Chapter 249

Early morning.

At the Meng Mansion, in the training grounds.

Meng Qingshe wielded a large saber, its movements creating a whooshing sound. His body moved like a snake, with only the jingling of the bells on the saber audible amidst his blurred form.

Meng Shaoxia watched his father's enthusiastic performance and quietly lowered his head.

Looking at his brother-in-law and father-in-law beside him, who were watching intently, he felt a strange atmosphere.

A few years ago, he couldn't have beaten his father.

But at his father-in-law's house, he had been beaten day after day after day...

Now, watching his father's saber dance seemed like watching a slow-motion replay, full of openings.

He now believed he could defeat his father.

Meng Shaoxia felt slightly excited. In a moment, hehe!

Jiang Feng watched Uncle Meng practice with his saber earnestly, thinking that the Meng family truly lived up to their reputation as a military family. Such a large saber, wielded with ease and imposing momentum.

This feeling might be fine on the training grounds, but once on the battlefield, Uncle Meng's saber, leading a great army in a charge, would be unstoppable, advancing relentlessly. This was a saber suited for the battlefield.

Uncle Meng was born to be a general, the kind that leads troops in a charge.

In comparison, he himself was somewhat lacking in this aspect.

Jiang Changtian watched his in-law's saber dance attentively. It looked good, but it wasn't suitable for him. He didn't like such broad, sweeping movements; he preferred something more refined.

After warming up, Meng Qingshe wanted to train his son a bit. Seeing that he had gained some weight, he must have neglected his training quite a bit these past few years. Considering that he had given him two chubby grandsons, he'd go easy on him this time.

Meng Qingshe called his son onto the field.

Meng Shaoxia looked back at his father-in-law, then at his brother-in-law, and sighed with a hint of smugness.

"Father, when you lose in a moment, don't say I didn't give you face."

"You brat, your skills haven't improved, but your boasting has. Don't cry later."

Meng Qingshe swung his large saber towards him.

Meng Shaoxia, used to being thoroughly beaten at his father-in-law's house - he couldn't even beat his mother-in-law - was finally home and ready to turn the tables.

He nimbly dodged, also drawing out his saber.

His saber was plain, without fancy bells, and even a bit dull, looking blackish.

It was forged by his father-in-law from a meteorite that had fallen in the backyard.

He hadn't had a chance to use it properly on this journey.

But he cherished it greatly.

This iron was different, very heavy.

The saber's size was even smaller than before, but its weight had tripled.

Meng Shaoxia swung it a few times, slowly getting the feel of it.

His father, Meng Qingshe, waited a while for his son.

Seeing that he had improved somewhat - in his youth he had preferred the sword, all flash and no substance - now he had switched to the saber. Although changing weapons midway wasn't ideal, watching his son wield the saber so comfortably, it was clearly more suitable.

However, the saber was a bit small, lacking in presence. Meng Qingshe wasn't tall, but he liked large weapons - if height was lacking, make up for it with the weapon.

After waiting for his son to warm up a bit, Meng Qingshe began to exert real force with his large saber.

For those untrained in martial arts, seeing that large saber swinging towards them, they would first freeze, not knowing how to resist or dodge, because they would be locked in place by the saber's momentum. It was like a high-speed train coming at you - you'd certainly be at a loss, though you should run. But the scene is too terrifying, like the train is already at your forehead, your brain would think you can't escape, and your body, receiving the brain's signal, would be unable to move. You simply couldn't run.

The bells on the saber handle weren't purely decorative, but had a mind-confusing effect when the saber was swung. Accompanying the saber's whistling through the air, the dense jingling of the bells would disturb one's mind, making it hard to concentrate.

On the battlefield, being a beat slow meant death.

Meng Shaoxia had adapted to the meteorite saber in his hand.

This saber was full of his father-in-law's love.

He had thought only Mianmian had such a thing, but unexpectedly, he had one too.

Jiang Changtian: The leftover material after making one for his daughter, naturally, shouldn't be wasted.

Had he gotten old? Become useless? Impossible!

