Death… and me

Chu Yang felt wronged, "How did I cheat you? You pressed me down to my knees without my permission… and before I could stand up, you had already taken my head and slammed it against the ground…"

"Stop stop stop… don't say any more!" Chu Feiling's whole face was black.

"How can you blame this on me…" Chu Yang murmured.

"Not blame you?… Are you saying that I should be blamed?!" Chu Feiling looked at Chu Yang cooly, hoping to project the dignity of a father.

"Let's call Grandfather to judge …" Chu Yang did not want to be outdone.

"Judge? You would be making a spectacle out of me!" Chu Feiling finally gave up. This was his weak spot. He had no other option but to surrender himself.

"Hahaha…" Yang Ruolan, overwhelmed with joy, was crippled with laughter.

The pair then sat next to Chu Yang's bed and quizzed him on his life.

Yang Ruolan compelled Chu Yang to recount everything he could remember, even his childhood.

Chu Yang felt helpless. Overwhelmed by his parents' demands, he started weighing every word, fearing that what he said was too sensitive… He could see that his mother was emotionally weak.

Chu Feiling constantly rolled his eyes as he listened— Yang Ruolan was stubborn. Chu Yang was obviously skipping over most of the dangerous situations he had been in and the injuries he had faced. Ignoring that fact, Yang Ruolan wanted to get to the bottom of everything he said.

The truth was slowly forced out of Chu Yang's mouth. Feeling guilty, Yang Ruolan couldn't contain her tears.

It was a cycle that kept on occurring whenever Chu Yang talked about his past.

Chu Feiling could not understand— you adore our son… I know what you're going through but… forcing your son to say these things out loud to make yourself cry… I can't understand…

He suddenly remembered something and said, "Chu Yang, now that you have found your home, let's see if your name has the appropriate status for our clan ."

"Status?" Chu Yang was startled.

"Yes, status. The seniority of our clan is indicated by our middle names. I'm the 'Fei'-named generation," Chu Feiling said, "Your generation is a 'Teng'-named generation. When together, heroes soar 1 and bring glory to the future. With unity and righteousness, the reputation of the family can be restored."

"'Teng'-named generation…" Chu Yang frowned, "What should I be called then?"

"You can just add it to your name: Chu Tengyang!" Chu Feiling said pleasantly.

"Chu Tengyang?" Chu Yang's face clouded over with worry, "Does it need to be 'Teng' 2 ? I don't want it!"

Chu Feiling frowned and wanted to yell at him.

Chu Yang continued, "I don't want to be in pain again… I've been in pain for eighteen years…"

Yang Ruolan's heart ached for an instant, "Then don't add 'Teng', you can just be called 'Chu Yang'! It's okay; I will take responsibility for you!"

"Mother, you are a good person," Chu Yang laid back down satisfied.

Chu Feiling was sullen, "This is a rule inherited from our ancestors…"

"Our ancestors' rules happen to be set by men!" Yang Ruolan argued, " 'Chu Yang' sounds better! He doesn't need 'Teng'! Whoever wants pain should have it themselves."

Chu Yang stared off into the distance and said, "This name was given to me by my teacher and I am indebted to him… it represents the most important wish in his life… I really don't want to change it."

Chu Feiling sighed and said, "I see. I'll tell Father that we're not changing your name. You owe your teacher gratitude for the love and care he gave you. We must not forget this! When we meet sometime in the future, I'll be sure to have a toast with him."

Chu Yang was appeased.

He didn't like 'Chu Tengyang' at all.

"Even if you don't change your name, shouldn't you at least have a nickname?" Chu Feiling touched his chin and said, "How about 'Tengteng'? This way, your rank in the family is defined."

"Tengteng?" Chu Yang was dumbfounded. He looked at Chu Feiling in horror, and was unable to speak for a moment.

Not waiting for Chu Feiling's response, Yang Ruolan blurted out, "Why 'Teng'? Chu Feiling shut up! Our son is called Chu Yang so his nickname will be Yang Yang! He is my son, and I will have a say in what happens to his name!"

Chu Feiling's face grew somber.

"If you continue calling him by that name, you and your son have to talk to me like an elder!" Yang Ruolan stared at Chu Feiling and said, "Then you don't have any business being here."

Chu Feiling wanted to cry but was tearless…

A voice erupted from the silence, "What elder?" It was Old Master Chu. He was striding towards them, an old man with a white-flecked beard dragging along with him.

It was Doctor Qiu, the Chu clan's main doctor.

Chu Feiling was shocked, and hurriedly went forward to greet them, "Erm… Eh-hem, elder… that is, in our clan, my son has many elders, and he needs to know the family rules… erm, eh-hem… that's it."

Old Master Chu Xiongcheng was not in the mood to listen to his explanation, and responded curtly, "I see." He then urged Doctor Qiu to have a look at his grandson.

Chu Feiling secretly wiped away his sweat and sank into a chair.

He felt overburdened by what had just happened and thought to himself, "My life… I can't carry it on anymore."

Doctor Qiu rested his fingers on Chu Yang's wrist, and frowned, "It's a bit strange… What's happening to his pulse?"

"What happened?" Chu Feiling, Chu Xiongcheng, and Yang Ruolan wondered.

"His… pulse is a bit strange." Doctor Qiu frowned, slightly creasing his frosty-white brows. "I've never seen this situation before!"

