Chapter 65: Grandfather

Chapter 65 Grandfather

Shock. What else could Zhuo Nan do besides feeling utterly shocked? Damn it, Zhuo Nan, your heart is literally an epicenter of an earthquake...

"Senior Pei, what did you say? Could you please repeat that?" Fortunately, the expression on Zhuo Nan's face right then was one of sheer astonishment and disbelief. Had he looked fierce, Old Pei would certainly have barked, "Kid, what if I say it again? Step up if you've got the guts to fight me one-on-one!"

Zhuo Nan's reaction was so intense that it instantly made Shangguan Lingfeng and the others tense up. Tilting his head and noticing Zhuo Nan's eyes wide open, mixed with a complex glade of emotions, Old Pei quickly added, "My daughter's name is Wang Liru."

This time, Zhuo Nan had not misheard. It truly was the three characters: Wang Liru. Suppressing the upheaval within his heart and steadying his breathing, he slowly asked, "Senior Pei, your surname is Pei, so why does your daughter bear the surname Wang?" At that moment, Zhuo Nan did not dare to hastily acknowledge their kinship; he had to get things completely straight.

"Back then, my Pei family had a family rule: if a daughter was born, she took her mother's surname; if a son, she took her father's surname. Therefore, my daughter's surname followed that of my wife," Old Pei explained slowly.

"Another rotten patriarchal rule that favors boys over girls," Zhuo Nan thought to himself. Then, reflecting further, he realized, "No wonder Wang Liru always had a bit of that patriarchal mindset at home, constantly complaining day in and day out that she hadn't given birth to a son."

Feeling fairly certain that the old man before him was indeed Wang Liru's biological father, Zhuo Nan could no longer control his surging excitement and hurriedly asked, "Senior Pei, is your daughter thirty-six years old this year, born on the thirteenth day of the seventh lunar month in the year of Renyin, during the third watch of the Chen hour?"

Old Pei stared at Zhuo Nan with a face full of amazement. How could he possibly know the exact time of his daughter's birth? Seeing the shock on the old man's face, Zhuo Nan continued, "Back then, there was a note left on Wang Liru, recording her name and her exact birth characters."

Old Pei stood up in a single fluid motion. Casting a wary gaze at Zhuo Nan and radiating a terrifying, bone-chilling aura of murderous intent, he coldly demanded, "Just who are you, and what is your purpose in coming here?"

Realizing that Old Pei had misunderstood, Zhuo Nan quickly shouted out, "Grandfather! I am Wang Liru's son..."

"What?" Hearing this, Old Pei froze in place, dumbfounded. Even Shangguan Lingfeng and the others were utterly incredulous. Good heavens, Zhuo Nan actually turned out to be Senior Pei's grandson...

"Back then, you left Mother at a textile factory with a couple surnamed Fang. Seeing the note left with her, the couple didn't change her name, but instead let her keep her original name, which she has used ever since. That couple passed away twenty-three years ago, leaving Mother to live on her own. Later on, she married my second uncle." Seeing that Old Pei remained somewhat doubtful, Zhuo Nan began to explain the whole story from beginning to end.

Never had Old Pei imagined that the young man standing before him was his own daughter's child. Reunited with family at last, tears instantly streamed down the old man's face. "Child, your mother has suffered terribly all these years. It is I who let you all down."

Looking at Old Pei's tear-streaked face, a poignant ache tugged at Zhuo Nan's heart as well. "Grandfather, say no more. If Mother knew about everything that has happened, she certainly wouldn't blame you."

"Come, child, sit down quickly and tell me all about what has happened over the years." At that moment, Old Pei no longer resembled a formidable martial arts master, but rather a kind and gentle grandfather.

Standing off to the side, Shangguan Lingfeng slowly let her own tears fall. Senior Pei was still able to live to see his grandson, but what about her? Her husband and son had long since perished from this world; the only way she might ever see them again would be to meet them in the netherworld. Yet now, she had a blood debt to settle. Once her vengeance was fully exacted, it would not be too late to join her husband and son.

With a smile, Zhuo Nan took a seat and continued, "Grandfather, you also have a biological granddaughter. She's eleven years old this year, a lovely and adorable little girl who looks the absolute spitting image of her mother."

Upon hearing this, Old Pei burst into a hearty laugh. "Good, good, good." He repeated the word three times, a clear testament to how joyous his mood was at that moment. Then, a thought crossed his mind, and he asked with a puzzled expression, "What do you mean by 'also'? Whose biological child are you?"

