Chapter 989 I am your martial uncle

Who could possibly recognize that this person, who is more childish than a child every day, is the mysterious Master Han they met in the capital, and the unapproachable and incomparably noble Lord Zhao?

In this wilderness, in this desolate land that no one cares about, how are the two of them any different from the little children who love to play in the dirt?

It's not about retaining a childlike heart; it's about following nature, releasing one's true nature, and obeying one's heart.

Afterwards, they took the same things, took out the colored paper that Song Chunxue had prepared, and cut out winter clothes on the grave.

Although her skills weren't great, she cut very quickly.

My senior brother learned very quickly; the speed at which he cut out undershirts from white paper ensured they would wear them for years.

Song Chunxue thought to herself that every year from now on, she would find time to visit the graves of her deceased relatives.

The better we live, the more we must not forget our roots.

She spoke many words alone in front of the grave. When she wiped away her tears and got up from the grave, Master Zhang had already brought her third sister over.

The reason why Song Chunxue didn't wait for her third and fourth sisters to visit the graves was because she knew they would go during the Qingming Festival.

But she might not show up that day.

From afar, Song Chunxue saw her third sister, Song Chunmei, riding a donkey and walking with the Taoist priest on the narrow path.

"Fifth brother!"

"Third Sister!"

"My goodness, Fifth Brother, with such a grand entourage, is this what they call a triumphant homecoming?"

Song Chunmei limped off the donkey and happily ran towards Song Chunxue.

"Third sister, slow down, what happened to your leg?"

"I'm getting old, and I accidentally fell down the steps. It's been over half a month, but I should be almost recovered." She smiled and looked at the young people sticking their heads out of the carriage. "Oh dear, who are all these people?"

"Hello, Third Aunt."

"Hello, Third Aunt."

"We are the nephews of our master."

"We are Master's disciples."

They said in unison, "Greetings, Third Aunt."

"Second sister, you're here too." Song Chunmei ran up to Song Chunxue, her eyes reddening as she smiled, her nose turning red, and she choked back tears as she said, "Our fifth sister has made something of herself, she got Master Zhang to carry a lot of good things for me."

"These days, who else but Fifth Brother would be willing to give me a pig's leg?" she cried, wiping away her tears. "Second Sister, look at how old we've become. I still remember how Zhao Qian, that bastard, beat me up three years ago when Fifth Brother stood up for me. Now, seeing Fifth Brother's pig's leg, he wishes I could bring Fifth Brother's whole house back home, sob sob..."

After exchanging pleasantries, the three sisters set off in the carriage.

As they passed through a densely populated village, the sight of three carriages traveling together caught their attention, prompting them to stop and watch.

Someone recognized Song Chunmei and asked her with a smile if she was going back to her parents' home.

Song Chunmei shouted back, "Yes, my fifth son is back."

Listening to the three sisters chattering incessantly behind the carriage, Master Han, who had been sitting upright inside, asked, "Are we almost at their parents' home?"

Lord Zhao asked curiously, "How did you know?"

"His joy was palpable, and his voice was louder," Master Han chuckled softly. "Just like when Lord Zhao hosted a banquet for all the officials, as if he was afraid that you wouldn't know that there were no beauties and fine wine in your courtyard."

"..." Lord Zhao raised his sleeve and looked at Zhang Chengxuan with annoyance, "Why don't we just throw this snake away? It's really boring."

“…” Zhang Chengxuan lowered his head. He couldn’t hear anything, so he pretended to be deaf.

"You want to discard me after I've served my purpose? You've abandoned your uncle who's been protecting you all this way, let's see if your master will break your legs." Master Han sneered, bending one leg. "Do you think I, Master Han, have nothing better to do than loaf around with you poor, calloused juniors?"

"What?" Lord Zhao was shocked and looked at Master Han in disbelief. "Uncle-Master?"

"Zhang Chengxuan, you speak."

Zhang Chengxuan looked up at Lord Zhao and nodded slightly. "That's right. Master instructed that the words on that golden spoon are different from ours. He is taking on a disciple on behalf of his master. From now on, he will be our senior uncle."

Lord Zhao, who was used to seeing many storms, remained relatively calm, though his expression was far from peaceful.

"Why do you know this, but I, as the senior brother, don't?" This was what puzzled Zhao Jin the most. He felt like he was being played by his master and junior brother.

Zhang Chengxuan fiddled with the lightning-struck wooden beads on his wrist. "Master said that Senior Brother has been too unrestrained these past few years, so he wants to teach you a lesson."

Despite appearing calm, Zhao Jin was actually furious, her voice like a broken bellows. She laughed and said, "What kind of logic is that?"

Master Han casually replied, "Always keep a sense of worry in your heart, and don't take your worldly identity too seriously. You think you're just playing around in the world, passing through a hundred flowers without getting a single petal on you, and that you're the only one sober while everyone else is drunk, and that you can still cultivate freely in the world. Actually, you're too arrogant. Your master knows you're too shy to say it directly."

He casually adjusted his ornately embroidered sleeves. "If I weren't afraid of taking your place as the eldest disciple and making you cry, I would now be your master's eldest disciple, and you would all have to step down and call me the eldest disciple."

"..." Lord Zhao opened his mouth, not quite believing his words, and turned to look at Zhang Chengxuan with expectant eyes.

Zhang Chengxuan avoided eye contact, as if to say that everything Master Han said was true.

"Besides, with my seniority, I am more than qualified to be your grandmaster." Master Han leaned back and said with a half-smile, "Now that we've laid it all out, remember to call me Uncle Han from now on."

Lord Zhao stared blankly at the curtain swaying on the carriage window, feeling as if he had been tricked.

"From now on, show more respect to your elders and stop calling me 'Old Snake.' Otherwise, I'll show you what it's like to be taught a lesson by Old Snake. If you're not afraid of losing face in front of your disciples."

Lord Zhao wiped his face with both hands, seemingly unwilling to believe it was true.

"Zhang Chengxuan".

Master Zhang cupped his hands in greeting, "Uncle-Master."

Zhao Jin suddenly looked at Zhang Chengxuan, raised her hand and took out her fan to knock him on the forehead, "You traitor, you actually kept this from me all these days."

"I'm innocent, senior brother! I only found out the day before yesterday." Zhang Chengxuan covered his face with his sleeve. "Our master has always liked to play tricks on people."

Seeing that Lord Zhao looked unwell, Master Han took out the golden spoon and fiddled with it in his hand.

“If you ever disrespect your elders or disrespect your superiors in the future,” Master Han said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Zhang Chengxuan, “if you and Song Chunxue are ever disobedient again, I will punish you with whipping, standing, standing in a stake, carrying water, or doing handstands in the rain on behalf of your master.”

At this point, he looked out the window with a good mood and smiled, "Or, I could punish you by making you copy the sect rules. You haven't tried that before, have you? I'll show you next time."

Zhang Chengxuan cupped his hands, saying, "I'll leave it to my uncle to decide."

Lord Zhao pointed at Zhang Chengxuan, "Junior brother, you're truly useless..."

The next moment, Master Han tapped the golden spoon and said in a low voice, "If you are not obedient, then go down and go with your junior brother."

Lord Zhao stared wide-eyed as his legs moved uncontrollably, and he jumped straight off the carriage.

"Uncle-Master..."

Master Han raised his hand to stop them, "The usual way is fine. There are several pairs of eyes watching us in the dark around here. I don't know if they are old friends or not, but they are the same kind of people as me. You have to be careful."