She still remembered Huo Shuwen's promise to his daughter last year; her father had said he would take her to the mountains to play in the spring. But when spring came, her father was no longer home.

These past few days, the little dumpling has been missing her father again. Huo Xiaolong feels as if he is surrounded by this feeling of longing, and he can't muster the energy to do anything. He is depressed and unhappy.

"Long'er, what's wrong with you these past few days? You don't seem to have any energy left when you swing your broadsword," Alliance Leader Zhang asked from the side.

"Grandpa, I miss Dad..."

Huo Xiaolong pouted, looking as if he was about to cry, feeling extremely aggrieved.

Leader Zhang had never seen anything like this in his life. The eldest was a boy, and the second was a girl, who was practically no different from a boy.

That big guy was about the same size as her brother, but stronger, and his temper matched his abilities.

"Oh dear, what happened?"

Leader Zhang was at a loss. How could he appease her? He wasn't her father, and he couldn't solve this problem.

"My dad already promised, he promised to take me to the mountains to play in the spring, waaaaah, Dad!"

The little boy, holding a large knife in his right hand, started wiping away tears and wailing loudly, catching the old man completely off guard.

"Don't cry, Long'er. Here's the thing, your dad's in the army camp and can't come back right now. How about Grandpa takes you up the mountain? We can bring Xiongzi along too?"

"Then I'd also like to bring the little girl along."

"OK!"

"Bring along another older sister, Big Ni'er."

"become!"

He, the leader of the martial arts alliance, can't even keep an eye on three kids? Are you kidding me?

"Then I'd like to go now."

"Now?"

"Um!"

"Okay! Go find your two girlfriends then."

Huo Xiaolong ran out to find the two of them, carrying his leg. Zhang Mengzhu went back to Cen Ang and He Yi and told them about it. Cen's mother was a little worried and asked Miao Cuifang to go with them. Miao Cuifang wanted to bring her apprentice with her.

The border town is too cold. In winter, all his gu go to sleep. They are useless indoors because they are not adapted to it. He thought that the native gu of the border town might be better. If there are no usable ones, he has to refine more. He can't let people hibernate with them in winter. Will his enemies stop attacking him just because his snakes are hibernating?

"Alright, you can take the willow catkins with you."

"Grandpa, what should we do with the cub?"

Leader Zhang looked at the bear, which was now almost as big as a person, and said...

"How about we get him a carriage?"

What to do then? There aren't any cages big enough these days, so we'll have to haul it down to the foot of the mountain in a horse-drawn cart.

"Okay! The carriage! Bear Cub will ride in the carriage! I want to sit with it!"

The little girl still loves Xiongzai as much as ever. Even though she has a little white dog now, the status of her beloved Xiongzai in her heart has never diminished.

"No, he'll complain about the dirtiness; you just changed your clothes."

"It's okay, we'll talk about it when we get home."

"Won't you get a beating when you get home?"

"If I change quickly, my mom won't notice."

"..."

Alright, Huo Xiaolong felt that Hou Xiangxiang was going to get beaten up again today; the little girl hadn't had enough of being beaten.

Da Ni'er smiled as she looked at the two of them. Her mother was so good; she never hit her.

Yes, the Grassland Queen thought that all children in the Central Plains were beaten, from childhood to adulthood. In all the time they had known each other, Huo Xiaolong and Hou Xiangxiang had been beaten several times.

But her parents were different; they never hit her, which made her happy!

A gentle spring breeze awakens the mountains, their peaks undulating like waves, showcasing the magnificence and grandeur of the goddess. Distant peaks are shrouded in mist, appearing and disappearing, creating a hazy, ethereal atmosphere. Looking down from the mountaintop, the town below is peaceful and serene, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, mingling with the fresh mountain air and bringing a sense of tranquility.

"You guys, don't go too far, go have fun. Xiao Miao, keep an eye on them."

Miao Cuifang tied a letter-keeping device to the head of each of the children, just in case they got lost. Huo Xiaolong is so fast, this is to keep an eye on her!

Leader Zhang sat on the grass, listening to the cheerful laughter of several little girls and looking at the sprouting flowers and plants around him, feeling extremely content with his current life.

He has let go of his obsession now. If his daughter doesn't get married, so be it. Neither Er Ya nor Huo Xiaolong can abandon her. Let it be, it's fine.

"Leader Zhang, it's been a long time!"

A man around forty years old, carrying a large knife on his back, silently approached him from behind and said...

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"Ten years ago, at the martial arts tournament, my father lost to you by only one move, and he died of anger when he got home. Today, I have come to learn from you."

Ignoring those words, Alliance Leader Zhang asked directly...

How did you find this place?

"..."

"I went to Biluo Villa first, and the gatekeeper said you were here."

"oh"

Please enlighten me!

What does your dad's pettiness have to do with me? How many people have died in the ring over the years? Everyone who steps into the ring signs a waiver of liability, you know? You're a moron!

This wasn't the first time Chief Zhang had dealt with something like this. People always need something to look forward to in life, but sometimes that something isn't right. It's like just randomly picking someone as a target and that's it.

During his years as the leader of the martial arts alliance, he has been challenged by a constant stream of people, most of whom are young people. It seems that these fools think that they can become the leader of the martial arts alliance by defeating him.

It's like his mother's dream.

Being a martial arts leader is certainly important in terms of martial arts skills, but it is even more important in terms of morality and loyalty. You have to understand human relationships and social customs. If you don't understand these things, you can't be the leader of the martial arts world. It's that simple.

The result was obvious: the man lying on the ground was still yelling.

"Thirty years east of the river! Thirty years west of the river! I'll come back for you in ten years. Either kill me or you'll grow old and frail and be unable to move one day."

"Tsk"

It's so sticky, it's driving me crazy, I don't want to do it anymore.

Zhang Mengzhu thought to himself, but he didn't want to pay attention to such people. He was, after all, their reason for living.

"I'll fight you when he gets too old to move!"

Huo Xiaolong stood tall and proud, left hand on his hip, right thumb pointing at himself as he spoke.

"When that day comes, come find me! My name is Huo Xiaolong! I'm his last disciple! My father is Huo Shuwen; you can find out where my family is by asking around in the red-light district of Pingyang County."

The old man smiled. Leader Zhang took a deep breath, looking at the little tiger baring its teeth and claws as if it were about to bite, feeling both gratified and moved.

"Then we'll have to trouble our Long'er?"

"It's not hard work at all!"

If Huo Xiaolong's left hand wasn't holding a grasshopper, he would look quite presentable.