Panxi River, the same river where Saitama and Himeha grilled fish before, is where the group has returned after leaving that canyon.
The canyon was in complete disarray, making it unsuitable for a long stay. After finishing the dragon meat, the group followed Saitama back to this location.
"This child is amazing." Ji Fa couldn't help but exclaim as he watched Mengmeng playing barefoot in the river.
Last night, such a huge dragon was almost entirely eaten by this little guy. Ji Fa stared curiously at Mengmeng's cute, round little belly.
"Eeya?" Sensing Ji Fa's gaze, Mengmeng turned around and glanced at him, then licked her lips and revealed a strange smile.
"..." Ji Fa shuddered and ran to Saitama's side in fright.
“I’ve decided, I’ll train and cultivate here for the time being,” Saitama said.
"Hmm, this place is nice, with beautiful mountains and clear waters. Brother Qiyu has found a good spot. But since you're going to cultivate here, you'll need to find a place to stay," Jianglong said, looking around.
“We can build a thatched hut here,” Ji Fa said, his eyes lighting up.
“I say, Second Young Master, you just ran out like this, won’t your family worry?” Jianglong smiled knowingly.
“Uh…” Ji Fa was immediately stumped by the question, and then his eyes became dejected.
"Father is so busy, he probably doesn't have time to care about me," Ji Fa said in a low voice.
"Young man, cheer up, you're destined to be a hero." Saitama stepped forward and patted Himeha on the shoulder to comfort him.
"Yes, teacher." Ji Fa immediately perked up, excited at the thought of being able to punch a dragon like Saitama after training.
"Hehehe..." Daji couldn't help but laugh when she saw Ji Fa's dazed look.
"Hey, don't bother me, I have a place to stay here," Mengmeng said, skipping over.
With a wave of her hand, several wooden cabins appeared instantly on the riverbank. The cabins were exquisite, as if they were specially prepared for outdoor camping.
"Wow, so beautiful!" Daji exclaimed happily.
"You even own a house?" Jianglong asked incredulously.
"Hmph...I have plenty of things," Mengmeng said proudly.
The group then entered the cabin and found it fully equipped with all the necessary amenities, including a bathing and cooking area. The roof even had solar panels, and the interior decoration was quite avant-garde.
"Mengmeng, where did you get all these things?" Daji asked curiously.
"Hehe, I don't know either. I found it in my bag," the little guy said with a grin, patting his magic pouch as he spoke.
"Mengmeng, did he send you?" Jianglong asked at this moment.
"Yes, my brother asked me to protect you all," the little one said, tilting her head back and waving her tiny pink fist.
"But it was my request, I'm tired of Chaoge," Mengmeng continued.
Jianglong and Saitama exchanged a glance and smiled slightly at each other.
"Chaoge? Saitama-sensei, you're from Chaoge too?" Ji Fa asked in confusion.
"Yes, it took me all day to get to Xiqi. I got lost several times along the way. It was really embarrassing," Saitama said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"......"
"Alright, kid, let's begin today's training," Saitama said seriously.
"Yes, Saitama-sensei." Ji Fa quickly stood up straight.
"Let's start with one hundred push-ups."
"yes."
Ji Fa immediately began to do as instructed.
Jianglong and Daji, standing to the side, looked at Ji Fa making strange movements with puzzled expressions, wondering to themselves, "Does this make me stronger?"
Seven days passed quickly. Ji Fa's disappearance enraged Ji Chang, who reprimanded those who had been secretly protecting him.
"My lord, it was that mysterious man. I don't know what methods he used, but he took the Second Young Master away from Chaoge. Our men failed to follow. I am guilty," the shadowy figure said, kneeling on the ground.
"Enough, enough. I just cast a divination, and Ji Fa is not in danger at all. On the contrary, it is an auspicious divination, which means that this child has turned misfortune into blessing," Ji Chang said, shaking his head.
"Thank you, Lord Marquis."
"You may leave now. Make preparations. The Marquis of Nanbo will arrive soon. Put Ji Fa's matter aside for now," Ji Chang continued.
"yes."
After the shadowy figure left, a person slowly emerged from behind Ji Chang.
"Father."
This man was in his twenties and looked somewhat like Ji Fa. He was none other than Boyi Kao, the eldest son of Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo.
"Alas, your second brother has changed so much over the years, he's almost a stranger to me," Ji Chang sighed.
“Father, my second brother has always been filial, so you don’t need to worry too much,” Boyi Kao said.
“I know he is filial, but I always feel there is some kind of barrier between us, father and son, sigh…” Ji Chang’s expression was somewhat helpless.
Bo Yikao nodded. He had also tried to talk to Ji Fa before, but Ji Fa seemed to have something on his mind and did not answer his questions. He seemed normal, but in fact, he was full of worries.
"Never mind him, I called you here today to discuss something," Ji Chang said.
“Father, please lead the troops,” Boyi Kao said hastily.
"I intend to entrust the saltworks to you," Ji Chang said, looking at Boyi Kao.
“Salt fields? Father, hasn’t Uncle always been in charge of them?” Boyi Kao was startled.
The uncle he mentioned was Ji Chang's younger brother, Ji Sui, who was also the master of Hu Er, whom Ji Fa had met not long ago, and the biggest slave owner in Xiqi.