Smiling, Zhuo Nan replied, "Grandfather, I'll tell you the truth. Wang Liru is actually just my second aunt. My parents passed away when I was very young, and it was she and my second uncle who raised me single-handedly. All these years, I have regarded her as my own birth mother, which is why I call her 'Mother'."

"Oh, I see. Very well, very well. You are a child of deep loyalty and affection as well. Throughout my life, I, Pei Zhenhai, have fought across rivers and lakes. Now that I have both a grandson and a granddaughter, this life of mine has truly been worth living. Child, once I break out of here with you and kill my senior brother, our family will finally be reunited."

"Old Pei's name is Pei Zhenhai," Zhuo Nan thought to himself. "What an imposing name, seriously imposing."

"Grandfather, let's wait a couple more days. Once Mother and the others have boarded the ship and arrived in Country M, we will make our move," Zhuo Nan said with a smile.

Pei Zhenhai nodded, a look of uncontrollable joy plastered across his face. "Indeed. Once Liru reaches Country M, even if my senior brother possesses the abilities of the gods, there will be nothing he can do to her."

Of everyone, the person most thrilled about Pei Zhenhai's impending departure was undoubtedly Shangguan Lingfeng. With Senior Pei joining forces with them, her chances of avenging her brother would increase exponentially. Since everyone else was leaving, only Crazy Monkey remained behind. She turned to him and asked, "Crazy Monkey, let's head out together."

After a moment of contemplation, Crazy Monkey replied, "Since you're all leaving anyway, there's no point in me staying here alone. Count me in."

Who would have thought that because of Zhuo Nan's appearance, cell 206—which outsiders viewed as an impenetrable fortress—was about to become an empty shell in no time at all.

At that moment, Pei Zhenhai spoke up, "Zhuo Nan, tell your grandfather the truth. Where did you learn your martial arts? I couldn't recognize your moves as belonging to any known sect."

Without missing a beat, Zhuo Nan answered, "Grandfather, I told you before, but you wouldn't believe me. I really did fall into a ravine while traveling and happened to run into a reclusive martial arts master who taught them to me." Of course, Zhuo Nan was hardly going to tell the truth. Some things could never be revealed to anyone, let alone with three other people present in the room.

This time, Pei Zhenhai actually believed him. Nodding sagely with the air of an experienced strategist, he remarked, "It seems he truly was an extraordinary master. If we could manage to invite such an expert to our aid, killing my senior brother and helping Lingfeng exact her great vengeance would be an effortless task."

Hearing this, Shangguan Lingfeng's face lit up with excitement as well, though Zhuo Nan's next words instantly plunged her heart back to the bottom of the abyss. "That's impossible. I went back many times afterward, but I never ran into him again."

At this, both Shangguan Lingfeng and Pei Zhenhai let out soft, disappointed sighs. Then, as if recalling something, Pei Zhenhai said, "Zhuo Nan, stretch out your hand and let me take a look."

Not understanding why, but duty-bound since his grandfather had spoken, Zhuo Nan extended his hand. Pei Zhenhai grabbed Zhuo Nan's wrist and examined it with extreme care. "Could it be that he knows palmistry?" Zhuo Nan wondered inwardly.

Then, Pei Zhenhai gently exerted some force, pulling Zhuo Nan around so that his back was facing the old man. Reaching out, Pei Zhenhai patted Zhuo Nan's back a few times before saying, "Zhuo Nan, turn back around."

Obediently, Zhuo Nan turned back to face him, only to see Pei Zhenhai wearing an expression of profound satisfaction. "Truly fine material for martial arts," the old man declared. "Strong bones, and meridians that are clear and wondrous."

Sweating profusely, Zhuo Nan stared at Pei Zhenhai. *Damn it, I have no interest in emulating Stephen Chow's movies. Are you about to pull out a martial arts manual and try to sell it to me next?*

Sure enough, Pei Zhenhai's next words were, "Crazy Monkey, hand me your saber."

Complying, Crazy Monkey passed the blade into Pei Zhenhai's hand. Taking the saber, Pei Zhenhai rolled up his trouser leg and, right before everyone's stunned eyes, ruthlessly sliced open the calf of his own leg.

Zhuo Nan cried out, "Grandfather, you..."

