MARTIAL ADVERSITY, VOLUME 3 - SEASON 3 EPISODE 6

The surname Yang was very common, from royalty and nobility, to martial arts families, right down to the civilian population and beggar children in the streets, there were countless people surnamed Yang.

However, in this vast world there was only one group of people surnamed Yang that Dong Qing Han would deliberately bring up.

That was because amongst the Eight Great Families there was one surnamed Yang! This mysterious and often reclusive Yang Family also happened to be the strongest of the Eight Great Families!

In this world, the Dong Family was considered a first-class force, but there was still a wide gap between them and the Eight Great Families, not to mention the most powerful one.

If they had been told that a young lord from one of the other great families was staying in this remote place where birds don’t shit and the chickens don’t lay eggs as some common disciple, they would never have believed it. Those young masters were all treated like pampered heavenly sons, enjoying glory and wealth, never encountering any difficulties from the moment they were born, clear paths to success laid out carefully before them.

But for the youths of the Yang Family, the situation was the opposite.

This was because the Yang Family had an unorthodox method of training, and every generation of direct descendant disciples would experience this while growing up. At some appropriate time, all these direct descendants would be dismissed, each sent out of the family to seek their own cultivation opportunities, until a certain time when they would be recalled.

This way of training was very dangerous, because these direct descendants were forced outside to practice, and thus, they could not use their family’s power and resources. Once they encountered a conflict with someone, they may be beheaded, in fact, this kind of thing had occurred many times, leading to these Yang Family disciples to suffer a premature death.

But while there were disadvantages, there were also benefits.

This unique way of training ensured that every Yang Family direct descendant would become strong, purging their dependence on their family and forcing them to endure years of hard work, they would come to know that in this world, your life and your glory depended on only one person, yourself!

So among the Yang Family’s disciples, there were very few who would engage in useless dandyism, they were all cold and sharp like blades, each possessing tyrannical means.

Moreover, through this method of training, the Yang Family had also wantonly collected numerous secret arts and martial skills. Constantly adding to their family’s heritage, allowing their library to become the greatest collection of rare and powerful cultivation techniques and martial arts in the world.

In this world there was a bird called the cuckoo.

Cuckoo birds would lay their own eggs in other birds’ nests, allowing them to hatch in these foreign birds homes, forcing them to raise them. These hatchlings were brutal, not only monopolizing other’s resources, but also pushing the native bird’s offspring out of their own nests, causing them to fall to their deaths, making them the only children who survived.

Among birds, the reputation of the cuckoo was not good, and it was also so for the Yang Family among the cultivator’s world, because their practices were essentially the same.

Every time the Yang Family was about to send out its disciples, the various Sects around the world would go into high alert, all of them trying to avoid sheltering one of the Yang descendants. Naturally they all feared accidentally receiving such a disciple, nurturing them, and then watching them fly away.

This practice of the Yang Family had of course lead to a lot of dissatisfaction, but because of their unrivaled strength, being the first amongst the Eight Great Families, having both vast power and influence, even if those forces wanted to complain, they still did not dare to find trouble with the Yang Family.

It was said that a hundred years ago, there was a Yang Family disciple who worshiped into a first-class Sect called Gathering Heavens Sect. This Yang Family disciple’s talent was outstanding, a rare heaven defying genius.

Gathering Heavens’ Sect Master and Elders were also very fond of him, sparing nothing to vigorously cultivating him. They had even named him the Sect’s official successor, unreservedly teaching him all their secrets.

This child was truly a dragon amongst men, only taking a few years to learn all of Gathering Heavens’ core martial skills, fully comprehending and making them his own, greatly pleasing his teachers.

But, ten years after he had joined, after consuming massive amounts of the Gathering Heavens’ Sect resources, this genius disciple whom the Sect Master and Elders had placed all their hopes upon, actually vanished overnight.

It was only then that the Gathering Heavens Sect understood that this outstanding talent was a Yang Family descendant!

Gathering Heavens’ Sect Master and Elders all vomited blood! Almost falling into serious illness. They had spent ten years teaching an ungrateful wolf, bestowing him all their secrets and resources, and he had actually turned out to be part of that damned Yang Family. How could they not suffer depression?

Gathering Heavens Sect assembled and went to the Yang Family to seek justice, but in the end was sent away with only some minor compensation.

It was because of this tragedy that the entire world guarded themselves against such events recurring. This was the lesson of history, if they did not learn, the cost would be ten years time raising a Yang Family descendant, then watching him leave. No one wanted to repeat the mistakes of the Gathering Heavens Sect, becoming the butt of the entire world’s jokes.

However, no matter how prepared these forces were, they could not stop these Yang Family descendants from using them as life experiences, simply because before they were sent off, these direct descendants were kept hidden, few people knew their names, and fewer still had ever seen them.

The end result, it was simply impossible to identify a Yang Family descendant!

The Wind and Cloud dual guard’s thoughts spun, becoming more and more certain about Yang Kai’s true identity, because almost four years ago, the Yang Family had indeed sent out its disciples for their life experience.

Would that not mean that, this youth in front of them was the youngest son of the Yang Family? Wasn’t he unsuited to cultivate? If so, how had he now reached the Separation and Reunion Boundary? Although this strength was not earth shattering, it was also nothing to look down on.

But at least they now understood why their young master knew him. It was actually not all that surprising, because in the previous generation, the Dong Family and the Yang Family had a marriage, and their young master’s aunt had been the one to become the Yang Family’s, Fourth Master’s wife. Their young master had also visited the Yang Family’s children several times and must have met him there before.

“Come inside so we can talk,” Dong Qing Han’s look was a bit complicated, filled with some confusion and betrayed expectations.

