## Chapter 267: Return
Riding Light Snow back to the Training Camp, I didn't expect that White-Bearded Old Man named Jir to still be standing there blankly in the Woods. I truly admire his patience. Going there and back took at least two hours, yet he was still stubbornly guarding the spot. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but gain a new appreciation for this Old Man's rigidity and stubbornness.
"Grandpa Jir~~" Seeing the Old Man's displeased expression, Sarah couldn't help but stick out her little tongue and Act Spoiled, grabbing his hand and shaking it. This move was truly effective. The Old Man, who was so angry his Eyes were practically bulging, immediately lost his temper. His Gaze constantly shifted between tenderness for his Granddaughter and sternness for the unruly disciple, before he finally let out a sigh.
"You stinking brat, if you dare lead Sarah astray again next time, I don't care what your relationship with her is, just remember this." Seeing that he couldn't do anything about Sarah, the Old Man naturally vented the pent-up anger in his heart onto me, the Instigator.
Hmph, I secretly snorted in my heart. However, this Old Man was Sarah's Master after all. Although his temper was bad, his rigorous and serious character was also commendable. If I could avoid offending him, it was better to go along with him as much as possible. Thinking this, I rolled my Eyes a few times, then narrowed them.
"Old Master, you've practiced Swordsmanship your whole life. Can you tell me, what is the highest Realm of Swordsmanship?"
Clearly not expecting me to ask such a question, the Old Man was startled. What is the highest Realm of Swordsmanship? Anyone who has practiced Swordsmanship must have spent a lot of thought imagining it, but how many could explain it clearly?
"I don't know. Why, do you know?" After thinking for a while in a daze, the Old Man snapped back to attention and impatiently waved his hand at me like shooing away a hen: "Go, go, go! If you have nothing to do, hurry up and scram! Don't disturb my Training."
"Of course I don't know, but..." I ignored the Old Man's impatient order to leave and suddenly looked into the distance with a solemn expression. It was as if I was about to reveal some huge Secret, making the Atmosphere extremely tense.
"But...?" The Old Man swallowed, clearly having been drawn into the Atmosphere by me. His eager Gaze made me want to laugh. What a simple and cute Old Man! He must not have been Deceived much before. I chuckled inwardly, but my Expression became even more solemn.
"However, the Younger Brother of the Arch-rival of the Master of the Wife of a friend of my Teacher once said. The highest Swordsmanship is divided into three Realms." I abruptly held up three fingers towards the Old Man and said emphatically.
"The First Realm emphasizes Man and Sword as One; man is the Sword, and the Sword is man. The Second Realm is No Sword in Hand, Sword in Heart. Even empty-handed, one can unleash Sword Qi to injure people from a hundred meters away. As for the Third Realm, alas...!!" I sighed deeply, my Gaze seemingly traversing countless time and space. It was distant and profound.
"Although that person didn't say it explicitly, they left behind a phrase: a person who reaches the Third Realm is no longer human. They are a Saint." I let out a long breath, secretly adding in my heart: That's right, a Jian Sheng.
Looking at the Old Man again, he was standing there in a daze, his Gaze lost, muttering incessantly. Please don't suffer Cultivation Deviation! I wiped a Cold Sweat. Then I quietly waved at Sarah. If we don't leave now, when will we? Let Big Brother take you to other Training Camps to Show Off a bit, to prevent those little brats from having persistent lustful intentions.
"Big Brother is amazing! Sarah wants to learn Swordsmanship from Big Brother too in the future." On the way, Sarah looked at me with a Gaze full of admiration. It seemed she was also stunned by my vague and boundless words just now.
"Little Darling, don't take what I just said to heart. In the future, you should still seriously learn from Grandpa Jir." I said to Sarah with a Bitter Smile, speaking earnestly. I originally just wanted to Deceive the Old Man, but I didn't expect even my own Little Angel to be Deceived. The highest Realm of Swordsmanship and all that was actually just empty talk. Swordsmanship varies from person to person, and learning is endless. Everyone's ideal highest Realm might be different, and perhaps all are correct. There's no fixed pattern to speak of. What suits you is the best.
"Mm!!" Little Sarah nodded very seriously, but in her heart, she thought her level was too low to learn from Big Brother. While secretly resolving to study hard, her Gaze towards Big Brother, who was holding her in his arms, became even more ardent.
For the rest of the afternoon, with Light Snow galloping freely, we toured the entire Rogue North District. Laughter and joy followed us everywhere, but it was tough on the young students, who were almost blown away by the gust of wind Light Snow kicked up.
It wasn't until evening that Sarah and I returned Home. Unexpectedly, Velas was also there, tinkering with something together with Aunt Shali. Seeing us return, they were startled at first, then smilingly pulled Sarah over. The three women gathered together. Velas and Aunt Shali brought out a bowl of strange black medicinal soup for Sarah to drink, with encouraging Expressions, just like a boxing coach bringing water and towels for a fighter about to enter the ring.
"Are you drinking something good? I want a bowl too." I wrinkled my nose and leaned in, smelling a strange odor. But as the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover. Stinky Tofu smells bad, but it tastes just as good.
"Go away, go away!" "Lord, this isn't something for you to drink." Aunt Shali and the blushing Velas actually pushed me out, speaking in unison. It was truly baffling. Why could Sarah drink it, but I couldn't...?
The next day, I again seized the opportunity to Save Sarah from Gill's "demonic clutches". Perhaps because of my words yesterday, the Old Man's expression towards me was much better, but he had two big panda Eyes hanging on his face. Clearly, he had pondered hard all night, and I wondered if he had figured out the truth of it.
Today was the Market day at the Rogue Encampment. Naturally, I planned to take Sarah to stroll around the West District. As we were passing through the Central Area, a tsunami-like cheer came from not far away, startling me greatly.
