“You old thing! I helped you gain so much gold and you stab me in the back like this? Don’t you see him?” Samuel pointed at Zhu, giving Kyle an enraged look. “Do you think that if I asked him to beat you up, then he won’t beat you up? He’s a strong and mighty sage. Heck, I’m not even asking for your cost. Just split the profit evenly. Don’t you feel any shame taking candy money from a little kid?”

Giving Samuel a chilly glare, Kyle said, “Little brat, do you believe me when I say I’ll smack you in the head with my hammer and fix the brain defect your father caused you by dropping you on your head in your childhood? Or should I break all your teeth so you can’t ever eat your candy? Also, don’t you know the meaning of the word ‘interest’? Or did you never even—Oh!” Glenn nodded, as if having a sudden realisation, “You were too busy learning how to use your tongue to swindle and forgot to learn to use your eyes to read books, didn’t you? Come any day. I’ll beat how to behave in your bones, so you’ll be less annoying.”

Zhu, now stuck in the middle, looked back and forth at Kyle, looking at the quibbling pair mutely as they both kept hurling abuses and threats back and forth, as if the other snatched away their wives.

Helplessly looking up at the sky, Zhu rubbed his temples before shouting, “Enough! We’re leaving. Have a good day, sir blacksmith. This matter is now over.”

Samuel Argued, “But Teacher—”

However, Zhu cut him off, “No buts. Either leave peacefully or I don’t mind dragging you along.”

Samuel said in annoyance, “Fine.”

While leaving, William gave Kyle a meaningful look, in response to which the latter passed him three of the coins he conned from Zhu alongside a ring while walking over to his hut. Snickering, William pocketed the coins, his expression a mask of calm as he appraised the ring in his hand.

Pleased, William nodded to himself, ‘As they say, the best way to fight a war is to let others do all the work while hogging all the benefits. Nice and simple. And this ring, it ain’t bad. It’ll do for now.’

Meanwhile, at the cliff above the cottage.

A black-haired boy with his left eye bound underneath a layer of bandages gazed solemnly at the various gashes and scratches atop the cliff, his shoulders drooping low.

Bending down and placing his hand on the ground, he bore a bitter smile. A trace of warmth surfaced in his distant eye, his other hand grabbing the pendant around his neck.

He muttered, “Today, I have taken the first step. And it’s just the start. I will definitely kill that man and everyone else. No matter what.”

As soon as the boy’s voice died out, the silence shrouded the cliff.

After a while, the boy got up before leaving, his gaze filling with iciness with not a trace of warmth to speak of.

Making his way back to the cottage, he looked around and began packing, preparing to move out. In less than 5 minutes, he finished packing, with the only thing he managed being three sets of clothes, which he wrapped in a sheet of cloth he took off from one of the beds.

He sighed before walking back to the study, indulging himself in some last minute reading.

Not long after, he heard a knock from the door, distracting him away from his books. Getting up, he closed the book before placing it back. Heaving a drawn out breath, he bowed to the bookshelf, ‘Thank you for taking care of me. May we meet again.’

Walking to the door, he saw Samuel waiting for him.

He asked, “What took you so long? Anyway, missing this place already? Better, what are you thinking about?”

“Uh… About how that person was antagonising Uncle, and why he did so. Speaking of which, where are they?” Zack replied before asking his own question.

Samuel laughed as he spoke, “About that… They’re on the way. As for why he is so rude to dad, our teacher is an old friend of dad, apparently. Dad told me that he scammed—I mean, he traded with him a certain item, and Teacher wasn’t satisfied after the trade. Or something along those lines. As for the exact story, I don’t know. He never told me.”

Zack nodded in understanding.

Smiling, Samuel asked, “Also, do you know what a Sage is?”

Mulling over it, Zack asked, “You mean the thing about him being the current Weapon’s Sage?”

“Mhmm,” Samuel nodded. After a bit of silence, he said, “I’ll take that as a no. So, listen well. A Sage is someone with a very high status and authority. A person with a lot of knowledge and mastery over their own fields like Magic, Ki, Alchemy, Forging and whatnot. More or less, the best there are. And there are fewer sages than you can count on your fingers.

“By the title of Weapon’s Sage, it means that Teacher is a Sage who specialises in using Weapons, and Ki in general. Now, as for what we will learn from Teacher Zhu, naturally it's the use of our Ki and Weapons.”

Zack asked, “So he will teach us about Ki… So, does that mean he will know why I cannot circulate Ki?”

Samuel nodded as he spoke, “I think that he would.”

“And, how soon are we leaving?” Zack asked.

“About that…” Samuel replied, scratching his cheek. “I have no idea. I’m waiting for them as well.”

Hesitating, Zack asked, “So… how was it back at your home?”

Samuel shrugged, “Mom teaching us—oh, it’ll be just Amelia from now on. I am safe, hehe. She was just as strict as always, and dad will most likely go back to being a boring bag of bones. Still, Dad had improved in the past few days. I hope he doesn’t cause more trouble to mom due to us leaving. Mom also stopped being so strict since a few days, now I think. Even then, I feel pity for Amelia as she will be all alone to suffer—I mean, learn and study.”

Thus, the boys made idle walk, waiting for their Teacher.

Not long after, Zhu’s voice rang out, “Samuel, Zack, come out.”

Walking out of the cottage, both boys saw William along with Aria and Amelia holding onto a cat with glossy white fur standing to the side as a group, while Zhu maintained his distance.

Aria wore a distant expression, as if missing something, whereas Amelia held Shiiro in her arms, looking at Samuel with a cheery gaze. As for William, his face was solemn as he looked both the boys over. Waving his hand, he gestured Samuel over.

Walking to the front, Samuel stood in front of William, his face expressionless.

William’s expression grew heavy as his gaze seemed to bore through his son, making him feel as if a beast of paramount existence kept staring at him, making all the hair on Samuel’s skin stand on their ends.

“Kneel.” A dignified voice echoed through the air, crushing any thoughts of denial in the bud.

Closing his eyes, Samuel knelt in front of William, his eyes not daring to lift the slightest inch from staring at the former’s withered feet.