34.

On the empty garden in front of his house on top of the mountain; Yang Ze was waving his hand around with an excited face.

"Wisssshhhh..."

Looking at the small hole in the stone, Yang Ze was ecstatic. Taking a deep breath, he pointed his finger towards another rock and slowly condensed a small white ball of Qi. The ball seemed illusory yet real at the same time. It seemed so weak like it could dissipate any moment.

"Tak..." With a small sound, the ball of qi shot forward. The moment it made contact with the stone, it cut through it like a hot knife through butter. This was the strength of the one in the peak Qi Guiding realm. Though he was able to shoot the condensed qi, he wasn't able to control its direction. It was like shooting an arrow, you can not change its direction in midair.

"I am strong." Standing there in a daze, Yang Ze felt like everything was a dream. It's been around two months since he came to this world. In that time, he has managed to become so strong that he could now rule an entire city if he wished to. Even his father, the current patriarch of the Yang family, Yang Yuanzhen wasn't as strong as him. Unknowingly he has become stronger than the entire Yang family combined.

The majority of the reason was due to the Black Tiger Technique. If not for it, he wouldn't have risked a fight against the Hua family in the mountains but instead would have escaped at the first sight of trouble. This once again made him aware of the power of the martial arts.

"Now. I just need to wait till the party. I can grab the movement technique and the last volume of the Seaheart Art." After making up his mind, Yang Ze started to experiment with the Qi.

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While Yang Zi was experimenting nervously, inside the manor of the Steward Li, the figure of a graceful woman was lying on the bed comfortably. At the age of thirties when a woman's charm was at full display, she was a fatal attraction to the young man, especially to the young boy sitting in front of him, who was swallowing his saliva every few seconds while stealing a few glances.

"That is everything that happened, mother. What do you think about it?" Yang Che who was sitting there didn't hesitate to tell her everything that happened with Yang Ze and the letter.

"Hmm." The lady lying on the bed seemed to be in deep thought. She didn't seem to be bothered by the scorching hot gaze of Yang Che in front of her. Instead, she purposely moved to let him have a better view.

Oblivious to the fact that his actions were noticed a long time ago, Yang Che's eyes were getting red with excitement. He was barely able to contain himself. If not for his last shred of sanity, and the fact that this woman was his father's wife, he would have jumped at the woman.

"A dying camel is still bigger than a horse, Che'er. Instead of finding faults with him, you should try to make friends with him. No one knows when the other person might be useful."

"HE..? USEFUL?" For a moment, Yang Che thought he heard wrong. For a waste like Yang Ze to be useful is an impossible matter. But, even if he was fuming in his heart, he didn't want to refute his mother just for the sake of that waste.

"I understand." Nodding his head, he looked at the woman and asked again. "Do you want me to do something else for you?"

Noticing his gaze, the lady's lips curled up in a smile before she spoke in a weak voice.

'' Now that you mentioned, my shoulders are a bit stiff. How about you give your mother a gentle massage?''

Listening to her, Yang Che almost went soft. Gulping hard, he stood up tremblingly before slowly moving his hand towards her shoulder.

"Umm." As soon as his hand touched her shoulder, she let out a moan.

"Gulp." Still somehow managing to control himself, Yang Che slowly moved his hands on her shoulder. Feeling the soft skin underneath his hands, Yang Ze was going crazy. Though he called the woman in front of him his mother, she was actually his stepmother. His father married her after he came to this town to take charge of the textile industry.

"Umm, a little bit down." Still speaking in a whisper, she arched her body up.

Yang Che stopped for a moment before slowly moving his hands down. As soon as his hands reached her back, his hands trembled for a moment. Just a little bit down and he could almost touch her buttocks. But even if he were given ten thousand courage, he wouldn't dare to. After all, she was his father's wife.

"Che'er, you will do this for your Mother right?"

"Yes, absolutely mother." Replying in a dazed tone, Yang Che continued massaging her back. However, instead of massage, it would be better to say that he was feeling her soft skin. This ambiguous scene between both of them went on for an hour before Yang Che walked out of the room with a flushed face.

....

Watching the sun sink below the horizon, Yang Ze sat quietly in front of his house. This was one of his favourite things to do. Even in his past life, he would often stand alone, staring into the distance. It wasn't anything special, but he found peace in those moments. At this moment, he didn't have to worry about anything. He could relax and be himself.

"What are you looking at?" Breaking the tranquillity, the voice of Yang Che echoed in the mountain.

"Tch." Having been disturbed like this, Yang Ze was full of annoyance. If not for the trouble that would follow soon, he would have patted this guy dead. To him, someone like Yang Che who was in the Qi Condensing realm was like an ant, who could be squished to death anytime. Not to mention this father-and-son duo was already a pain in the ass for him.

"What are you doing here?" The first thought that came to his mind was that this guy in front of him was here to find trouble with him. After all, for someone as ambitious as him, stepping on the second young master of the direct bloodline should be a great way to satisfy his puny ego.

"What? Can't I come and have a chat with you?" Yang Che was deeply annoyed in his mind. If not for the request of his mother, he wouldn't have bothered to chat with waste like Yang Ze.

'HUH? Did the sun rise from the west today?' Even though he was surprised, Yang Ze didn't chase him away. Since the day of his arrival, there weren't many people to talk to. Yang Che in front of him was a good source of information too. Since he was already there, there was no need to chase him away. Besides, it would be a good thing to relieve him of his boredom.

"Sure. Come have a seat." Pulling another bamboo chair, Yang Ze signalled him to sit beside him.

Both of them sat there in complete silence. Yang Che who came here just because of his mother was searching for words to speak while Yang Ze on the other hand was waiting for him to speak first. Finally, after a long time, Yang Che broke the silence and asked Yang Ze. "How are you feeling now?"

"If by feeling, you mean that letter... then don't bother. I am used to these kinds of things." Shaking his head, Yang Ze looked at him for a moment before asking. "How about you? Aren't you going to the city to take a chance at the admission test?"

"I mean, compared to me, you should be pretty talented right?"

As soon as he heard it, there was a smile on Yang Che's face. Getting praised by someone his age sure felt great. Especially when that 'someone' is the second young master of the Yang family. He might be a waste, but his identity was still there. Such a thing was more than enough to satisfy his vanity.

"Hahaha. Now that you mention it, I will try my luck, but I am not too optimistic. There are already people from the other three clans, not to mention more people coming from the nearby cities. I doubt someone like me could enter the Martial Academy."

Though he said such words, his eyes were clearly brimming with hope and ambitions. Other than the odd fellow Yang Ze himself, there wasn't a second person who didn't want to enter the Martial Academy. Entering the Martial Academy was like a carp leaping over a dragon's gate. It was enough to change someone's fate completely.

"I wonder what kind of place Martial Academy is?" By now, Yang Ze almost understood Yang Che as a person. He was the kind of person who loved to hear others praise him. Now he just needs to find a common ground of interest, and perhaps the martial academy could be the one.

"Heh. I don't know." Shaking his head, Yang Che raised his hand and clenched his fist. "I do not dare to imagine it. But, one day... One day I will go to a martial academy and see it for myself."

Both of them stayed there for a long time. By the time it was night, Yang Che was the first one to stand up. "How about coming with me to dinner? We could go to the lingering fragrance tavern. The food there is one of the best in the city. I promise you won't be disappointed."

"Let's go then." Nodding, Yang Ze changed into a clean white robe before walking away with Yang Che.