understand. Pedestrians on both sides of the street made way for them, their expressions solemn.

Ying Qin was curious.

"What are they doing..."

"They are worshipping the goddess." Shen Jiu had also appeared on the balcony at some point and said a sentence that seemed to read Ying Qin Guan's mind. She calmly looked into the distance, and Ying Qin Guan didn't know if she could actually see it. Her ability to see "the present" seemed to have a distance limit.

"Worship the goddess?" Ying Qin Guan was somewhat surprised. "Neither Qi Yao nor Nan Qin worships during this season... and they don't worship in this way either."

"The name of the goddess is widely known, but the goddesses of each region are different... Even with a unified written language and script, countless dialects will arise due to regional habits, pronunciation structures, and other reasons." Shen Jiu said in a gentle voice, "If this is the case even with a unified written language and script, then goddesses... There are as many goddesses in the hearts of ten thousand people, and the ways of worship in each country will also be different."

"Too.."

Ying Qin Guan nodded slightly, agreeing with Shenzhou-9's statement.

Shenzhou-9, however, was gazing intently at that team.

"In the past, there were also people who served as shrine maidens in Ouma."

"Ah...is that so?"

“Yes…” A smile inexplicably appeared on Shen Jiu’s face. “That predecessor recorded in her family letter with a very proud tone that she eloped with someone when she was a shrine maiden in Ouma.”

"Elopement...that takes a lot of courage."

"Yes, she wrote that at that time she was already an important figure in the Mizuki Shrine, but she eloped with someone. She was very nervous and scared, but more than that, she felt excited and had no regrets. She even recorded this incident to encourage us, her descendants, to pursue true love."

Ying Qin Guan suddenly became curious and asked, "Who did she elope with, and what happened to her afterwards?"

"What happened afterward is not recorded in the family letters, and it is not explicitly stated who the ancestors eloped with. However, based on the deductions of the ancestors, it should be..."

Shenzhou-9 slowly suppressed its smile, perhaps thinking of something heavy.

"Young Ye Jiaofang."

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Sudden Encounter!

Ye Jiaofang...

Upon hearing this person's name, Ying Qin Guan suddenly realized something.

The three martial arts masters who were enshrined as gods each had different states of being enshrined as gods.

The title of "God of War" and "God of Godhood" is a combination of merit and fame.

The deification of Qin Guan by Ying was purely a matter of merit.

Ye Jiao's deification was purely for fame.

Note that it's about 'achievements', not 'battle records'. If we're talking about battle records, only three martial artists have been deified in over four thousand years, and their achievements are beyond question. Again, the deification process is uncontroversial; if someone is controversial, they cannot be deified. If we must say who is controversial in the deification process, it's only the woman. Generally, magicians, martial artists, and alien races are considered to have been deified through martial prowess, but the woman's battle records are too few, making her the only one with a modicum of controversy. However, as the first and only alien ancestor to help humanity, her symbolic significance is immense. Generally, as long as martial prowess isn't discussed, there won't be much controversy.

We've digressed a bit; let's get back to the three of them.

The God of War's achievements and reputation are well-known; his reputation needs no explanation, everyone knows him, even three-year-olds in the remote villages of Southern Qin know him. As for his achievements, that goes without saying. If anyone wants to surpass the God of War in achievements, then, as Wang Qiushui thought, it would be impossible unless someone could completely exterminate the alien race.

Ying Qin's achievements were purely meritorious, because he had no reputation before, and only became famous throughout the world by defeating the Black Dragon Army in one battle. Even if people didn't know whether he was male or female, old or young.

The claim that Ye Jiaofang's reputation is purely based on his invincibility and crushing of all martial artists stems from the fact that he hasn't accomplished any significant feats. He hasn't achieved anything comparable to Ying Qin Pass or the God of War.