Without the slightest trace of pain on his face, Pei Zhenhai waved a hand, paying no heed to the fresh blood gushing from his leg. Reaching directly into the incision on his calf, he pulled out a small cloth bundle and handed it to Zhuo Nan. "This is the martial arts manual left behind by my master before his death. Take it and study it. If you can master it, killing my senior brother will be as easy as turning over one's hand."

Zhuo Nan accepted the cloth bundle, which was still stained with Pei Zhenhai's fresh blood. Never had he imagined that for over thirty years, Pei Zhenhai had concealed this supreme martial arts manual right inside his own flesh. As Zhuo Nan gently unfolded the bundle, Shangguan Lingfeng immediately ripped a strip of fabric from her own trousers to help bandage Pei Zhenhai's wound.

Slowly opening the cloth bundle, Zhuo Nan saw a piece of sheepskin inside, densely covered with tiny illustrated figures and markings of human acupuncture points. Looking at the sheepskin, Zhuo Nan felt a strange sense of deja vu—it felt remarkably like the scene where Zhang Wuji acquires the Heaven-Eclipsing Moving Scripture.

Deciding not to overthink it, Zhuo Nan took a close look. As far as he was concerned, he couldn't make heads or tails of such things. The reason he had mastered combat techniques so quickly was simply because the Super Brain had directly etched the forms and routines straight into his mind, functioning essentially like a burner writing data onto a disc. As for why he was so powerful, the explanation was simple: once his physical body had been optimized and enhanced by the Super Brain, it operated at peak condition, making the execution of those moves effortless and breezy. To ask him to cultivate ancient martial arts now would be pure nonsense.

Holding the sheepskin and completely at a loss, he was just about to confess the truth to his grandfather when the Super Brain chimed in, "Zhuo Nan, don't rush. I can understand this."

"You can?" Zhuo Nan asked mentally.

"Nonsense. If I can't, can you? Just hold it in your hand and let me scan it thoroughly first." Trusting the Super Brain completely—knowing full well that this entity had long since surpassed the limits of a biological brain and possessed a massive internal database where comprehension of such things was hardly surprising—Zhuo Nan simply held the sheepskin and put on a pretense of deep concentration.

To the observers, Zhuo Nan's focused expression meant he was fully comprehending the contents of the sheepskin. Delighted, Pei Zhenhai eagerly asked, "Zhuo Nan, can you understand it?"

Without even raising his head, Zhuo Nan replied, "Grandfather, wait a moment. There are still some parts I need to study more closely." The sheer audacity of Zhuo Nan's bluffing skills was extraordinary as he spouted nonsense with his eyes wide open.

Seeing him so engrossed, the others dared not utter a sound to disturb him. Pei Zhenhai offered, "Take your time reading, Zhuo Nan. If there is anything you don't understand, I can explain it to you in detail."

At that moment, the Super Brain spoke up, "Zhuo Nan, I've already compiled the routines and moves into the database. I'll transmit them directly into your physical system shortly. As for the internal energy, that can't be resolved immediately; it will require you to practice whenever you have free time. However, I've also converted the training method into a program and will transmit it straight into your nervous system."

Upon hearing this, a wave of realization washed over Zhuo Nan. *Done. That's settled once again.*

Folding up the sheepskin and raising his head with a smile, he told the group, "Alright, I've figured it out."

As soon as those words left his mouth, a look of radiant joy bloomed across Pei Zhenhai's face. He hurriedly asked, "Child, did you really understand it? This is no joking matter."

Zhuo Nan let out a chuckle and replied, "Rest assured, Grandfather, I wouldn't joke with my own life either. As for your injury, let me treat it for you." With that, he placed his hand over the wound. Immediately, Pei Zhenhai felt the pain in his leg begin to subside, and the bleeding gradually stopped altogether.

Finishing up, Zhuo Nan declared, "Grandfather, I've stanched the bleeding. Tomorrow I'll help you recuperate it properly. It's getting late now, so everyone should get some rest. I'll take the opportunity to study this technique a bit further."

"By the way, Grandfather, what is this martial art called?" Zhuo Nan suddenly remembered that he had obtained a peerless martial art without even knowing its name.

Pei Zhenhai burst into a proud, hearty laugh and proclaimed with immense pride, "This is our sect's supreme treasure, the Sunflower Manual..."

"What..." The moment Pei Zhenhai's voice trailed off, Zhuo Nan instinctively covered his crotch with both hands. *Crap, things have just gone way too far...*