Yang Kai nodded slightly.

When they entered the cabin, the interior was still bare, except for a new table topped with some food and wine.

“Sit!” Dong Qing Han said curtly.

“You’ve been waiting for me?” Yang Kai sat down, a little startled at there being a spread of delicacies on the table.

Dong Qing Han’s eyes flashed with a hint of seriousness, nodding slightly, “In just a few years, it seems you’ve grown a lot, the Yang Family’s method of training disciple certainly produces some amazing results!”

“As long he lives, a man must grow.” Yang Kai lifted the jug and filled a cup for himself.

“Before when you saw me you were like a mouse meeting a cat, how is it that you’re no longer afraid? You actually even dared to hit me.” Dong Qing Han until now could still smell and taste the blood in his mouth, showing just how heavy that punch of Yang Kai’s had been.

“Is there something wrong with that? How many times when we were kids did I have to endure you bullying me?” Yang Kai sneered, he had always been quite frustrated with this cousin of his. Every time he had visited the Yang Family, he had always picked a fight with him. At that time his physique was still poor and his cultivation talent was abysmal, on top of that, Dong Qing Han was several years older, how could he possibly be his opponent? Every time would end with him being beaten black and blue.

Thinking back on all of this, Yang Kai became annoyed, feeling he had held back too much just now.

“That was when I was young.” Dong Qing Han said calmly, no trace of regret or emotion being shown, just downing his drink then pushing the glass toward Yang Kai, signalling him to fill it up.

One cousin pouring a drink for another, naturally there was nothing to say.

After they had drank several cups, they looked up at one another, each letting out a long sigh. Although their relationship was not very good, Yang Kai knew that this cousin had no malicious intent, and was just trying to temper him, because at that time he was reluctant to cultivate. He had simply wanted to use his fists to persuade him.

In general, Dong Qing Han had left Yang Kai with many childhood traumas. His intentions were good; it was just that his methods were somewhat radical.

“I did not expect you to come to this place!” Dong Qing Han all of a sudden chuckled, “When I arrived here and heard your name, I really couldn’t believe it. It was only after several inquiries that I was sure it was you.”

“My father sent me here.”

“Oh? Uncle also spent his outside years here?” Dong Qing Han asked surprised.

“He didn’t say, he just told me to come to this place.” Yang Kai these days had also been puzzled by this; wondering what meaning there was in him coming here.

“How are my father and mother?” After remaining silent for a while, Yang Kai looked up and asked.

Dong Qing Han looked at him and said, “Aunty misses you, and she also seems to be a bit thinner now.”

Yang Kai’s expression became dark, when he left the Yang Family he was just an ordinary person, and for these past few years he had not been back, his father and mother must be very worried.

“Also… Aunty was put under house arrest in the Yang Family for half a year; Uncle was even more harshly punished and had to take thirty lashes.”

*Bang*, the glass in Yang Kai’s hands was crushed and his expression became cold, a thick aura of malice could be felt radiating from his body, “What happened?”

Dong Qing Han sneered, “Because Aunty missed you, she wanted to sneak out and see how you were doing, but then some of the old ghosts from your Yang Family caught her. You know your Yang Family’s rules, no one from the family shall make contact with any direct descendant while they are out for their life experience, and any offender shall be heavily punished. If the uncle had not volunteered to replace her, Aunty would have had to endure those thirty lashes too.”

A whole thirty lashes, these were not ordinary lashes! The Yang Family had an artifact which greatly amplified the pain one would feel when they were whipped. When it was used, even if it was a True Element Boundary master taking just a few strikes, they would have to lie in bed for a few days.

Having to endure thirty of these, Yang Kai estimated that one would be confined to bed for several months.

Yang Kai took a deep breath, gradually calming his raging blood; he grabbed Dong Qing Han glass and drained it instantly.

“Those damn old ghosts, sooner or later I’ll make them pay for this!” Yang Kai said coldly.

When he had been unable to cultivate properly, and had not even wanted to cultivate, only wishing to live as an ordinary person, he was still kicked out by those old ghosts of the Yang Family, forcing him to endure this harsh life experience along with his brothers.

An ordinary twelve-year-old boy without a shred of cultivation, forced to travel all the way to High Heaven Pavilion, just how much pain had he suffered, just how difficult was the path he had to walk?

“I don’t like your Yang Family’s methods, nor do I like the people from your Yang Family; all of you are so cold and ruthless.” Dong Qing Han spat disdainfully.

The Yang Family’s way of training disciple was very special, although it was able to hone a person, but because it relied on kicking people out of their home, the family bonds between Yang Family members were almost nonexistent. In order to further the Yang Family’s agenda, they would easily sacrifice anyone, even their own brothers and sisters.

“You Yang Family disciples outside life experience normally lasts about ten years. Now less than four years have passed, I don’t know whether Aunty will be able to endure waiting a whole six more years to see you again…” Dong Qing Han’s voice was full of sadness.

“When you go back this time, pass a message from me to my father and mother, tell them that I am well and that they can rest assured I will return safely.”

“I will.” Dong Qing Han nodded seriously, “She is my aunt after all!”

Finished with these heavy topics, the conversation gradually lightened, shifting to miscellaneous anecdotes.

“So you also came to High Heaven Pavilion because of the Heaven’s Cave Inheritance?” Asked Yang Kai.

“Of course, or else I why would I have come to this remote god forsaken place?” Dong Qing Han said dismissively, then suddenly smirked, “But you really do have a few geniuses here, especially that girl called Su Yan. It’s said that she not only has outstanding talent but is also a city destroying beauty, with a pure as ice radiance. It’s unfortunate that I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing her face.”