This brat was beaten black and blue by him just a few years ago, had his teeth knocked out, and he had also been punished by his own father for that.

How had he become so formidable now?

"What have you been eating? You haven't taken Xiaoyao Powder, have you?" Meng Qingshe asked gravely.

He had seen people who took Xiaoyao Powder suddenly gain strength, becoming incredibly powerful. An ordinary person would suddenly become fierce and invincible, fearless of death. But once addicted to the powder, they would have to keep taking it. If they stopped, they would go mad and lose their minds, in severe cases even self-mutilating, their bodies rapidly weakening, and in worse cases, their bodies would rot and they'd lose control of their bowels.

"Father, that stuff is so expensive, I could never afford it. These past few years, all my food and expenses have been covered by my father-in-law. Where would I get the money?" Meng Shaoxia complained.

His father was quite interesting, even coming up with Xiaoyao Powder.

Meng Qingshe's face reddened upon hearing his son's complaint. Nonsense, haven't I given you pocket money? I've sent you lots of money.

"Father, if you can't win, just admit defeat. Don't say anything else," Meng Shaoxia finally felt he could stand tall. After being beaten down at his father-in-law's house for so many years, he could finally hold his head high. It was worth it, worth it.

Jiang Mianmian looked at her brother-in-law, feeling he was courting death.

Very much like how she usually behaved.

Sure enough, just as Meng Shaoxia was getting cocky, he was suddenly caught by a whip his father pulled out, and with the large saber, spanked several times.

Jiang Mianmian: ... She couldn't bear to watch.

No matter how old you are, your father is still your father.

Meng Shaoxia's face turned red. "Father, we're sparring in the training grounds, and you're actually cheating, bringing out bondage props."

Meng Qingshe was also a bit embarrassed. Who knew his son would become so strong after not seeing him for a few years? Impressive.

But as a father, he still wanted to beat his son.

This was one of the benefits of having a son.

If it were a daughter, he wouldn't have the heart to beat her.

Meanwhile, Jiang Feng, delighted with the saber, borrowed Uncle Meng's Green Dragon Saber and began practicing in the training ground.

He still used the basic three moves from before.

In fact, because he had practiced them so many times, they were etched into his bones and blood.

He wielded the large saber smoothly.

Meng Qingshe, on the other hand, snatched the saber from his son's hand. During the battle, he had noticed something strange about his son's saber. Ordinary weapons couldn't withstand his Green Dragon Saber for long, but this saber had taken ten strikes and seemed to grow brighter, not only not breaking but making his hand hurt with each clash.

He took his son's saber in hand and immediately felt its weight.

Damn!

This unremarkable saber in his son's hand was actually heavier than his Green Dragon Saber.

The son's strength had definitely more than doubled compared to before. No wonder he didn't feel pain when hit earlier, just putting on an act and crying out halfheartedly. The blows must have been too light.

"Where did you get this sword?"

"My father gave it to me," Meng Shaoxia said, looking at Jiang Changtian.

Normally, if Meng Qingshe heard his son calling someone else "father," he would certainly feel jealous.

But at this moment, holding this heavy yet ordinary-looking greatsword, he gazed eagerly at Jiang Changtian, also wanting to call him "father"...

Jiang Changtian felt slightly awkward.

But also a bit gratified.

Young Meng was a good kid.

"This was specially forged for Shaoxia, made from meteorite iron. Because time was short, it hasn't been sharpened, but the blacksmith said that with regular use, it will become sharper and more comfortable to wield. There's no need to deliberately sharpen it," Jiang Changtian explained.

Meng Qingshe ran his hands up and down the greatsword, feeling its cool touch and dark surface. It truly was a treasure.

No wonder the little brat was so content he forgot to come home, and even gained some weight. His in-laws truly treated him well, willing to give him such a precious gift.

His in-laws were too honest. This meteorite iron, rarely found even once in a hundred years, was actually given to their son-in-law.

Meng Qingshe's enthusiasm for his in-laws increased several notches. He thought to himself that he must take good care of them. In two days when they go to court, he would personally accompany them.

...