"Xiqi will eventually be handed over to you. The salt fields are our foundation, so it's good for you to get familiar with them as soon as possible. I've already spoken to your uncle about this, and he agrees. I've also spoken to the elders of my Ji clan," Ji Chang said with a smile.
"Thank you, Father, but I'm afraid I'll mess things up," Boyi Kao said with some concern.
"Go ahead and do it, nothing serious will happen," Ji Chang waved his hand.
“Yes, Your Majesty, I obey,” Boyi Kao bowed and said.
"Alas, a storm is brewing, and I don't have much time left." Ji Chang slowly stood up, and Bo Yikao quickly stepped forward to support him.
“Father, you are in good health, why say such things?”
“You don’t understand, Heaven won’t allow it…” Ji Chang shook his head, then walked outside with the help of Bo Yikao.
Panxi River.
"Huff...huff..."
"Master, I've finished training." Ji Fa collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
The training these past few days may seem simple, but it's not easy to do. Moreover, Saitama has upgraded the training. In his words, the training volume he originally proposed is no longer suitable. Now, the two of them have to do a thousand push-ups, a thousand sit-ups, a thousand squats, and run a hundred kilometers back and forth every day.
"Young man, becoming a hero isn't that easy. You need a strong will and you have to persevere," Saitama said.
"Huff...Yes...Teacher..." Ji Fa said breathlessly.
The master and apprentice trained every day, while Mengmeng, Jianglong, and Daji played around idly, either fishing or hunting. Mengmeng had a great time.
"Oh, is training over?"
At this moment, Jianglong came out of the house and laughed when he saw Ji Fa lying paralyzed on the shore.
"Hmm, you kill animals every day, and then you go back to chant sutras. Don't you find that troublesome?" Saitama couldn't help but ask.
When Jianglong went out with Mengmeng, he inevitably had to kill wild beasts and other creatures. But every time he came back, he would go back to his wooden house to chant sutras, which Saitama found very strange.
“Amitabha...killing is saving lives.” Jianglong disagreed.
"Killing is saving lives?" Saitama murmured.
"Saving lives? Interesting." Saitama smiled, seemingly having found a new goal.
"..." Jianglong was taken aback by his inexplicable smile.
“Alright, since that’s the case, then I’ll do an extra thousand push-ups today, no, three thousand.” Saitama said excitedly.
After saying that, he lay down on the ground and began to act.
"......"
Saitama moved with incredible speed; Himeka couldn't even see his movements clearly. A gust of wind began to rise around him, spreading outwards.
Jianglong quickly used his magic to direct the airflow into the sky.
"Wow, amazing..." Ji Fa exclaimed in amazement as he watched Saitama move so fast that he became a blur.
"This is unbelievable, how can this actually make someone stronger?" Jianglong was utterly puzzled. He had tried to do Saitama's moves in private, but of course, it was completely useless.
"I wonder when I'll be able to reach Master's level," Ji Fa said with a look of envy.
"Kid, do you want to hear the truth?" Jianglong laughed.
"Please speak, senior," Ji Fa said hastily.
“Saitama is special, I can sense it. His body is different from ordinary people. This training method may only be suitable for him. You have been training for so long, and I have been watching you closely. To be honest, your body has changed somewhat, but it is almost impossible to reach Saitama’s level,” Jianglong said.
“What? How could that be? Master said I could become a hero,” Ji Fa immediately retorted.
Jianglong shook his head helplessly. Saitama was a simple-minded person, so naturally he wouldn't understand that his training method might not be suitable for others.
“You are just a mortal, and your destiny dictates that you cannot become stronger through other means, unless…” Jianglong sighed.
“Unless what?” Ji Fa’s eyes were filled with longing.
At this moment, Jianglong thought of Li Daoyi and Yin Shou. Only they could change Ji Fa's fate, but he did not say it aloud.
"Senior..." Ji Fa said anxiously when he saw that Jianglong was silent.
"Heave-ho..."
Just then, Mengmeng and Daji appeared behind the two of them. The charming and cute Daji was carrying an enormous brown bear on her back, which looked very out of place.
"Oh, little ancestor, you're back?" Jianglong laughed.
"Hehe, caught a big bear," Mengmeng laughed.
Daji carried the bear to the riverbank to deal with it.
"Eek? Ji Fa, why are you making that face? Aren't you happy that I caught the bear?" Mengmeng asked, looking at Ji Fa.
“He wants to become stronger, but Saitama said that the training method is not suitable for him, and he can't cultivate the Daoist arts either,” Jianglong said.
"Get stronger?" Mengmeng tilted her head and said.
Suddenly, the little girl seemed to remember something, and stuck out her tongue awkwardly.
"Oh dear, I almost forgot. Before I came, my brother gave me something, saying it was for Ji Fa." Mengmeng said, reaching into her treasure pouch to rummage through it.
At this moment, Saitama also stopped what he was doing and walked over curiously. He had heard the conversation between Ji Fa and Saitama, and he had actually realized these past few days that his training method was not suitable for Ji Fa.
The group looked at Mengmeng curiously, and the little girl took out a card from her bag.
“Genos…” Saitama’s eyes lit up immediately.
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