What was going on? An Adventurer riot? The Voice came from the Teleportation Array. Curious, I took Sarah and went over. We hadn't gone far when the Waypoint Plaza, the size of two football fields, was already a sea of people around the Teleportation Array, which was like an Altar in the center. A Crowd had formed circle after circle around the Stone Altar.
"Brother, what's going on?" I grabbed an Adventurer who was rushing over and asked.
The young Adventurer, who was originally a bit impatient, turned his Head, ready to give a cold explanation. But when he saw the person holding him, he was startled, then revealed a flattered Gaze.
"Lord Fan, actually, I'm not very clear either. I heard that a Senior's Adventure Team defeated Andariel and returned gloriously, so everyone rushed over to join the Excitement."
Defeated Andariel? So that's it. I also wanted to know who it was; maybe they were an Acquaintance. At that moment, I thanked the Adventurer and quickly squeezed forward.
The Stairs were packed with people, three layers deep inside and out. Just as I was troubled about how to squeeze forward to get a good look, the Crowd parted. I happened to grab a good spot, let Sarah ride on my shoulders, and prepared to watch the Adventure Team with great interest, along with everyone else.
"Oh!!" "Well done!!" "I knew you could do it!!" ...Tsunami-like Shouts, mixed with faint teasing sounds, came through. The Barbarians' loud Voices were especially prominent among them. It seemed this Adventure Team was very popular in the Camp.
The moment the Warriors' Figures stepped out of the Teleportation Array and onto the Stairs, I almost fell to the ground. I wasn't seeing things, was I? Damn it!!
Lars, Doug, and Gus, these three Old Geezers, were receiving cheers from the Adventurers on both sides as they slowly walked down the Stairs. Lars was relatively composed. Only the smugness deep within his Eyes couldn't hide his base nature. He was nodding gently with a Smile towards the Crowd on both sides, truly acting like an Oscar winner.
Doug was the most unbearable. His face, covered in Totems, was beaming with joy, so much so that his features were somewhat distorted, making the originally mighty and ferocious Totems look extremely comical. The pigtail behind his Head was swinging like a cow's Tail, truly a Shame to Barbarians. At this moment, he was mingling freely and shaking hands with his "shady friends" around him, clearly already embodying the role of a head of state on an overseas visit.
Gus was the most normal of the three, grinning foolishly, though his Footsteps were a bit light and floaty.
Can anyone tell me what's going on? Damn it, didn't these three bastards say they would challenge Andariel a few months later? I was planning to secretly follow them then, just in case! These bastards are messing around too much! They're simply not taking their own Lives seriously, not taking others' concern seriously!!
I excitedly wiped the Moist Corner of my Eye. But... it's good that the three of them returned safely.
"Dad—Dad—" The Little Angel on my shoulders seemed to finally come back to her senses, shouting desperately with a choked Voice. Without even looking, I could imagine her excited Appearance, crying tears of joy at this moment.
Her Voice was like a Stone dropped into the Ocean, instantly drowned out by the tsunami-like cheers. I was about to lend her a hand and unleash my god-like Singing Voice, which I had kept secret since my Transmigration and never displayed in front of others. Unexpectedly, inspiration struck Lars, and he cast his Gaze over, instantly spotting Sarah sitting on my shoulders. An Expression of ecstasy immediately appeared on his face. Just as he was about to rush over to express his father-Daughter affection, Doug next to him pulled his arm: "Image, mind your Image."
Lars coughed excitedly, straightened his expression, and led the two Barbarian Brothers, swaggering with splayed feet, Head held high and chest puffed out, walking towards us with extreme affectation. Their proud Appearance was just like the Four Great Scholars of Jiangnan from "Flirting Scholar".
"My Beloved Daughter! Dad missed you terribly!!" The Crowd slowly parted, making a path. When his darling was close before his Eyes, Lars finally couldn't help but rush over in tears, wanting to pick Sarah up from my shoulders.
Without thinking, I immediately stuck out my foot and blocked his Body rushing over.
"You bastard, how many days haven't you showered? What if you stink up Sarah?" I said, laughing and scolding. Lars also seemed to realize his current dusty, disheveled, and reeking Appearance, and grinned foolishly in embarrassment, withdrawing his hand.
I lowered Sarah from my shoulders, took a step forward, and excitedly hugged Lars.
"Brother, Congratulations."
"Thank you, Wu!!" Lars also tightly clasped my shoulders, his Voice filled with uncontrollable joy.
"Doug, I didn't expect you old fellow to still be alive." I released Lars and then hugged Doug. But this guy was too tall, so I could only hug his waist.
"Of course! I'm the rising star of tomorrow on Sanctuary!" Doug laughed shamelessly, patting my shoulder hard a few times. Damn it, I should have hugged him after transforming into Werebear Form! I suffered a great loss. Grimacing, I kicked him away.
"Gus, well done. Having a Big Brother like this is truly your misfortune," I said sincerely.
"Don't worry, I'm already used to it," Gus replied sincerely.
"You two bastards!!" Doug got angry.
Turning back, the Little Angel had already pounced onto Lars, not minding his stinky Body and the full beard stubble he hadn't shaved for who knows how many months. She affectionately kissed him on the face.
"Haha—, this is my good Daughter!!" Lars excitedly hugged Sarah, laughing heartily, full of satisfaction, and didn't forget to throw a Show Off Gaze at us.
What's there to be smug about? No matter how good a Daughter she is, won't she eventually benefit someone else for free...? Oh, no, it should be me.
"Sarah, remember to take a shower immediately when you get back," I said seriously to Sarah, ignoring Lars' peacock-like display.
"Mm, Big Brother, I know," Sarah also nodded seriously.