Ying Qin Guan had always thought that this statement was pretty much true... but after hearing Shen Jiu's words, he felt that it might not be so. A person's son has a destiny that he cannot let go of. Before Ye Jiao became famous, did he also accompany a person's son for a period of time?

"Speaking of which...it seems like both the God of War and Ye Jiaofang have children accompanying them, so why don't I?"

This feeling of being the only Dragon Slayer Mage who didn't have a cat made Ying Qin Guan fall into deep thought.

"Mr. Ying? What are you thinking about?"

Shenzhou-9 called out softly, interrupting Ying Qin Guan's thoughts. He gave a perfunctory reply and continued to look at the parade in the street.

"A ritual to worship a goddess..."

Nan Qin and Qi Yao also have similar activities, but their worship practices are quite different. In Nan Qin, people cook and burn incense at home and offer a prayer. In Qi Yao, it's less about worshipping the goddess and more about using the opportunity to socialize. All of Qi Yao's festivals have a strong social aspect, while the festival itself is less important. Ying Qin Guan doesn't quite understand Ying Man's situation and can't comment on it, but looking at the procession, she thought that if she were the goddess, she would probably be more receptive to this kind of thing.

It's worth noting that many people in the world still believe in the existence of goddesses. However, most of them consider themselves atheists because they categorize goddesses, and even mythical creatures like dragons, demons, and angels, as special or alien races.

Ying Qin Guan leaned against the balcony, looking down at the parade. It's worth mentioning that he even saw the Yorozuya duo on one side of the street... but they probably didn't see Ying Qin Guan.

Ying Qin Guan's gaze followed that direction into the distance, reaching the end of the street. Just as he was about to turn his gaze back, he suddenly saw a man at the corner.

The two were hundreds of meters apart, and normally neither could see the other. But Ying Qin Guan had terrifying eyesight; with the enhancement of his internal energy, he could even catch the flight path of a fly a hundred meters away.

The man stood at a distance, his face expressionless, watching the procession of shrine maidens. His appearance was above average, nothing particularly outstanding; if that were all, Ying Qin Guan wouldn't have paid him any attention. But these past few days, to prevent missing out on Himemura Tan's appearance as before, Ying Qin Guan had been constantly gathering his inner energy, sensing the auras of those around him… It was exhausting. He had suffered a minor setback the first time he met Himemura Tan's appearance, and Ying Qin Guan didn't want to repeat that mistake. After all, these were special times; it was a lesson learned.

Now, he feels it...

A sharp sword was drawn from its sheath, so sharp it seemed to pierce his pupils, as if it were about to be drawn at any moment and rip a hole in the heavens and earth. The gaze swept over him like a steel knife scraping through bone, the chill penetrating straight to his brain.

Given the opponent's skill level, even if Ying Qin Guan remained on high alert from a distance of several hundred meters, he wouldn't be able to detect him unless... the opponent was like Ying Qin Guan.

The moment Ying Qin Guan turned his gaze to him, he also turned his gaze to Ying Qin Guan.

How much information can a person glean from a single glance?

Many, many, sometimes a single glance is worth a thousand words.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air; neither had clearly anticipated this encounter, but one thing they likely shared...

Be ready to fight anytime, anywhere!

There was no time to say more. Shen Jiu was intelligent enough to understand him. Ying Qin Guan believed that even if he didn't say anything, she would understand his meaning. He released his inner energy and suddenly swept it into his arms, smashing through the railing and rushing towards the person like a meteor!

Ying Qin Guan didn't have time to say a word, because he felt that time was too tight. Back then, Ji Fenming was only a peerless master, and he had been seriously injured by him, yet he still almost failed to catch up. Let alone this person in his prime. Although he set off immediately, he still felt that the hope was slim. If the other party wanted to leave, he would have no chance to catch up.

