Inviting Wolves into the Room
"Your footwork is not light enough, and your movements are too pronounced. Before you even approach, your opponent will detect you. When your lightness technique reaches its peak, whether it's traversing rooftops, walking on water, or flying over grass, you'll be able to do so without a trace."
In the Gobi Desert more than ten miles away from Tianling Village, Ye Mo was giving instructions to the four siblings from the Li family in their martial arts.
At this moment, Ye Mo's heart was far from calm.
The natural talent of the Li siblings in martial arts truly amazed him.
In just over a year of practice, the four siblings had made considerable progress in their internal skills.
Especially Li Wuya, her ability to understand everything quickly was astonishing and often left him in awe.
Look at this, the few issues he just pointed out, she had already mastered after practising.
"Master, I can now glide over a river that's several dozen meters wide and run on treetops in the mountains." Li Wuya corrected her practice errors and approached Ye Mo with a smile.
Ye Mo looked at Li Wuya, thinking that she was seeking praise. After a long silence, he managed to say, "Very good, keep up the hard work."
However, Li Wuya brought up a new question, "Master, I feel like I've hit a bottleneck. Walking on water and flying over grass isn't that difficult as long as you're fast enough."
Ye Mo's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this. Was this girl trying to show off and boast to him?
Soon, he realized he had misunderstood. She had bigger aspirations.
"Master, why can't I fly yet?"
Ye Mo was taken aback by the question. With a wooden expression, he asked, "How do you want to fly?"
Li Wuya rubbed her chin, "Let's not talk about flying through thin air, at least I should be able to fly by stepping on treetops. I can already step on tree trunks and reach the treetops, but I can't seem to fly between the trees."
The trees in the Tian Shan mountains were tall and lush, and she had long wanted to fly to the treetops for a panoramic view.
Ye Mo really wanted to say, "You can only dream of achieving that." Taking a deep breath, he said with a stiff face, "You want to walk on air unless you're a deity."
Li Wuya also knew that this was impossible. She chuckled, "I was just kidding."
Ignoring her, Ye Mo continued, "You can't fly in the trees because your inner strength is insufficient. Walking in mid-air for an extended period, even with points of leverage, requires a strong internal force."
"You've been practising the inner family techniques for just over a year. Although you've progressed quickly, profound inner strength takes time to accumulate."
Li Wuya nodded, "I see, that's why I always felt like something was missing. It turns out my inner strength isn't strong enough." She clenched her fist, "I'll work hard on cultivating my inner strength techniques when I go back, so I can fly over the Tian Shan mountains and enjoy its beauty."
Hearing this, Ye Mo was dumbfounded.
Fly over the Tian Shan mountains?
The highest peak of the Tian Shan Mountains was nearly ten thousand meters high. Even ninth-level experts wouldn't dare claim they could fly over it. Where did this little girl get her confidence?
Watching Li Wuya's expression as if she was about to enjoy the beauty of the Tian Shan mountains, Ye Mo fell silent for a moment. He simply turned away from her and walked towards Li Sanlang and the others.
He was afraid that staying with this little girl for too long would drive him insane.
Li Sanlang and the others were comparatively more normal. Although their martial arts progress was faster, it hadn't reached the point where he questioned his life choices.
Seeing Ye Mo ignore her again, Li Wuya pouted. However, as she watched him approach Li Qilang and the others and earnestly point out their shortcomings, a smile returned to her face.
By now, Ye Mo's attitude towards them was much more patient than when he had just started teaching them.
Initially, Ye Mo had imparted the Li siblings the inner family techniques out of a sense of obligation for saving him from the underground prison. However, now, he genuinely regarded them as his disciples.
It was partly due to valuing their talents and partly because he needed capable individuals around him.
Since Ye Mo started receiving medicine and meat from Li Changsen every month, he would always make time to give guidance to the Li siblings whenever he returned from his breaks.
Their interactions deepened their emotional connection.
Ye Mo had doubts about the herbal soups and meat they received from the Li family. Such things shouldn't have been something that the Li family could provide. However, he didn't pry into their secrets, only advising them not to divulge them casually.
With Ye Mo's frequent guidance, the progress of the Li siblings was rapid.
Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was June of the forty-second year of Jianxing.
On the sixth day of the first month of June, Li Wuya and Li Qilang celebrated their seventh birthday.
Jin Yue'e took leave and brought Li Erya and Li Qilang to Xining City. They not only wanted to buy some treats the children liked but also to sell the accumulated wild rabbit skins. Additionally, they planned to visit Li Sanlang.
Li Sanlang worked at a horse ranch on the way to Xining City. Jin Yue'e and the three children arrived there first.
Li Sanlang was diligent at the ranch and had good relationships with people. Upon learning that his family was visiting, the ranch manager granted him a day off.
And so, the family of five set off for Xining City together.
Once they entered the city, Jin Yue'e took the four children to the market and then headed straight for a shop that bought wild game and fur.
Being hunters, the Jin family was familiar with the market due to their frequent trips to sell games and fur with their father and brothers.
While Jin Yue'e haggled with the shopkeeper over the prices, Li Wuya was happily discussing with her siblings where they would go to eat later.
In the past year, they couldn't consume all the rabbits and pheasants they hunted, so they sold them to the courier station. Gradually, they accumulated quite a bit of silver.
"I want to eat a whole roasted lamb!"
"Let's eat something else, roasted lamb is too expensive."
"How about noodles? The aroma of the braised noodles on the east side of the city can be smelled from a block away. The taste must be amazing."
...
Perhaps the price negotiations weren't going well. Jin Yue'e left the first shop with the rabbit skins and called the four children to leave. As they were about to enter the second shop, a man with a foolish smile approached and said he wanted to buy the rabbit skins, offering a surprisingly high price.
Initially, everything seemed normal. As long as the money and goods exchanged hands, it would be fine. However, the man claimed he didn't have the silver on him and asked them to come into the shop to get it.
Jin Yue'e didn't find this suspicious and led the children to follow the man.
On the way, Li Wuya noticed the man's steady and powerful footsteps, and a glint of suspicion flashed in her eyes.
This man had martial arts skills!
Seeing the hint of killing intent in the man's eyes, Li Wuya instantly recalled the incident when they were tracked by the North Yan people in Xining City last time.
As she watched the man lead them towards a mortuary shop, Li Wuya discreetly extended her spiritual awareness.
After ascertaining the situation inside the mortuary shop, she didn't alert her mother.
Clearly, the North Yan people had targeted them again, and it would be better to handle it sooner rather than later.
Soon, the group arrived at the entrance of the mortuary shop.
Feeling uneasy, Jin Yue'e hesitated to sell. Just then, the man suddenly grabbed Jin Yue'e's arm and tapped her mouth, then pulled her into the shop.
Except for Li Qilang, who was still lost in his thoughts of eating, Li Wuya, Li Sanlang, and Li Erya all noticed the man's actions and their expressions changed.
"Let go of my mother!"
Li Sanlang and Li Erya instinctively moved to follow, but when they were about to step into the shop, Li Sanlang stopped and held back Li Erya.
"We don't need the money, the rabbit skins are free for you. Let my mother go."
The man took out a dagger and pressed it against Jin Yue'e's throat, chuckling coldly, "Don't speak, don't make a fuss, or else, I'll kill your mother."
While Li Sanlang hesitated, Li Wuya took Li Qilang's hand and walked into the shop.
"Don't kill my mother, we've come in."
Seeing this, Li Sanlang and Li Erya had no choice but to follow.