"Is it good or bad?" Old Master Chu Xiongcheng interrupted him. An atypical thought took root in his mind, "Would it be that another genius has surfaced in the Chu clan?"

"This… his meridians are very strong, which clearly shows that he was very industrious in his practice of martial arts…" Doctor Qiu pursed his lips, not knowing how to continue.

"And?" Old Master Chu's eyes were filled with eagerness.

"But he is hurt, and I don't know why… it… seems like something is blocking all his meridians … There are blockages." Doctor Qiu frowned. "In other words… his cultivation has gone to waste!"

"His cultivation has been wasted?!" Chu Xiongcheng, Chu Feiling, and Yang Ruolan simultaneously let out a blood-curdling scream.

Doctor Qiu looked serious, "If my diagnosis is wrong… then the young master must have offended a powerful person, and this person has restricted the meridians of the young master! After a few days' rest, he should have no problems moving. However, if he wants to fix what has been broken… I'm afraid, that will be difficult."

"Let me see!" Old Master Chu quickly grabbed Chu Yang's wrist, and monarchy-level primordial qi surged into Chu Yang's meridians. His brows knitted closer together, and his mood worsened.

The doctor wasn't wrong. There was plenty of primordial qi within Chu Yang's meridians. He even possessed above-average power for people his age. He could be said to be a super genius!

Unfortunately, several inexplicable obstacles prevented his primordial qi from flowing.

Even with his monarchy-level primordial qi, it seemed like there was a large, immovable steel mountain within Chu Yang's meridians.

"Who did you offend? Who did this on you?" The old master was perplexed. Since this person had the power to restrict Chu Yang's meridians so intensely, it would have been easier to kill Chu Yang. Why would this person waste so much energy just to restrict Chu Yang's meridians?

"I have no idea…" Chu Yang said innocently.

"This is understandable. With such powerful people, you can't detect them even if you want to," Chu Xiongcheng sighed and said, "I'll request for my elder to come to look at you after he has finished closed-door training."

When he finished speaking, he stood up and said, "Feiling, tell your child about our clan… Let him rest for the next couple of days. When our elder comes, I'll report this to him. If he doesn't … I'll go to the Medicine Valley myself!"

"Yes," Chu Feiling said worriedly.

Yang Ruolan grasped Chu Yang's hand and comforted him, "Yang Yang, don't be afraid or depressed. You'll be fine."

Chu Yang said, "I'm not worried."

Of course, he wasn't worried. Chu Yang knew what was happening to his body: This was a temporary disorder caused by an overflow of spiritual and primordial qi, and it was harmless. After some time, his body would straighten out, and everything would be back to normal.

But this was really difficult to explain.

How do I explain? I can't say that I'm the master of the Nine Tribulations Sword and that this is the result of me having swallowed the divine spirit of the first master of the Nine Tribulations Sword, can I?

If I do so, I think the 'elder' would faint immediately …

In the blink of an eye, two days passed. Yang Ruolan didn't leave her son's shadow and took great care of him. On the morning of the third day, though Chu Yang's body was still weak, he could already get down from his bed on his own. He stood up and took a stroll in the yard.

This was exactly nine days before Chu Yang recovered his mobility.

All his strength was accumulated within his meridians. Although Chu Yang's current body was weak, his divine spirit was becoming stronger every day.

If the spirit of the average person is a wisp of light smoke, then a strong spirit is like a piece of white paper. The spirit of the super-strong is like a towering tree!

Chu Yang's spirit was already a small green and luxuriant tree! Unlike the others, his was made of golden crystal jade!

The golden crystal jade tree was the strongest tree in the Continent of the Nine Heavens. It only existed in legends, and was said to be able to withstand the attack of supreme powers!

Over the course of these few days, Chu Yang had fully familiarised himself with the Chu clan.

The upper echelons of the Chu clan were composed of two elders who did close-door practice all year round. Chu Xiongcheng, Yang's grandfather, had a brother named Chu Xiongwei, but he went missing in his youth and was never heard from since. No one knew if he was still alive.

Next came the generation of Chu Yang's father.

Chu Feiling, his father, and his three brothers: Chu Feilong, Chu Feihan and Chu Feiyan. Together, their names formed the homonym 'delicate smoke'. Chu Yang did not know if there were any hidden meanings behind it.

Chu Yang's generation was composed of Chu Feilong's three sons, Chu Feihan's two sons and daughter, and Chu Feiyan's son and daughter. Chu Feihan's daughter Chu Le'er was born with a chronic disease. Chu Feihan was gone almost all the time in order to seek medicine for his daughter. He was never at home.

The Chu clan lived near the Flat Mountain Ridge, which was in the Southeast corner of Upper Three Heavens. They were one of the three major families in the area. The Chu clan wasn't considered to be a powerful clan and was barely seen as a medium-sized family that could stand on its own feet.

Chu Yang became interested in the Wind and Thunder Platform and asked his father about it.

This was because, in his previous life, he received the fifth fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword at the Wind and Thunder Platform.

But Chu Feiling's answer made Chu Yang give a wry smile: the Wind and Thunder Platform was situated in the northwest of the Upper Three Heavens. The extreme northwest was very desolated and more than 37 000 miles away from his current location! When the two Chinese characters "fei" and "teng" are combined, they can be translated to 'soar' in English. 'Teng' can also be translated as 'pain' in English