—To reiterate, plains and cities are fundamentally different concepts for martial artists. On plains, even a top-tier Nephalem would be easily wiped out by a fully armed army if they couldn't close the distance. But in a city, with the same equipment, a Nephalem, while not necessarily capable of annihilating the entire army, would certainly be able to survive. Therefore, martial artists are only eliminated on the main battlefield, and generally speaking, this group of "martial artists" does not include unparalleled masters or god-like figures.

but..

Instead of running away, the other party took a step forward.

"Instead of running away, they're actually heading straight for my Ying Qin Pass..."

The distance of several hundred meters passed in the blink of an eye. At the end of the street, at the T-junction, Ying Qin Guan leaped down, his killing aura terrifying. With a single slash, he left behind a bloody afterimage.

"It's not the expected time... but it's alright, isn't it?"

The man with purplish-red pupils remained calm. He took out an ordinary black box from his pocket, pressed it slightly inside, and the box began to roll wildly, transforming into a jet-black Tang sword in the blink of an eye.

He remained expressionless and slashed with his sword!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Fierce Battle!

Zheng—

A piercing clang of metal rang out, the violent internal energy mixed with noise, turning into sound waves that scattered in all directions and shattered the glass of the surrounding shops.

"This guy..."

【"oh..?"

As the Killing Technique and the Ten Deadly Techniques clashed, the same thought arose in both their minds.

"What incredible strength!"

Aside from Kui, Ying Qin Guan had never encountered a creature with such terrifying power. While he was secretly shocked, he didn't expect that the man with the crimson-purple pupils shared the same thought. He had roamed the world for a thousand years and had never met anyone who could rival his strength. Moreover... he was vaguely aware that he might not be able to sustain this struggle!

The struggle between the two sides seemed to last a long time, but in reality it lasted less than 0.1 seconds. Ying Qin Guan raised his left hand and slashed at Tian Fang with his sword!

He had completely confirmed the other party's identity!

There are many negative effects to dual-wielding weapons, but the advantages are also obvious: while one hand is wrestling, the other hand can also launch an attack!

The man with the crimson pupils remained expressionless. Ying Qin Guan suddenly felt that the black Tang sword in the other's hand had lost all its power. Tian Fang and Sha Jue slashed at the same time. The sword slashed from the side to the waist, and the blade slashed from bottom to top, aiming for the head!

This was an exaggerated move, like giving up the fight and choosing death outright. But Ying Qin Guan knew that the person before him wouldn't choose that path; it was just a matter of what move he was about to make...

The next moment, a violent airflow swept out with unparalleled power. Even though Ying Qin Guan had amazing grip on the ground, he couldn't withstand the terrifying airflow that directly cut through the ground beneath his feet and blew him away.

A thousand paths can be discussed without a single leak!

Ying Qin Guan was blown away by the violent airflow, secretly shocked. He could certainly do that too, but it would consume a huge amount of internal energy... Yet his opponent clearly hadn't consumed that much internal energy, yet had accomplished it. There must be some unknown technique involved. But regardless, Ying Qin Guan had won this first move by a small margin. He hadn't expended much internal energy, while even if his opponent had some technique, the amount of internal energy consumed must have been considerable.

It's a long story, but all the fighting just now happened in a fraction of a second. Without catching his breath, Ying Qin Guan once again transformed into a streak of light and charged forward.

The man with crimson pupils remained expressionless as he slashed horizontally with his Tang sword, his violent inner energy gathering at the tip. With the man's swing, the blade unleashed an astonishingly long beam of light, bringing Ying Qin Guan into its attack range first.

Wan Dao Tan? Body Slashed!

The attack range was negligible; Darius could easily overpower it. However, Ying Qin Guan could easily block Darius's attacks with a simple use of his inner energy; they were completely ineffective. This particular strike, however, was terrifyingly powerful. Although Ying Qin Guan could withstand it with his inner energy, the cost was unacceptable to him. He immediately jumped back, escaping the attack's range.

—Soaring into the air might make it easier to deal with this strike, but although martial artists have some ability to cope with being airborne, it's best to avoid it.